The $500,000 Manufactured Spending Challenge
Last updated: May 2024
Current Spending Progress: $104,000 / $500,000
Current Earnings (Cash value): $6,310
Latest Progress
| Credit Card | Spending Goal | Earns | Expected Value | Progress |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Ink Cash (5x Office Supply) x 3 cards | $75,000 | 375,000 UR | $7,500 | $12,000 / $75,000 |
| Wyndham Earner Business | $56,000 | 448,000 Wyndham | $5,600 | $8,000 / $56,000 |
| Venture X | $30,000 | 60,000 C1 | $600 | Completed |
| Citi AA Biz | $63,000 | 126,000 AA | $1,890 | $9,000 / $63,000 |
| Amex Business Gold (+4x Category) | $45,000 | 180,000 MR | $3,600 | Completed |
Monthly Updates
What is this challenge?
In 2024, my goal is to manufactured $500,000 in spending (MS) across all of my credit cards. This is my second year doing this challenge - last year the goal was $100,000, and we blew it out of the park. While this year’s goal definitely won’t be an easy task, I want to show people that this also isn’t as tricky as people might think. And don’t worry, the methods I use for generating spend will come from manufactured spending methods on this website and content on the Churner’s Lounge, so you can follow along too.
I’m new here - why do you want to do this?
For those that are new, manufactured spending is essentially the process of using credit cards to purchase items that can be easily converted back into cash. This lets me earn tons of credit card rewards points without actually spending any of my money. With just a single card, I can usually earn over $1,000 in value. I can then convert the reward points into cash, flights, hotel stays, and more! Our website guides you through the whole process, and provides various methods for manufacturing spend, ranging from beginner to advanced difficulty levels. If you’re interested, you can read our beginners guide here.
Note: The content below is from 2023’s challenge, but should still be helpful and relevant!
So what does $100,000 in spend get you?
Over $20,800 in value!
More specifically, here is my expected breakdown for 2023:
| Credit Card | Spending Goal | Earns | Expected Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amex Platinum (Sign-up bonus) | $6,000 | 150,000 MR | $3,000 | On my partner's account |
| Amex Gold (Sign-up bonus) | $4,000 | 100,000 MR | $2,000 | On my partner's account |
| Amex Gold (+5X Grocery Bonus) | $25,000 | 225,000 MR | $5,500 | Received a +5X bonus on groceries for referring my partner |
| Amex Business Platinum (Sign-up bonus) | $15,000 | 195,000 MR | $3,900 | My first business card! |
| Amex Business Gold (Sign-up bonus) | $10,000 | 130,000 MR | $2,600 | My second business card! |
| Amex Delta Reserve | $30,000 | 15,000 MQM, 30,000 Miles | $2000 (Status) | As a Delta loyalist, this gets me to Diamong Medallion status |
| Chase IHG Premier (Sign-up bonus) | $3,000 | 175,000 IHG Points | $1,225 | Surprisingly valuable for overseas hotel redemptions! |
| Bilt (Monthly Rent-day bonus) | $11,666 | 70,000 Bilt Points | $700 | Every 1st of the month, Bilt earns 6X on dining. By the end of the year, I will have 7 months by the end of the year |
My ultimate goal is to achieve all of this without spending any money out of pocket. This may be a tall order, but I'm up for the challenge.
Throughout this journey, I'll be as transparent as possible with the techniques I'm using. If you're new to MS, follow along with me and learn the process! I have lots of ideas for unique MS techniques that I haven't found elsewhere, and I can't wait to share them with you.
As someone who works full-time, I need to do MS in a scalable manner. So my success criteria for the year is to find an automated, scalable strategy that will allow me to achieve $100,000 in spend while coming out on top financially. Along the way, I'll be sharing regular updates on my blog so you can follow along on the progress.
Follow along as we restart our yearly spending challenge, this time with a goal of spending $500,000 in a year!