Month: February 2025

EDITOR’S NOTE: Some of the smartest members of the community have stepped up with guest posts during the holiday break in 2024 and now on Saturdays in early 2025. Special thanks to today’s author Jim for his reinforcement of the gospel of SSB. Have a nice weekend!

I just finished reading MEAB’s annual mistake of letting the inmates run the asylum, and need to RAT (calm down, Amex MSers, just a phrase) out Slideshow Bob 223 and reveal his true identity:

Since he showed up around the time Ronald McDonald was no longer showing up in commercials, it is obvious that Ronald got axed, and, having no other marketable skills (like most MSers) got a “job” MSing.

Now, don’t get me wrong: most of what SlideshowRon223 said about MSers needing to avoid opening Citi and Chase bank accounts if they want to continue raking in the points, is right on target.
Especially the part where he warned that images of unemployed clowns trapped in rooms filled with rakes and annoyed at MSing P2s could be very disturbing. (At least that’s as best as I can remember, as Barbra sang in The Way We Were: “what’s too painful to remember we simply choose to  forget”.)

So, to get those disturbing images out of my mind (think: writing therapy) I wanted to amplify on Ron’s Slideshow on Citi and Chase.

Citi is not only, as Slideshow and the guy who is letting the inmates run the asylum (whose identity I will not mention) one of the worst cancerous lesions of unbridled American capitalism, but they are Shameless (very funny show, BTW) about it: After Citi told me I could open a bank account, deposit numerous money orders and it would all be good, and after I did what they specifically said was OK, they axed me. They took the position that it did not matter if they lied to me and then closed my account when I relied on their lie.

Their clause in the terms and conditions about letting them close accounts for any reason, permits them to close accounts because they do not like the nature of their money order deposits, the color of a clown’s hair, the color of a person’s skin, and let’s them lie about it to prospective customers.
Sounds like a job for …CFPB (Commission F*ed up Pretty Badly).

When I asked them for help, it turns out the CFPB is like the Wizard of Oz: a toothless figurehead hiding inside some really scarily impressive trappings. They were fine with letting a major bank (Citi) set the precedent that, as long as they had the close for any reason clause it would justify whatever other slimy actions they took.

Only good thing about the CFPB/Wizard of Oz experience is it helped me come up with a one word description of Citi: Wicked.

The few readers who have taken enough of your meds to still be reading this may be wondering: how did I know to ask Citi if they would axe me for depositing tons of similar looking  money orders?
That’s because Chase axed me (and several family members guilty by association) for that many years ago.

But since MEAB is supposed to include not just disjointed ramblings, and Citi Piti Parties, here’s an actual important MS PSA: even if you are on Chase’s Lubbock list, they take a little while to figure it out and axe your newly opened account.

My family has gotten ~10 opening bonuses for spending quickly, and qualifying for the opening bonus before the axe falls. In fact a Chase CSR  told me that as long as you qualify, they will give you the bonus even if they know they are going to axe you and have scheduled your final MS meal.

(Note: any Chase RAT people reading this do not need to track down the author and bar him from opening Chase accounts in the future: he was tragically crushed to death by large piles of unused Amex AU cards falling on him, after he submitted this post)

In any event, I likely could have and would have avoided these MS faceplants if I had shared intel with other MSers. The easiest way to do that is to join a insiders group, but for those that are too lazy, or can’t pass the mental health background check ( I’m talking to you, SlideshowRon 233), just find an informal group.

For extra bonus points you can share not only MS tips but pool your resources for mutual benefit, e.g. let MSer with incredibly profitable Kroger play who has maxed out CL use your CL and share the profits.

Two suggestions for informal groups: MEAB Matt (not just saying that to suck up to him so he will publish this post: he  really is good); and AA (does not stand for Awards Anonymous, he is a real person: not mentioning his name here but email me for contact info.)

Likewise, the previous inmate post asked if there is a better way to cash out Membership Rewards points than transferring to airline partners or Schwabbing.

There is and I can email it to you offline. Matt does not want it broadcast online, and even tho it is pretty clear he is not editing or reading these inmate posts, i thought I would err on the side of caution and not divulge it here.

Sideshow Bob as the wicked witch of the west Citi, as imagined by creepy AI.

Introduction

Typically I let the affiliate sites talk about how to do basic things like booking hotel rooms with points; after all those 14 credit card links don’t display themselves. Unfortunately though, the usual circles and arrows crowd have been derelict on the Accor front because (a) I don’t think most of them actually travel outside of the US and stay in non US hotel chains, (b) Accor ALL is somewhat non-trivial, and (c) something something affiliate revenue reasons. If you search google for “booking Accor with points”, you’ll find plenty of confused people too:

The responses to posts like the above are mostly useless too, again because (b) Accor ALL is somewhat non-trivial.

