X user is boasting six-digit returns from a credit card-based Bitcoin investment. A survivor bias?

An anonymous Bitcoin investor, using the X moniker Sunny Po, detailed their experience investing in Bitcoin using credit cards for nearly two years. Through eight credit cards, Sunny Po managed to buy 1.4488 BTC and plans to buy more. While Sunny Po’s experience is arguably controversial, critics of such an approach deserve no less attention.

Sunny Po’s credit card Bitcoin strategy

Sunny Po began his credit card Bitcoin strategy in November 2023, starting with eight credit cards. In the first post dedicated to his journey, Sunny Po mentioned $100 billion of printed money given away as military support to foreign countries as the reason he decided to max out credit cards to buy BTC. 

He claimed that during November, he opened eight cards. It was all the available credit cards with 18 to 21 months of zero annual percentage rate. It means that until May 2025, he wasn’t paying yearly fees. That was the determining factor in his choice of banks and cards. 

The cards he opened are Citi Simplicity, Citi Diamond Preferred, Citi Double Cash, Wells Fargo Reflect, Chase Freedom, US Bank Platinum, Chase Slate Edge, and Bank of America’s BankAmericard.

Sunny Po’s thought was that if by May 2025 Bitcoin doesn’t go below the $37,000 threshold, he is not screwed. Given that the BTC has been generally on a way up ever since, his strategy proved to be feasible for him.

In March 2025, the time of the first annual fees was getting closer, so Sunny Po, his wife, and his mother added ten more credit cards. Now, he is going to use these cards until November 2026 and some (with a longer fee-free period) until February 2027.

The cards include two Citi Rewards+ cards, Discover It Cashback, Chase Slate Edge, Citi Simplicity, Wells Fargo Reflect, Ally Everyday Cash Back Mastercard, Amex Blue, Chase Freedom Flex, and Synchrony Premier. 

Now, nearly two years into his journey, Sunny Po reported unrealized gains of $104,749 and continues to follow his plan. On Nov. 1, 2025, he replied to one of his online admirers that he is going to wait until BTC hits $370,000. 

Don’t try this at home

While Sunny Po is not the only one using credit cards to acquire Bitcoin, his strategy is not as boring and safe as it may seem. The Wolf of All Streets podcast host and investor Scott Melker dedicated a portion of his newsletter to outlining the risks associated with credit card-based BTC investments. 

Melker notes that the model described by Sunny Po requires much more than just Bitcoin outpacing interest and fees. He warned that:

“…the shortcut hides a handful of nasty, real-world frictions that turn a tidy mental model into a fast-moving train wreck: volatile asset risk, punitive card rules, and the unforgiving mechanics of credit reporting and minimum payments.”

Volatility is the most obvious risk. A sharp price drop decreases the paper loss of the investment, and it only gets worse because of interest rates and fees that will push investors’ holdings even lower. “That gap between what you paid and what your holdings are worth is not philosophical – it’s immediate, measurable pain,” Melker notes.

He warns about less obvious risks, which are credit mechanics that can incur additional fees or higher APRs once the transaction is associated with cryptocurrency-related operations. 

Crypto purchases can be treated as cash advances, adding up to 5% in fees and immediate high interest. The banks mentioned by Sunny Po (Chase, Wells Fargo, and Citi) used to block crypto-related transactions in the past. In 2023, Chase UK explicitly noted that it doesn’t allow crypto-related money transfers. Citi is about to reconsider its stance on crypto. While the Trump administration and the notable figures in the crypto community have been pushing against the debanking of the crypto clients in the U.S., the risk is still here for the residents of other countries. Inability to purchase crypto with a credit card may significantly boggle the investment plan. Some of the banks Sunny Po mentioned don’t block transactions but charge extra fees.

Melker adds that using 100% of a credit card capacity may be a warning sign for lenders. They may penalize cardholders by cutting off credit scores, charging penalty ARPs, or starting collections. On top of that, card issuers may find large purchases suspicious and close investors’ accounts.

Melker noted that the case of Sunny Po is mostly luck combined with determination. He pointed at the perfect timing for entering the position and the good choice of credit cards. According to the Wolf of All Streets host, “this isn’t a repeatable playbook:”

“I still stand by the belief that most people will fail doing this. For every person who times the market perfectly and structures their credit with precision, there are hundreds who overextend themselves, panic on a dip, or underestimate how quickly interest and fees pile up.”

So while Sunny Po called his venture an “unsecured leverage with no liquidation/margin call risk,” it is still far from being surefire. While his individual case may be inspiring for some, it’s better to think twice before trying such stunts.