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Friday, March 29, 2024
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I’m Done with Manufactured Spending

With the last Vanilla purchased today to hit the final min, I have decided to stop the manufactured spending madness. 44k here, 39k there, and thousands more from the glory days of REDbird have netted more points than I know what to do with. And that’s the problem.

My AA balance is over 250k, my MRs are over 340k, and my SPG is over 220k. While those were the programs I targeted for 2015, AA is facing a huge devaluation in 2016 and SPG’s program is up in the air. Add in the elimination of free gift cards and I can’t rationalize the $5.95 fee for Vanillas to boost the balances of these programs and others that could also face devaluation. Although there are creative options to MS for less, my laziness precludes me from doing so.

With a temporary freeze on churning due to a lack of great product offerings, this holiday season I will be focused on finding great ways to burn all that I have built up so that I can start the cycle anew in 2016. Hopefully this purge includes Etihad Apartments.

Till then, I’m going to enjoy the time off.

Anyone else exhausted from MS?

Taking a rest from MS
Taking a rest from MS
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30 COMMENTS

  1. I can’t bring myself to churn much! I need to do more….

    I spend over 25k monthly, mostly for work but also household expenses. the problem is, I am in a rut, I dont want to go anywhere…the thought of taking my 3 kids(16, 6 and 3) to europe or Asia exhausts me….

    • That’s quite the age disparity. Unless you’re going to churn & burn, then it’s not worth doing. The points treasure chest brings more drama than anything when the inevitable deval is announced.

      • yeah agreed. I mostly use my points for domestic and last minute domestic travel to PDX or OAK, where I have family. but now that the price of oil is down, I can’t bring myself to use the points….thats why I have some.

        Im worried about SPG, I have only 100k points though. The rest are in MR

        • The SPG situation is the worst. I would never spend 20k a night on an SPG room. I found better value using them at alofts for 2-3k. Guess I’ll have to go stay at aloft bangkok next year for 90 days!

  2. I had a goal to get points/miles for a trip next year and hit it. No other long term travel plans in the works either so with that for the last 2 months I’ve slacked off a bunch. I drive by Target and smile, remembering the fun days. I see a Post Office and think I could run in for a MO but don’t. Every time I’m in a grocery store I hover over the gift cards and my partner has to hit me with the shopping cart to break the spell. I did apply for a Chase Sap but didn’t get auto approved, if it doesn’t come through I won’t be sad.

    • Those are the current balances of the accounts. But even if I was running low I would still do the tried and true method of cc churning.

      • sure. but how much can you realistically churn each year. esp with amex’s once per lifetime rule, citi’s once every 18mos rule, chase’s no more than 5 new accts on credit for UR card approvals.

        might have to fly economy 🙂

        • im with you & i dig the RTW, ive done a few mini RTWs myself.

          but theres no way you can do anything similar again without MSing.
          a couple flights in economy and you’ll be back to MSing 🙂

        • i think we are in agreement on the necessity of MS to hit mins for cc’s but at the time i wrote this, I was over all of this: http://thepointsoflife.boardingarea.com/11513-2/

          also, i did say “this holiday season I will be focused on finding great ways to burn all that I have built up so that I can start the cycle anew in 2016.”

          and finally, I don’t MS after i hit the bonuses, i’m not like others who sell microwaves on amazon they bought on ebay to then buy amex gift cards to buy vanilla cards to then ms to no end lol.

        • i hear you bro. i avoid MSing even for minimum spend.
          but i do my RTWs in economy & standard rooms 🙂

          wheres the next big trip?

        • no more serve lol, now what? im glad i had this mindset before this happened but the walls certainly are closing in on this fake lifestyle

        • thats why i fly economy.. not as fake 🙂

          most people will probably switch to money orders. too hood for me

          …for now

        • I dont think flying economy is the solution. Having too many points makes flying economy a bad idea since I always want to burn my points.

          I did money orders when Redbird died but that’s not sustainable. The issue isn’t today. It’s tomorrow if I chose to churn.

        • i feel you. i like biz class as much as anyone else but its not important to me, the destination(s) is.

          realistically, im not bound by the amount of points i have, rather by the amount of vacay time… so, im off to mexico in 6 hours.

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