Avios Boost/hacking - newbie

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MOBurnski
MOBurnski Posts: 6 Forumite
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in Stoozing: free cash from credit cards
Hi Guys - I've never had credit cards before - Now aged 40 - But meh - Thinking about using them to try and get some flights - I'm spending in my daily life and not getting any reward for doing so

So I have tesco mobile and have points here that can triple and convert in to Avios points
I have noticed the BA credit cards that give a pretty big introductory offer - 5000 or 25000 BUT

Id have a limited time to spend a grand or a few k in order to get these rewards
How can I hack this?
I noticed there are sites like plastiq that can convert your monthly bills into credit card spends but of course that costs - Can I fake spend somehow? What are the tricks?
Any Tips for boosting these points quick time?

Many Thanks
Burnski

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  • Ben8282
    Ben8282 Posts: 4,821 Forumite
    Combo Breaker First Post Newshound!
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    First off, if you have NEVER had a credit card before your chances of being accepted for one of the Amex reward cards are not particularly great. Would suggest you try an eligability checker before you waste your time thinking about this any further.
    Assuming that you were to be accepted for a card, could you give an indication of your anticipated average monthly credit card spend?
  • MOBurnski
    MOBurnski Posts: 6 Forumite
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    Hi Ben.
    My credit score is 999 and the lowest ive seen it in the last decade is about 960 - I have either pre-approval or c.90% chance on many cards according to eligibility check - several of which are amex.
    My anticipated spend could be tailored to suit the reward bonus - which is part of my initial question
    Many thanks
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Newbie
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    MOBurnski wrote: »
    Hi Ben.
    My credit score is 999 and the lowest ive seen it in the last decade is about 960 - I have either pre-approval or c.90% chance on many cards according to eligibility check - several of which are amex.
    My anticipated spend could be tailored to suit the reward bonus - which is part of my initial question
    Many thanks

    Your “credit score” has nothing to do with your lendability.

    Lenders do not see, use or care about your score or rating.

    There’s no “hacking” or “faking” required for rewards.

    Just spend the required amount within the specified timeframe.
  • The_Urbanite
    The_Urbanite Posts: 359 Forumite
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    edited 30 September 2019 at 11:05AM
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    MOBurnski wrote: »
    Hi Guys - I've never had credit cards before - Now aged 40 - But meh - Thinking about using them to try and get some flights - I'm spending in my daily life and not getting any reward for doing so

    So I have tesco mobile and have points here that can triple and convert in to Avios points
    I have noticed the BA credit cards that give a pretty big introductory offer - 5000 or 25000 BUT

    Id have a limited time to spend a grand or a few k in order to get these rewards
    How can I hack this?
    I noticed there are sites like plastiq that can convert your monthly bills into credit card spends but of course that costs - Can I fake spend somehow? What are the tricks?
    Any Tips for boosting these points quick time?

    Many Thanks
    Burnski

    The easy ways of generating large numbers of points have been drying up over the last few years. The Clubcard promos are not what they once were and the points are getting harder to collect. Amex have heavily curtailed the sign up bonus routes. Many rewards credit cards have had their benefits diluted and are closed to new customers or have been totally withdrawn.

    Faking spend is known as manufactured spending - Google it and a load of material will come up. It is a way to generate points but if you're serious about redeeming flights it's only viable if you do a lot of it. Finding the tricks will require a bit of research on your part.

    This site explains the concept - https://www.godsavethepoints.com/manufactured-spending-how-people-earn-points-without-spending/
  • Fingerbobs
    Fingerbobs Posts: 1,640 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper
    edited 30 September 2019 at 9:04PM
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    People don't tend to like to disclose their methods of manufacturing spend on public forums. The methods tend to be transient, and the more widely-known they are, the quicker they are likely to disappear.


    However, if your aim is just to hit a spending threshold within a certain period of time, there are ways you can just "advance" some future spend that you'd do anyway. For example, if you always do your weekly shopping in Tesco, and you're £100 short of hitting your spending threshold to trigger the reward, pop into Tesco and buy a £100 Gift Card. That will trigger the reward on the credit card, and you can then spend through the Gift Card in Tesco at your leisure.


    I see that the OP hasn't been back to the Forum since the day they started this thread, so all of this input may fall on deaf ears.
  • enator
    enator Posts: 109 Forumite
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    If a site takes PayPal - but not Amex - then make your Amex card the preferred payment option in your Paypal account.


    You then get the Avios.
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