I know, it’s not the $0 fee promotion we’ve been waiting for, but it’s better than the 10% corporate Visa discount Simon Mall has been offering. My Simon Mall rep called me this morning to let me know that through December 24, they’re offering $1 off Visa gift card fees. So the normal $3.95 fee per $500 card drops down to $2.95.
Before you roll your eyes, that $1 discount actually makes a substantial difference if you’re buying Visa gift card in bulk. On a ~$10,000 purchase, you’ll save $20. Still not impressed? Consider the fact that earning 100,000 miles (enough miles for a roundtrip business class ticket to Asia) ends up $200 cheaper.
The great thing about this $1 off promotion is that it’s happening through December 24. That gives you almost two weeks to take advantage of it! Last year, when Simon Mall ran their $0 fee promotion, it was only for a week. I showed up on the last day with my credit cards almost maxed out.
At least with this promotion, you’ll have more time to pay off your credit cards and take advantage of this deal. This Simon Mall promotion is really perfect if you’re trying to take advantage of some annual spending bonuses.
A while back I wrote about the new American Express Hilton credit cards and how Citi would be transferring accounts over to American Express. I plan to cancel the Citi Hilton Reserve account before the transfer. However, I do want to milk that card while I still can.
I doubt Citi will shut him down with one month left to go. So I’m not even concerned about cycling credit limits. This promotion presents a great way for me to wrap up the last bit of spend to secure his Hilton Diamond status and some bonus points at a discount. If you’ve hit the $30,000 monthly purchase limit at giftcards.com, this is a great way to keep manufacturing spend at a reasonable cost.
So how does this promotion stack up against buying Visa gift cards from Giftcards.com? If you’re buying Visa gift cards from giftcards.com, you’re paying roughly $17.20 per $2,500. If you’re buying MasterCard gift cards at 1.25% cash back, that out of pocket cost drops to $10.95 per $2,500.
Meanwhile, $2,500 worth of Simon Mall Visa gift cards will set you back $14.75 during this promotion. So it’s cheaper than online Visa but more expensive than MasterCard gift cards. Regardless, I think it’s worth taking advantage of so you have some variety in your spending patterns.
Are you going to milk this $1 off Simon Mall Visa gift card promotion? Or are you sitting this deal out?
Purchased Simon gift cards twice this week. No discount. I wonder if the discount applies to the retail packaging gift cards.
They used to have two types of Visa gc’s – one hanging on the racks and one behind the counter. Make sure you mention the promo to the cashier.
Nonetheless, this is better than the 10% in your last blog. I’ll take it. Thx for your quick write-up.
Lol! Glad you think so.
Did you think I was being sarcastic? Every bit of me appreciates what you have done here!!! Apologize if it had sounded negatively.
No worries at all! It just made me chuckle. And I agree – it’s better than the 10% back.
Hey, gotta point out the obvious, right?
For sure!
Doesn’t it make more sense to get the 1% cash back on GCM? A $5.95 fee ends up only being $0.95 on a $500 purchase.
High volume MSers don’t have time to wait for GCM order when you can buy 10K in single trip to Mall and empty it in within next hour. If you’ve >2% CB cc, thats >$200 in profit for 1-2 hours of work.
Do you know how long a GCM order usually takes? I’m new to the MS world and I just made my first purchase on 12/4 but haven’t received the cards in the mail yet.
John, I’m a newb, how do you empty it within the next hour? I’m still learning. Any help is appreciated.
In that case, yes. But many people aren’t able to get their GCM orders processed.
AAA 0 fees
I’m in on the Simon Mall deal and will continue ordering from GCM for a steady stream of MS cards from multiple sources.
That’s a smart strategy. Always diversify.
Thanks again Ariana, I’m in.
Happy MS’ing!
I got the email promo for AMEX zero fee today instead of VISA
Go to the store – I never got an email notification either. My SM rep just called me.
$44.25 in fees on my Wyndham 2 pt. card gives me a free night. Last time I tried to buy @ the local Simon mall in Jersey, they wouldn’t accept credit cards. Will try again if @ the mall or outlets to see if policy changed. Was told this past weekend @ Macerich mall by CSR that fee free offer was going to happen very soon.
No issues w/ liquidating @ WM for MO?
I hear that one is tough. I don’t have a problem liquidating at WM.
Does anyone have any experience on the giftcard.com mastercard? If liquidating in WMT, does it require anything different from visa? I have always had issues using mastercard buying MO. TIA.
I ordered two $500s on 12/5 with code MASTERGIFTING. I received cards on 12/11 and drained them at WM. It was quite challenging since I had to do the swipe>press cancel>press debit button trick for the PIN screen to come out. I remember now why I prefer to stick to Visa GCs. That tactic is only good at WM, if buying MO at grocery stores, it works just like VisaGCs.
Yes, you have to quickly hit change payment or it tries to process it as credit. Which declines.
Ahhhh Haaaa, seeing why i was declined yesterday. Do you change payment on the keypad? or does the CSR have to do the changing? Thank you! again and again!
Yep, you have to do it.
ugh! didn’t work for me even after a few tries. It was my tried and true airplane above the clouds design, used for VGC, so have to imagine it’s an MGC issue. Will have to liquidate via grocery store now, and kiss the extra .25% goodbye! Oh well, gotta try! Thanks!
I’d love to get in on this, but without too many friendly WM around, it’s been tough. Any specific ones to stay away from? Do they come with our names pre-printed on them? TIA!
Yes, you can get your name printed on them. Here’s a list of safe cards to order: https://www.pointchaser.com/guide/giftcards-com-visa-gift-cards-issued-metabank/
I am not a regular Simon visitor. Do new customers need to build up to $10,000, or will the staff go that far for a new face?
My Holiday travels will bring me near several Simon properties.
Depends. I’ve heard NJ locations can be tough but my WM knows about “gamers” and they were cool with $10k purchases out the gate.
I don’t have a Simon Mall nearby.. (closest is about 40 minutes away) Is there a way to purchase these online?
They sell them online but for some reason my cards always decline.
I’m having some trouble with the math – according to GC.com, each $500 card is $6.95 activation.. even with 1% cash back, I’m not getting that price down to $17.20 as you said. What am I missing? TIA!
You get $5 back via yazing per card, times 5 cards (roughly, can’t exceed $2,500 per order) plus $7.45 for shipping.
It’s $17.20 per ~$2500. You have to factor in shipping fees.
Bought 4 X $500 tonight @ the Jersey Shore premium outlets. CSR didn’t know anything about the promo and had to call the mall office. After 10 minutes, a Women w/ a flyer appeared and instructed the CSR how to ring it up. Had to manually subtract $4. 1st time I ever bought GC’s where they didn’t ask for i.d..
Yeah they do have to do it manually, which is odd. At my mall there are signs everywhere advertising it, so I had no problem with the cashiers ringing it up.
Ariana, is purchasing the VGCs using AMEX CC (Platinum) has a higher risk of being red-flagged than other CCs?
Not necessarily. But Amex might hit you with a financial review if you ms too much. That’s why I like to keep it in moderation.
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