Credit Card Churning Rules and Manufacture Spend, What’s Left?

Today, I will be doing our next churn and sign my wife up for 3 credit cards.  In thinking about what cards to get, I started taking a look at what was left churning wise and what was left to meet those minimum spends.  In doing so I compiled a short list of where things currently stand.  It helped me organize my thoughts so I thought I would share.

While doing this exercise, the funny thing was I remembered I can use my everyday spending to help meet minimum spends.  It’s been so long since I used everyday spending for minimum spend that I honestly forgot.  How novel to use a credit card the way it was intended to be used?

Credit Cards

  • Amex – One bonus per lifetime
  • Wells Fargo – One bonus per lifetime
  • Chase – 5/24 rule soon to be applied to all cards.
  • Citi – 18 months, but what do recent shutdowns mean?
  • Bank of America – Churnable? Yes, but not like they used to be, special thanks to MMS and Frequent Miler.
  • Barclays – 6 months

Manufactured Spend

  • Redbird – Dead
  • Serve – Zombie (dead for some, tread lightly for others)
  • Bluebird – Zombie
  • Buxx – Dead
  • Citigold – Dead
  • Money Orders – Get a lawyer
  • Other Prepaids – Short term fix be ready to float when shut down
  • Paypal – Be ready to float
  • Fidelity Brokerage – Need to be rich
  • Reselling – Float
  • Normal Everyday Spend – You mean I have to spend my own money!

As you can see not much is left.  It is a pretty ugly time for this hobby.  I would be lying if I said I don’t have a certain amount of frustration with those who contributed to the demise of this game.  Good news is that there are still things left but I definitely have to reduce the scale.

My last churn was six cards this one will be three.  Fortunately, I don’t need much to meet our goals for Hawaii this year and Ireland next year.  I actually have all the miles I need for those trips but I want to pad my mileage accounts a bit, a little hoarding doesn’t hurt.

4 Comments on "Credit Card Churning Rules and Manufacture Spend, What’s Left?"

  1. johnthewanderer | February 16, 2016 at 6:39 am | Reply

    So what cards will you choose this time around?

  2. steve martinex | February 16, 2016 at 7:39 pm | Reply

    Fidelity Brokerage – Need to be rich

    Can you explain this one?

    • I guess more accurately it is not really a manufactured spend technique. It is probably closer to credit card churning. You can churn brokerage accounts to earn miles.

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