Today Forbes reports on how the government crackdown of this practice is going.
Not exactly ethical, but it's not a crime -- at least not yet. The trick (it feels more like a scam) is to use a government program meant for promoting the circulation of dollar coins for everyday use. And it's not new: travel hackers have been doing it for years, and it's only recently that the federal government has caught on and done something about it.Now I’m being accused by my colleagues of having pulled off a scam in getting 2 tickets to Brazil for free by buying these coins. I disagree. The scam, the crime against democracy really, is the US Mint allowing purchases of legal tender using a credit card and then shipping FOR FREE! That’s absurd and to insinuate that I’m doing something unethical is scurrilous (Rand Paul is cool).
Printing money out of thin air to bailout failed banks is unethical but taking advantage of an idiotic opportunity that our idiotic government provides is appropriate. Besides the government is keeping me out of home ownership by handing wealth to those who don’t deserve it by allowing people to live for free in houses they bought but couldn’t afford. So when the rest of the world becomes ethical then come after me. Until then, GFY.
Kindest regards
2 comments:
And this:
"...The dollar coin trick involves purchasing large amounts of coins with a frequent flier card, waiting for the Mint to ship the coins (free shipping!), and then taking the coins to the bank, where they are deposited and the money is used to pay the credit card charges. No money is lost, the frequent flier miles rack up, and travelers can use them for upgrades or completely free flights whenever they want. According to NPR's Planet Money, which broadcast a story about the scheme on Wednesday morning, the Mint caught on when some customers started buying hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of free coins, so it has since limited purchases to $1,000 every ten days. But 3,000 free frequent fliers miles per month still isn't a bad deal. NPR quotes Mint spokesman Tom Jurkowsky about the ways in which the Mint has tried to curb the practice: "Do we feel a little bit violated? Yes, and that's why we aggressively sought measures to eliminate what we called an abuse."
This is sort of like a hooker, who's got $50 million in the bank but continues to turn tricks, complaining of being violated when penetration occurs. TOM IF YOU DON'T LIKE BEING PENETRATED, THEN DON'T INVITE SOMEONE OVER, TAKE YOUR CLOTHES OFF AND ASK THEM TO PENETRATE YOU. If they do, don't suggest they've done something wrong.
I love your article! It really put a smile on my face!
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