EDITOR’S NOTE: I’m on an annual blogging vacation for the last two weeks of the year. To make sure you still have content, some of the smartest members of the community have stepped up with guest posts in my absence. Special thanks to shredder05 for a compelling origin story. I’ll see you on January 1! If you’re interested in writing a guest post, please reach out!
I stumbled into the world of credit card churning almost a decade ago while still in grad school. My partner and I were strapped for cash, but I wanted to travel. With minimal expenses, I had to quickly learn how to manufacture spend.
My first big play was getting two SPG cards at the same time, each with a $7,500 spend requirement. Back then, Visa gift cards easily loaded to Venmo, and my genius plan was to run all $15,000 through them in $500 increments. I was quickly banned. I wasted those points as a grad school graduation present to myself at Atlantis in the Bahamas. But those SPG points and a shutdown from Venmo marked the start of realizing the potential of credit card churning.
I finished the SPG spend requirements by grinding out one $500 money order at a time, when I probably should have been studying. I realized it was a viable way to generate cash. After graduating, I decided to focus on churning full-time. Over the years, I’ve managed to turn it into a respectable income. Throughout those 10 years, I have lost many “plays,” but I have continued to find new ones.
I moved on from money orders and figured out ways to mostly manufacture spend (MS) from home, even with shutdowns from multiple banks. RIP Chase, Barclays, SoFi, PNC, and Capital One. And I’ve survived the death of many plays, including buying money orders with credit cards, honeymoon funds, Plastiq, PPK, credit card debit codings, and countless others. Every time a play dies or I get shutdown, I think it’s the end. But after those few days of grief, I think I love the pressure and search of finding a new play the most. Those are the best days in this hobby. There is always something else.
Sometimes I get insecure about doing this full-time. It’s easy for people to question and judge, and it’s not a job my parents can brag to their friends about. I’m grateful for my partner who provides my health insurance and has always been my biggest supporter of doing this. And I’m grateful for the friends who have helped me along the way; there have been many. Through hitting milestone statuses and plays dying, I’ve learned that the key to success in credit card churning is resilience, creativity, and fostering relationships. There’s always a new opportunity around the corner, and the thrill of finding the next great play keeps me motivated. Most importantly, there is always someone who is willing to help you. I don’t recommend sharing plays with large groups of people, but message that person you occasionally talk to and brainstorm together. This might not be a conventional career path, but it’s one that brings me joy and has led me to have meaningful, lasting relationships. And ultimately, that’s what matters most.
– Shredder05
Screenshot of Shredder05’s phone, circa 2017.