Serial Switching for Rewards. Not good.

quirkydeptless

My journey since joining MSE...

:A :money: :EasterBun :eek:


How ever will I turn back from this path of sin?

eskbanker

scgf wrote: »

Am I in a minority of one? On this forum I feel I am.

No, there are others who've expressed similar reservations before, although I don't recall anyone trying to introduce religion into their justifications - my opinion is that it should be possible for people to possess a set of personal moral values without needing to refer to (often conflicting) theologies....

System

masonic wrote: »

I'm glad we can agree on this point. Perhaps we can pivot this discussion... In condemning the actions, presumably you believe they have some form of negative impact, cause harm in some way or will lead to negative consequences in the future. I've previously expressed the view that the money used to fund such incentives comes out of a corporate advertising budget, would otherwise have been spent on more conventional promotional activities, so exploiting such offers is of little consequence. But that's not to say there are no negative consequences. Perhaps this is money that would otherwise go elsewhere - to shareholders, staff or (cough) customers. I'd be interested in hearing your view.

I think the future consequences of bad actions are in Karma and in the perpetuation of negative energy. We are all responsible for our own actions and, as I've said before, the actions involved in serial switching to appropriate money are not, IMO, wholesome or moral. It does not matter what the banks have done, two wrongs do not make a right.

Flobberchops

There's a fine and ill defined line between making use of a proffered service or freebie, and abusing it. I think intuitively we all understand that just because the local cafe offers sachets of sugar free of charge, that doesn't mean we can turn up with a carrier bag and help ourselves to the lot.


As for serial switching - well, it's not my style either, but mostly out of laziness and an aversion to all the record keeping involved in wringing a few hundred quid out of the banks. I'll happily maximise the interest, reward payments or cashback offered by a bank though. On the other hand, people who invent repeated complaints against a bank to get compensation money have a special circle in Hell earmarked for them. Ultimately, remember that most banks reserve the right to cancel the banking agreement unilaterally if they feel the "banking relationship has broken down"... chancers who abuse the system tend to get their own version of karma eventually.

masonic

scgf wrote: »

I think the future consequences of bad actions are in Karma and in the perpetuation of negative energy. We are all responsible for our own actions and, as I've said before, the actions involved in serial switching to appropriate money are not, IMO, wholesome or moral. It does not matter what the banks have done, two wrongs do not make a right.

Morality is founded on the premise that some actions cause direct or indirect harm to others to a greater or lesser extent than other actions. It is impossible to live without creating some harm (or negative energy, if you prefer that term), but moral actions are those that create the less harm than other available options.

It is not a case of "two wrongs do not make a right", it is a case of looking at the bigger picture and assessing the impact of your actions vs other choices you could make.

Of course, if you adopt the position that your religion dictates that such actions are morally wrong, you will tend to take your assertion that it is immoral as undeniably true and not up for discussion. Nevertheless it may interest you to learn that others form their moral views in other ways, such as careful inspection of the harms caused by actions under consideration, whether direct or indirect, present or future. Buddhism is not typically a religion whose followers adopt the first, rigid and dogmatic, view of morality, but it's fine if you do. It just means we can't have a rational discussion about it. I only tried to start one because I misunderstood your position on the issue. That's probably all that needs to be said on this topic.

colsten

Oh my, I can't believe the OP actually got responses.

Terry_Towelling

colsten wrote: »

Oh my, I can't believe the OP actually got responses.

It seemed to me that OP was actually making a deliberate attempt to incite a reaction from users.

Anyway, I don't get it. Buddhism is just a personal quest for enlightenment and an understanding of what reality actually is. There is no God and, therefore, no son of God, so what Jesus would have done doesn't come into it. There should be no slavish adherence to dogma and no violence but there should be tolerance of differences.

Judging other people's actions as immoral (or harmful) when they switch bank accounts just for the reward, would never be the view of anyone claiming to be a Buddhist or on the path to enlightenment.

societys_child

scgf wrote: »

I think the future consequences of bad actions are in Karma and in the perpetuation of negative energy. We are all responsible for our own actions and, as I've said before, the actions involved in serial switching to appropriate money are not, IMO, wholesome or moral. It does not matter what the banks have done, two wrongs do not make a right.

Banks spend £millions advertising their products.


Switching-incentives are another form of advertising, simply another way of drumming up new business, and probably more cost effective.


Whenever I switch to a new account, I use it, along with all my other accounts. They all get their share for a while . . .


What's with the religious stuff? I know it's Sunday but please, there are places open right now where you can get on your knees and repent. You could pray for all the forum sinners :cool:

surreysaver

scgf wrote: »

I really don't like it when people appropriate money or other rewards through serial switching. I am obviously only speaking for myself, but this doesn't automatically invalidate my point of view. I try and lead my life according to basic values of right and wrong. If these values need firming up I refer to my own choice of religion, Buddhism, and also 'What Would Jesus Do?', which effectively amounts to the same thing. I do what I think is right, just and kind - regardless of the ethics of the other party. A person who will go out of his/her way to make money by taking advantage of rewards which companies offer to attract customers when they have no intention of using the account in the way it was intended is, in my opinion, not a very nice person, or at the very least, a person lacking in moral integrity.

Am I in a minority of one? On this forum I feel I am.

If the banks didn't want people doing this, it would be in the terms and conditions

[Deleted User]

Is this a school holidays warm-up post to see who bites on topics of ridiculousness?