U.S. Mint Grounds Frequent Fliers' Scheme

from National Public Radio

Some frequent fliers were racking up huge amounts of credit card mileage rewards. They were buying tens of thousands of dollars in coins from the U.S. Mint. They would pay with credit cards, deposit the coins in the bank and then pay off the credit card balances. According to the Los Angeles Times, the mint changed the rules so those credit card purchases now are recorded as cash advances, which typically don't count towards mileage rewards.

Broadcast Dates

• Morning Edition, December 14, 2009