I spend using my AMEX to collect Avios points (£1=1 point). However I’ve discovered Monzo and it looks to be perfect for budgeting etc.
It seems that it’s not possible to top up Monzo using Amex thus benefiting from Avois rewards and Monzo usability.
However could people confirm if this roundabout technique could be used:
-Get a Paypal Access Card
-Link my AMEX card to my Paypal account
-Top up Monzo using my Paypal Access Card
-Receive Avios points and spend using Monzo
You’ll likely be charged a fee for what is essentially a cash withdrawal through your Amex would you not? If so, are the points worth more to you than the charge?
I currently connect my AMEX card to my Paypal and don’t get charged any fees when I purchase using it e.g. on eBay etc.
Recently I bought gig tickets and they only accepted Visa, Mastercard or Paypal. So I used my Paypal and it was therefore charged to my AMEX and I was able to collect points without any extra fees.
So I suppose the question is, does the Paypal Access Card charge fees when it’s used? As I understood it was just like using Paypal anywhere and the money would automatically come out of the account attached to your Paypal. Therefore I would be transferring money from Paypal Access to Monzo, which isn’t a cash withdrawal technically, it’s technically purchasing Monzo ‘credit’?
Hi @iweb89, I have a Paypal access card and it doesn’t charge fees when used for point of sale and internet purchases.
Might be worth trying a small £10 topup on your Monzo card with your Paypal card, to see if you incur any fees on the Paypal side. I don’t see why you would but I could be wrong. It is Paypal after all!
You’re essentially trying to engineer a way to get ‘cash’ from a card which is designed (rightly or wrongly) to not allow it without additional fees being charged for the privilege .
There’s unlikely to be a workaround as I’m sure they’ll have thought of all options, but if you do find one I’d be interested to hear.
Many people would be interested to hear I’m sure. There are several ways to do what you describe, but they’re generally kept under wraps because they get jumped on by people looking to cash out stolen credit cards and the like. As such it’s in financial institutions’ best interest to shut these loopholes ASAP.
If you do find a route that works, the best thing to do to preserve it is not to share it with anyone. I’ve got quite a lot of them on the go - easy things like direct deposits into current account with Amex to complex multi layered arbitrages which seem funds moved from Amex to my bank account. For inspiration perhaps try Googling “Manufactured Spending”. Probably best not to use Monzo for this sort of thing though!