The Basics

Accor Hotels is basically like the European version of Marriott, but with lots more value and generally cleaner, nicer rooms. They also don’t loathe their customers which is a plus. Accor ALL points are worth a fixed 2 eurocents each, which is about 2.1 US cents with current exchange rates. With that out of the way, here’s what you need to know:

  • All points redemptions are in increments of 2,000 (€40)
  • Point redemption costs are exactly tied to the price of the room
  • You can use points for part or for all of your stay
  • The app and website won’t let you see points redemption options unless you already have at least 2,000 points in your account
  • Point redemptions work for room charges too
  • You can redeem with points during booking, during your stay, or during checkout
  • The front desk can do redemptions over the phone or in person with your ALL number
  • You can only pay with points online if there’s a prepaid rate available

Accor’s app and website often stop taking prepaid reservations in the last week of booking, but will still accept bookings that are paid at the hotel. When that happens, just reserve the cash rate and pay with points at the front desk during your stay. It’ll work out, it’s easy.

Getting Accor Points

Capital One miles and Citi ThankYou Points transfer to Accor ALL at a 2:1 ratio, and Bilt Rewards transfer at a 3:2 ratio. Citi occasionally has a 50% transfer bonus too, which is one of the few speculative transfer bonuses I take.

Good luck, and have a nice weekend!

Or there’s always the European Marriott experience if you don’t want to learn Accor.

The Pepper gift card reselling platform, the current mass market frontrunner in the race to move funds from venture capitalist bank accounts to your wallet, has a few newsworthy updates:

  • They got a loan last week, and they did the most Pepper thing possible when filing: The CEO’s name is spelled wrong. (This is probably a bridge loan, VC funding definitely doesn’t look like this)
  • Yesterday, they offered (with most of the cash back coming in a couple of weeks):
    • Unlimited Amazon gift cards at 25% off
    • Walmart gift cards at 24% off, up to $1,500 per account
    • HomeDepot gift cards at 22% off, up to $3,000 per account

I think it’s clear that Pepper is eating most of the cost on these offerings, which could lead you to a few conclusions:

  • They might be trying to pump sales in anticipation of funding hurdles and are fiscally fine
  • They might be trying to make payroll and are fiscally almost dead
  • They’re just benevolent and like giving away money, but they have plenty of it

One of those three is probably right. Make your risk/reward calculations accordingly. Since no one asked: I’ve been bringing down my Pepper float to smaller numbers gradually over the last couple of months, and I’m approaching zero but not there yet.

Finally, I want to add something to a common argument I hear about Pepper, which is “Who cares if I lose the $20,000 I have floated to Pepper right now? I made way more than that.” It’s a good point, but I’d like to offer that if you can catch the falling knife, you can make “way more than that” and still not lose $20,000.

Happy Thursday!

Live view of Pepper manufactured spenders.

  1. Do this now: Register for Best Western’s Q1 promotion for a $50 gift card after each two nights stayed, up to a whopping 2x$50.

    In what might be the lamest churn known to the community: You can book the Best Western Hollywood Plaza Inn for $76.80 with AAA or similar discounts, and 2*$76.80 =$153.60. That means you can churn $50 Best Western gift cards for only $153.60, and get two nights in a hotel that probably won’t kill you and two elite night credits too.
  2. Kroger stores have a 4x fuel points promotion on third party gift cards other than Amazon, and on fixed value Visa and Mastercards through February 18.

    Pepper: (1) is still alive, (2) maybe got a bridge loan, and (3) continues to kill the bulk resale market for everything but BestBuy and lululemon.
  3. Meijer MPerks has 50,000 MPerks Points with the purchase of most $500 third party gift cards including BestBuy and Apple through February 15, limit 50,000 points per account.

    Marrying MPerks and buyer’s groups are an occasionally profitable way to cash out mPerks Points on something other than paper towels. (Thanks to GCA)
  4. Southwest will extend their schedule tomorrow morning for flights between October 2 and November 1. Southwest expert Brian M predicts that flights around this window are highly likely to have substantial schedule changes, so gamers will game (but only starting tomorrow).
  5. Turkish Airlines has two February promotions:

    – 50% rebate on mileage bookings in all cabins for two passengers traveling by February 23
    – 15% off of paid flights for card holders with code USCARD15 booked this month for travel by the end of April

    If you don’t already have the credit card, it’s probably not worth your time, just get a Citi Double Cash and Strata Premier instead for much better earning, especially when paired with a Rewards+ for its 10% redemption rebate.
  6. FlyingBlue’s February promo rewards include the following US cities for travel through July 31:

    – New York
    – Denver
    – Houston
    – Raleigh/Durham
    – Boston

    Prices are 18,500 miles in economy with good availability, or 60,000 miles in business with better than normal (but still not good) availability.

Happy Wednesday!

Best Western Hollywood Plaza warning: The Front desk doesn’t know random facts about an airport over 15 miles from the property. Imagine!

