We’ll See Who Has The Last Laugh
I went to see how many points I had earned on my ATM card (I guess cause it has a Mastercard portion that I hardly ever use) and I saw I had over 30k points. That sounded like a lot, so I decided to shop the catalog. My eye was caught by a deal for $50 off a Domestic Ticket for 20k points. Wow that sounds perfect for visiting my family over Thanksgiving!
This reward is good for $50 off the total purchase price of any airline ticket. To ensure that all your travel needs are met, please call the Redemption Center when you're ready to redeem this reward. A $30 per ticket fee will apply for this item.
WTF?!?! Why is there a fee for 60% of the reward?! I checked out the gift cards next. For an Amazon gift certificate of $50 (with a $5 fee...) it cost 25,000 points. For a generic $50 gift card from the bank, it cost 22,500 (still a $5 redemption fee...). And yet for a $50 gift card for Macy's, it only cost 20,000 points. WTF?! Macy's offers a better deal than the bank itself? I did a quick analysis of possible choices:
Macy's $75 gift card here I come.
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September 17th, 2008 - 22:18
damn, that is some devious fees going there. I also get points for using my Capitol One card. I am afraid to look now
September 17th, 2008 - 22:53
What makes this especially stupid is that for any reward that costs more than 22,500 for $50, you are better off just taking the Bank gift card since you can use that card anywhere. Why even bother with the other choices then?
September 18th, 2008 - 19:42
…reminds me of collecting those Chuckie Cheese tickets… I spent my whole life trying to get this tiny bubble gum machine… and it like, cost $5-$10 at Toys R Us.
This also reminds me of Dave and Busters, but that ended good, since I got one of those Chinese finger traps and a squishy ball =3
September 19th, 2008 - 01:21
Ugh..that’s so annoying and yet completely expected of these corporations to try to fleece you like that!! There’s always a catch!