Update on generating free Avios from 3V Virtual Visa cards

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

• Steve says:

  26 Jun26 June 17:20

  Even my Tesco, the one that told me that they were going to stop selling them, seem to replenish the stock, 6 cards at a time.

• Sinizter says:

  26 Jun26 June 17:26

  Just picked up 94 of them today.
  63 across 4 different Tesco branches and 31 from Homebase (sadly with the credit card and not gift cards from Tesco).

  Had a 300 mile roundtrip to do today, with 2 Tescos at either end and 2 very conveniently close to the route. So made full use of the opportunity.

  Also got 35 last week across two stores.

  • Sinizter says:

    26 Jun26 June 17:28

    In one of the stores, I wanted to buy 18 – 10 + 8 in two transactions. The checkout person checked with the supervisor who then checked with the Day Manager and came back with you can only purchase 10. I asked him to contact head office to confirm and that they would say there is no limit. He wandered of for a minute, seemed like he was talking to the manager again and came back with you can have them all, but have to be across 3 transactions.

  • Angela says:

    26 Jun26 June 17:36

    Have had my last two transactions declined by high street vouchers one in my name and one in husbands we had previously done around half a dozen £25 orders each
    Am quite liking the home base idea

• DarrenT says:

  26 Jun26 June 17:40

  Managed to get a load in Clintons Cards the other day, and the lovely Manageress said she would speak to the wholesaler of their gift cards and get a LOAD in for me, and keep me supplied! :-)))

  • Sinizter says:

    26 Jun26 June 17:50

    Do they accept Amex ?
    I though they did not.

• What's the Point says:

  26 Jun26 June 18:48

  I have not had any luck in any of the large Extras I originally stocked up on when it all kicked off a few weeks back (£250 a trip). Where as 2 Metro stores I went into last week had them 20 in each. Possibly a different type of shopper at Metro, that doesn’t dream in Avios…..

• What's the Point says:

  26 Jun26 June 19:07

  Forgot to mention – Many thanks to Raffles and the other contributors on this website, I have earned £130 in Tesco CC points in just the last 8 weeks. For not doing any thing different in particular, other than paying off our Council Tax a year in advance!

• erico1875 says:

  26 Jun26 June 21:04

  Anyone used these for buying Groupon, kgb deals or living social type deals?

  • Gabi says:

    26 Jun26 June 21:29

    Yes, I’ve bought some Groupon deals without problems.

    • Rob says:

      26 Jun26 June 21:46

      … And odd remaining balances can be redeemed for Amazon gift certificates and added onto your Amazon account for future use

      • stu6278 says:

        27 Jun27 June 07:48

        My local Council Tax allows £1 minimum payments so also great for getting rid of odd balances

• dannyrado says:

  26 Jun26 June 21:14

  Im sorry, and I know it’s a great oppurtunity and all that, but how much time are some of you spending on this? I mean entering each card number for verification, marrying that up with the expiry date, and security code, entering numerous credit card numbers online, or god forbid on the phone…..

  Those that are paying tax, are you paying off in £25 chunks, or combining balences first? I’d hate to think of the poor phone agent taking 100 x £25 payments…

  I got bored phoning my council tax automated system after 4 go’s!

  • Steve says:

    27 Jun27 June 07:51

    Copy & paste!!!!

    Takes me exactly 14 seconds per £25 to pay Council Tax online, so total time spent activating the card and paying £125 each month is less than 5 minutes.

    • Dannyrado says:

      27 Jun27 June 09:12

      You clearly don’t live in the same backwater as I. One payment at a time, over the phone, on a drawn out automated system. They don’t accept Santander bill pay either….

  • Paulie says:

    28 Jun28 June 00:56

    So far I have managed to buy and use £2,250 worth of these cards. That equals to 6,750 clubcard points to turn to avios plus the 2,250 extra avios from the Amex spend and £2,250 closer to my 2-4-1. How do you get you get bored getting FREE flights? Granted, it can take a bit of admin, but unless you are Richard Branson, your time is worth it.

    Many thanks Raffles.

  • BTC says:

    1 Jul1 July 21:43

    When you paid your council tax – did you already have a direct debit payment set up for it?

    I’ve just found another couple of 3V cards, and used one towards my CT, but won’t find out for another 4 weeks what will happen to my DD payments.

    • Louie says:

      2 Jul2 July 09:45

      I did. If it’s the same as my council, they just deduct the 3V payments from the next DD due. So if your DD was normally £200 but you had used 5 3V cards, the next month’s DD would be reduced to £75.

      • BTC says:

        2 Jul2 July 10:08

        Thanks – I called the Council this morning, and they “thought” that’s the way it would work too.

• shaya says:

  26 Jun26 June 21:18

  Sorry for being a bit of target but racking my brains for a solution. First and foremost thanks to Raffles for feeding my avios habit! I am looking to buy a phone in o2 that for some reason dont accept amex, Im looking for a prepay mastercard or visa that can be bought online. Any Ideas?

  • lady london says:

    28 Jun28 June 17:45

    Yup. I shuddered too. Not a word that we like to see?

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.