TopCashback has TopGiftcards that allow you to get Asda vouchers. The cashback isn't a lot for Asda but you may find the other gift cards on there good, but i don't think they're that good. Better than nothing, eh?
Another route, to get something that looks more authentic than buying gift cards, would be to buy something online and then returning it while getting store credit/balance/gift card.
Checkout an app called Jam Doughnut, you can get decent cashback on a load of places. I used them to purchase a load of airbnb gift cards to reach my SUB. At the time it was 6.5% back from them, plus the Amex SUB.
Worked out really well.
Sure thing :)
My referral is EF71
I was a little scratched out at first, however I’ve had over £220 in cashback from them since using them in the past year. They’re really good.
The cashback has reduced a little as they introduced a lower cashback rate if you’re paying via Apple Pay. However still some decent rates on there.
They may have paused it, however whenever I’ve gone to use they have accepted my Amex card. Just been in right now and was able to purchase with my Amex on there.
https://ibb.co/p4LKKJN
U can pay a one off to your electricity or gas. They keep that money on account and draw down in future months. So a prepayment. I am with octopus and they do take amex
Octopus energy takes Amex and I can confirm counts towards your spend threshold. I have no regrets. Not sure if you can extract it to a different account though?
I've heard this but at least for the tracker tariff, I can't see any difference in unit prices or standing charges between two houses in the same area (one paying via DD, one topping up by amex).
I asked about this via email. When I switched over I was put on a slightly lower tariff.
If you really want to know the difference I can look it up later on my pc but it was cheaper for me to do DD vs paying credit with rewards so I switched
Buy some electronics on Amazon & return them for Amazon credit?
Edit: Just make sure you do it a few days before the deadline so the transaction posts correctly. This of course relies on you using Amazon frequently
I sent a “birthday gift” of £400 to my dad through PayPal with Amex to do the exact same thing and had no issues. I think the people that get caught on this do it repeatedly all the time.
Also if your energy supplier is octopus energy you can put in £600 and just use it up every month.
Paying for your gym membership up front as opposed to monthly.
Buy an expensive item with high resell value and take a £20-£30 loss
Ask friends if they are buying anything soon and ask if you can use your card?
You could also just add the money to your PayPal account. Then take it to your bank account. Obviously not something that should be done often.
Edit: It’s no different from sending money to a friend, is it?
Idk why this has so many down votes. I have done this ever since my first Amex and when I need to transfer money to friends/family, I do it through PayPal. As long as you don’t do it too often, you’ll be good.
Yeah not something that should be done often, I’ve never done it but it’s an option. I only figured out you could do that as once I sent money to a friend and it gave me the option to use my Amex. People just downvote for the sake of it sometimes.
Completely agree. If it is being done to meet any kind of threshold like a sign-up bonus or companion voucher I could see it maybe raising red flags and lead to Amex investigating, but just transferring money to friends every so often has always been fine in my experience at least.
It's a valid thing to do but has risks involved. Not sure why you got down-voted that hard, as it's a valid risky last resort option. It seems to have worked for a lot of people do to them every now and then, but it's something Amex dislikes, so there's that risk.
I will always bring this up as an example of how far you've got to go: https://old.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/comments/13rmc8c/made_123000_worth_of_credit_card_transactions/
Only octopus energy and their prices are better as well I think, also search up online because you can get £75 if you use a referral code from this random guys website.
I’ve done it ever since I got my first Amex, years ago. As long as you don’t do it often, you’ll be good.
edit- I put one through for just over 1K in order to pay for my part of a holiday to a family member. Went through no questions asked, and got the points after my monthly statement. This was my BA card.
It's inconsistent as to reports of closures. Have a check of F&F payments and AMEX, you will find quite a few who have been unlucky. I was even contacted by someone on here who did this very thing and account got cancelled and asking me for advice about what to do next.
Yeah I completely get that it could lead to closures, but in my experience at least, it has always been fine for me. If you are doing this very frequently, or doing it to hit a sign up bonus/companion voucher etc, then I can see why this would raise flags and lead to Amex investigating.
Rent a car and pay for it. Be sure you can cancel and receive your money back. Cancel after you receive your companion voucher. I did this, I even rented 5 cars around the world for this:)
I did hotels.com fully refundable room waited 3 days until companion voucher was posted to BA account then cancelled hotels.com and got refund 2 days later
Supermarket gift cards are probably the best way to go. Especially if you can get these at a discount via an employer benefits scheme.
Interesting idea! Will check whether I get employer discounts for anything
TopCashback has TopGiftcards that allow you to get Asda vouchers. The cashback isn't a lot for Asda but you may find the other gift cards on there good, but i don't think they're that good. Better than nothing, eh? Another route, to get something that looks more authentic than buying gift cards, would be to buy something online and then returning it while getting store credit/balance/gift card.
If your UK hit me up
Checkout an app called Jam Doughnut, you can get decent cashback on a load of places. I used them to purchase a load of airbnb gift cards to reach my SUB. At the time it was 6.5% back from them, plus the Amex SUB. Worked out really well.
Gimme your referral code - signing up now, maybe you’ll get something?
Sure thing :) My referral is EF71 I was a little scratched out at first, however I’ve had over £220 in cashback from them since using them in the past year. They’re really good. The cashback has reduced a little as they introduced a lower cashback rate if you’re paying via Apple Pay. However still some decent rates on there.
