Frequent Miler's latest team challenge, Million Mile Madness, is almost done! The last two weeks Greg, Nick, and Stephen competed to earn 1 Million SAS miles by flying 15 airlines. But who completed the challenge with the most Speed, Affordability, and Style?
And the hits just keep on coming: We have received two reports here on the blog — from reader Max in our Laboratory and reader Sophie on the post What’s left for 5x Ink? indicating that purchases at Gift Card Mart are no longer earning 5x on Chase Ink Plus or Ink Cash cards. Previously, these purchases coded at 5x only if you checked out via PayPal, but according to Sophie this stopped coding as 5x between January 30th and February 7, 2018. This news follows a couple of other hits to manufactured spending today (See: Alliant paying 0% cash back at Giftcards.com and No more 5x at MPX).
In addition to our datapoints, Doctor of Credit reports the same in his Payments Workshop.
Clearly, it’s been a rough day for manufactured spending. If you’re looking for what still works, see our Manufactured Spending Complete Guide, which we keep up-to-date with these types of developments. While it’s seemed like a pileup of bad news today, this space is constantly changing — we will certainly be on the lookout for the next big thing.
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[…] Another one down: No more 5x at Gift Card Mart […]
[…] Gift Card Mart […]
After reading this I checked:
I bought a GC on GCM whihc was posted 2/14. No 5x.
One that I bought in 1/28 still got the 5x.
This is terrible.
So only gyft and staples/office depot are left?
What are some alternatives now for CHASE INK PLUS 5X? GYFT.com declines orders and the SWYCH app barely works…any ideas anyone?
Apart from going to Staples or Office Depot to get standard GC’s, the only other thing I might do is start ordering the $300 VGC’s from staples.com for any non bonus CC spend. Currently using the AMEX business plus card to earn 2x MR but I might bite the bullet to pay the the 8.95 fee on those VGC’s cards to more quickly earn the 5x UR. And of course, pay cable and cell phone bills. Basically, I pay my parents and in-laws’ cell and cable bills on my Ink card and they just reimburse me for it. =)
I’d like to follow up on Justin Kevins remarks above:
He notes that 5x is still working at GCM using the older MASTERCARD Chase Ink/ Bold cards. If you have received your replacement Chase Ink Visa Cards in the mail, may I suggest YOU DON’T ACTIVATE THEM YET. I was told today by a Chase Ink/ Bold CSR that we have until 4/30/2018 to use our MC cards before they are de-activated.
Also, one of my MC Ink Bold MC cards became “live” again for 5x in early Nov 2017 on its anniversary. I’ve since spent 5x up to around the $50k cap thru end Dec.
I just saw online that what had showed up in late Dec as 200k UR points (@ 4x bonus points) i.e I had maxxed out on the $50k spend cap, has somehow reset itself back to 0!. I assume it’s perhaps due to the changeover. So I’m interpreting this MC to V change is possibly resetting card anniversaries, and will allow me to now get 2x 250k UR points from Nov 2017 to either Nov 18, or perhaps Jan 2019 – the date the visa replacements were released.
Is anyone else seeing something similar?
Wish I had kept the MC version. I (like most folks, I would imagine) switched to the Visa version long ago to get the Visa Savingsedge rebate from Staples but that died and it made no diff.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the anniversary date resets when the card is converted since the card number would also change. But that is speculation on my part.
No………… GCM and Cardcash were how I got 250k worth of UR points last year. I was hoping to at least max it out one more time. Sigh….
Much like Cardcash did once, GiftCardMart briefly lost 5x with Ink before and got it back. If Chase is clamping down once and for all with these 5x office supply store categories, this will be bad. Here’s to hoping cardcash and giftcardmart bounce back since they were my “go to’s” for purchasing discount gift cards other than ebay PPDG. Otherwise, my AMEX Business Plus will start seeing much more activity…
I used my old MasterCard Version in Friday and it still awarded me 5x
[…] GiftCard Mart: Buy second-hand discounted gift cards through this site. Earn 5X only if you checkout through PayPal. Update 2/19/18: This no longer works. See: Another one down: No more 5x at Gift Card Mart. […]
Related? GC bought at staples.com with a Chase Ink Business Preferred gave me 1x not 3x a few days ago. Expected to get the office supply category bonus.
Did Chase Ink Preferred ever give 3X on office supply stores? Didn’t see that on the list of 3x categories…
Travel
Shipping purchases
Internet, cable and phone services
Advertising purchases on social media and search engine optimization
Office supply stores have never been a 3x category for the Ink Business Preferred. 77jake has the Ink Business Preferred bonus categories correct. That’s not to say that there aren’t some things that code at 3x that don’t seem to clearly fit those categories — but office supply stores were never one of them.
Ink Plus and Ink Cash cards earn a category bonus (5x) at office supply stores.
For general info on category bonuses, see this page:
https://frequentmiler.com/best-card-category-bonuses/