This topic has been discussed from a few angles but I did not find it discussing the following question:
Does anyone have first hand experience in making a large purchase to meet a spending threshold and then returning the item?
I am not concerned with the lost transaction miles/points, I know they take/want them back.
I want to know what impact it has on the time based bonus.
There are also two different categories of bonuses that may have different results.
1) Gift cards. For example the recent Southwest promo giving $500 in gift cards for spending 5k in 90 days. I assume if the transactions are there they will send out the cards and it won't be connected to the existing account when you go ahead and refund the transaction.
2) Points. If you do a similar thing with the Amex plat the points are always linked to your account making it potentially easier for them to take them back.
Any experiences, opinions, or comments?
Please post
Thanks!