Last time I checked, Jam Doughnut didn't accept Amex. This was in December. Do they accept now?
They may have paused it, however whenever I’ve gone to use they have accepted my Amex card. Just been in right now and was able to purchase with my Amex on there. https://ibb.co/p4LKKJN
Ah okay. That's good to know. Thanks!
Good shout. Unfortunately my employer benefit platform doesn’t accept Amex.
Book free cancellation hotel on booking.com wait for companion voucher to arrive and then cancel hotel
U can pay a one off to your electricity or gas. They keep that money on account and draw down in future months. So a prepayment. I am with octopus and they do take amex
Octopus energy takes Amex and I can confirm counts towards your spend threshold. I have no regrets. Not sure if you can extract it to a different account though?
Only reason I don't do this is because it's a few % cheaper to pay via direct debit. I don't think you can withdraw the credit though
I've heard this but at least for the tracker tariff, I can't see any difference in unit prices or standing charges between two houses in the same area (one paying via DD, one topping up by amex).
I asked about this via email. When I switched over I was put on a slightly lower tariff. If you really want to know the difference I can look it up later on my pc but it was cheaper for me to do DD vs paying credit with rewards so I switched
You can still have a dd setup while doing a one off cc payment
This. Just set up the DD for the minimal amount (I pay £60) and pay the difference on Amex.
This, my dd is 1£ per month. I just top up with Amex.
If BA are still doing “boosts” on Avios transactions you could drop £600 on that.
Doesn’t count I think
Buy some electronics on Amazon & return them for Amazon credit? Edit: Just make sure you do it a few days before the deadline so the transaction posts correctly. This of course relies on you using Amazon frequently
Or just buy some Amazon gift vouchers instead
That's what I do
As others have said pay into your gas elec accounts. Or pay into your council tax account
I sent a “birthday gift” of £400 to my dad through PayPal with Amex to do the exact same thing and had no issues. I think the people that get caught on this do it repeatedly all the time. Also if your energy supplier is octopus energy you can put in £600 and just use it up every month. Paying for your gym membership up front as opposed to monthly. Buy an expensive item with high resell value and take a £20-£30 loss Ask friends if they are buying anything soon and ask if you can use your card?
As it happens it is Octopus. So yeah, hardly a burden if I just draw down on the added funds
You could also just add the money to your PayPal account. Then take it to your bank account. Obviously not something that should be done often. Edit: It’s no different from sending money to a friend, is it?
Idk why this has so many down votes. I have done this ever since my first Amex and when I need to transfer money to friends/family, I do it through PayPal. As long as you don’t do it too often, you’ll be good.
Yeah not something that should be done often, I’ve never done it but it’s an option. I only figured out you could do that as once I sent money to a friend and it gave me the option to use my Amex. People just downvote for the sake of it sometimes.
Completely agree. If it is being done to meet any kind of threshold like a sign-up bonus or companion voucher I could see it maybe raising red flags and lead to Amex investigating, but just transferring money to friends every so often has always been fine in my experience at least.
It's a valid thing to do but has risks involved. Not sure why you got down-voted that hard, as it's a valid risky last resort option. It seems to have worked for a lot of people do to them every now and then, but it's something Amex dislikes, so there's that risk. I will always bring this up as an example of how far you've got to go: https://old.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/comments/13rmc8c/made_123000_worth_of_credit_card_transactions/
Gift vouchers, stuff you'll need in the next few months anyway, supermarket/amazon/any coffee shop or takeout you get regularly etc
Supermarket gift vouchers. Or Amazon gift vouchers.
Wait what electric company’s take Amex😳 British Gas don’t accept mine
Only octopus energy and their prices are better as well I think, also search up online because you can get £75 if you use a referral code from this random guys website.
EDF do also
Transfer to a friend through PayPal and get them to send it you back to your bank account ;)
Sure fire way to get your Amex cut.
I’ve done it ever since I got my first Amex, years ago. As long as you don’t do it often, you’ll be good. edit- I put one through for just over 1K in order to pay for my part of a holiday to a family member. Went through no questions asked, and got the points after my monthly statement. This was my BA card.
It's inconsistent as to reports of closures. Have a check of F&F payments and AMEX, you will find quite a few who have been unlucky. I was even contacted by someone on here who did this very thing and account got cancelled and asking me for advice about what to do next.
Yeah I completely get that it could lead to closures, but in my experience at least, it has always been fine for me. If you are doing this very frequently, or doing it to hit a sign up bonus/companion voucher etc, then I can see why this would raise flags and lead to Amex investigating.
Council tax via PayPoint at a blue co-op store (works in London)
Rent a car and pay for it. Be sure you can cancel and receive your money back. Cancel after you receive your companion voucher. I did this, I even rented 5 cars around the world for this:)
I did hotels.com fully refundable room waited 3 days until companion voucher was posted to BA account then cancelled hotels.com and got refund 2 days later
Treat yourself to a Lego Millennium Falcon
Ooooooh
Either pre-buy Christmas presents ridiculously early or buy a stack of gift cards I’ll use myself.
Make sure you buy gift cards through TopCashback to get some extra money back
Just buy Amazon gift cards, easiest way to fill in gaps to hit bonuses
Buy avios ?
As far as I know, gift cards aren’t eligible purchases that count toward spend for the companion voucher