TSB Breaking up a bill into £30 segments for Cashback

ST-User

I know how frustrating it is if you have a nice payment of £29.96 but the machine asks for a pin... So I developed a system to effectively get the cashback.

We got 3 account with the mrs so there are 4 cards, card #1 and #2 for the sole accounts and card #3 and #4 for the joint account.

We start at Morrisons, they never have asked for PIN so far, but don't like us using the same card twice. First we go to their petrol station and fill up for £30 with card #1, then go to the store, fill two carts with 2-2 lots of goods up to £30 each and pay them with cards #1 #2 #3 #4. Then back to the petrol station for another fill-up with card #2.

Then go to Aldi, pack 2 lots up to £30 in each cart but Aldi often wants a chip and pin verification so first we buy a single cheap item with chip and pin, then the next two contactless payments will go through for sure so we put £60 to card #1 and #2. Then while I pack into the car boot, my wife goes back for a third round and puts £20-25 onto cards #3 and #4.

Now we spent nearly £90 on the sole accounts and the joint account is done, and didn't had to worry whether the payment will be accepted. And we still have 4 weeks to make the remaining £10-12 purchase for the two sole accounts.

It is worth going to places where they know you. At the local Post Office the guy already knows my contactless things so if a card asks for a pin, he simply starts over the payment so I can try the other card with contactless.

It is a real shame that this fun will end next month...

Frogletina

For the last three months I've been buying gift cards for shops that I use.

This means that I can spend more than £30 in a shop without any worries about chip and pin or needing to use two cards.

However, I have ended up with a lot of gift cards which will take a while to use up. Trust me to have a lot of M&S cards now they are talking about closing some of their shops!

I still have £250 contactless payments to make by the end of the year/scheme. I think I will be buying book tokens.

frogletina

colsten

ST-User wrote: »

It is a real shame that this fun will end next month...

close your accounts and open some new ones? You'll only be able to get 3 between you but cashback until September 2017, I believe.

colsten

YorkshireBoy wrote: »

They do exist though. Our local fish & chip shop and family butcher both accept contactless.

Same here. Plus the local independent off-licence, and my hairdresser. The latter even takes unlimited with Apple Pay.

Dave1979

I think Aldi and Lidl have a higher limit for Apple Pay. I had £50+ transactions go through with no issues at both.

The cashback offer comes to an end for some customers at the end of the year but lasts until September for newer customers. Do you think if I downgrade the accounts to a Classic then re-upgrade them to Classic Plus it will extend the offer?

Westie983

Dave1979 wrote: »

I think Aldi and Lidl have a higher limit for Apple Pay. I had £50+ transactions go through with no issues at both.

The cashback offer comes to an end for some customers at the end of the year but lasts until September for newer customers. Do you think if I downgrade the accounts to a Classic then re-upgrade them to Classic Plus it will extend the offer?

Anna43hmr has already answered this on another thread but my opinion is,

It will depend if TSB will allow you to have a classic plus account if you have recently closed one down, I would say it would take six months before you become as new customer again.

Vortigern

Westie983 wrote: »

I would say it would take six months before you become as new customer again.

Why would you say this? Have you any evidence for this assertion?

colsten

Westie983 wrote: »

It will depend if TSB will allow you to have a classic plus account if you have recently closed one down, I would say it would take six months before you become as new customer again.

You are reading something into the terms that they don't state. There is nothing that says that you get the cashback as a new customer. The cashback is paid until 30 September 2017 for accounts opened after 1 June 2016.

Whether it's worth the hassle, and whether you'd get accepted for a new account are different questions.

colsten

Dave1979 wrote: »

Do you think if I downgrade the accounts to a Classic then re-upgrade them to Classic Plus it will extend the offer?

Doubt it, as the account opening date will remain the original opening date. I am not even sure they would offer you to downgrade from Plus as it doesn't come with any charges.

faddy

karlie88 wrote: »

I recently did 16 contactless transactions at £25 each across 4 cards. All done within 10 minutes. No PIN entry required.

Net result was 20% off Amazon gift cards.

I realise this was from 9 months ago but....how did you get 20% off?