  1. The Chase Southwest Plus, Priority, and Premier cards currently have a bonus only available via referrals through March 25 for:

    – 30,000 Rapid Rewards Points
    – A Companion Pass good through February 2026

    As usual for any offer, use another player’s referral or one from a friend and make their day.
  2. The Citi Shop Your Way Rewards Mastercard sent its beginning of the month bonus offers. We’ve seen:

    – Spend $800+ at home improvement, get 10% back up to $100 monthly for three months
    – Spend $1,000+ at home improvement, get 15% back up to $175 back monthly for three months
    – Spend $1,000+ at home improvement, get 175,000 Shop Your Way Rewards points monthly for three months
    – Spend $1,000+ anywhere, get 100,000 Shop Your Way Rewards points through March 31

    (Thanks to Dave, Matt, and Cashback Cowgirl)
  3. Staples stores have fee-free gift $200 Visa gift cards through Saturday, limit nine per transaction. Why nine? I don’t know, but at least they’ve held that line for all of 2025 (as opposed to 2024 when the limit seemed to have been the result of a random dice roll).

    These are Pathward gift cards.
  4. Chase Ultimate Rewards has a 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic through February 17. Virgin Atlantic’s own metal awards recently have great availability, but they also have variable pricing. Finding space isn’t typically the issue; rather the issue is finding space that’s cheap enough for your taste.
  5. Avianca LifeMiles has a 15% transfer bonus from American Express Membership Rewards through the end of the month, the bonus will be awarded by Avianca within 24 hours of the transfer, making it a somewhat speculative play.
  6. If you travel in paid premium cabins from BOS, LAX, SNA, BUR, ONT, LGB, JFK, LGA, EWR, or HPN (lol), check this link for a targeted offer for Delta ecredits. (Thanks to Ok-Anywhere6998)

Happy Tuesday!

Pictured: Delta plane holding on the runway at HPN.

Let’s discuss a fictitious small town, Lubbockito USA, and use it to illustrate a point:

There are six restaurants in Lubbockito:

  • Subway
  • SideShowSubs #233
  • McDonalds
  • Burger King
  • Carls Jr
  • Rob’s Special Burger

Let’s say you’re a restauranteur and want to bring Lubbockito a new option, hoping to cash in on the Lubbockitizen’s wallet share. There are two right answers for what new restaurant to open:

  1. A sub or a burger joint, because that’s obviously working and people seem to like those
  2. Anything other than a sub or burger joint, because that “obviously working” market is well done

In churning, there are parallels for credit cards, bank accounts, bonuses, loyalty programs, and plenty more. If you find yourself uninspired with the Chase Banks, Walmarts, Wells Fargos, and Hyatts of your world, take a look at the options that you aren’t hitting. There’s plenty there.

Happy Monday!

Did you know? Rob’s serves hotdog shaped cheeseburgers in Lubbockito.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Some of the smartest members of the community have stepped up with guest posts during the holiday break in 2024 and now on Saturdays in early 2025. Special thanks to today’s author who needs no introduction for following up on the Early Warning Service warning (under duress). Have a nice weekend!

Everyone loved my Early Warning System (EWS) post last year, and by everyone I mean at least 2-3 people, so Matt asked me to post a bit more on the topic. I said no, but he threatened that he’d force me to load more money into Juno if I didn’t so here comes my update.

Image of the conversation of MEAB threatening me

You’re thinking to yourself “SideShowBob233 what else do you have to add here” (and this time you didn’t say the 33 out loud but kind of trailed off like someone who just got his Pepper account locked by buying too much Best Buy). Well, I will tell you. In the most rambling way possible.

I advised everyone to use a business account if at all possible, but it turns out not all business accounts are excluded from EWS reporting. Several victims reached out to me to let me know that BOA biz checking for sole proprietors does report to EWS. I don’t know if that applies to all sole proprietors or only some (I don’t have a sole proprietor account at BOA because the voices told me not to). It’s possible that other banks also report biz checking for sole proprietors, feel free to reach out on Telegram, WhatsApp, passenger pigeon, or via telepathy to send me your DPs.

But Bob you’re saying (maybe you’re getting a little too familiar with me considering we only met once and that was in a dream, albeit one where there were no clothes) why should I care if all my transfers are tracked by EWS? Who really cares? Well I’ll tell you who cares. Your mom. Also bank compliance officers (which may or may not include your mom, I haven’t tracked her career since we broke up) who when they get nervous about shenanigans we just pulled will then grab your EWS report to try and get more info on you. If they can’t find much information they may still shut you down, but if they get a 500 page report showing tons of money going everywhere you can bet they will be shutting you down faster than you can yell for your mommy.

To summarize, don’t step on a rake, instead use a business checking that does not report to EWS.

– SideShowBob233

Your punishment for not listening to me last year.