The Offer
Direct Link (ad page 4)
- Buy $300 worth of Visa gift cards from a Staples store and get a $20 Visa Prepaid card using the Staples Easy Rebate system
The Fine Print
- Valid May 22 until May 28 (starts this coming Sunday)
- Limit 1 per household
Our Verdict
Typically, these deals only make sense for those with an INK card from Chase or Amex Simply Cash since these cards earn bonus rewards at office supply stores. It happens that there is currently a targeted Amex Offer on some Amex business cards to get 5% back on Staples purchases of $200 or more, so this Staples deal can be useful to many. This will not stack, however, with the recent Amex Offer since that offer is only valid online.
If you have an easy way to liquidate Visa gift cards, then it probably makes sense to buy two $200 cards so as to maximize rewards. Otherwise, just buy a $200 and a $100 to trigger the rebate.
It used to be possible to cash out these Staples Rebate Visa cards with their PIN, but readers mention that this no longer works and Milestomemories says he heard from readers the same.
For more info on the Staples Easy Rebates system see All You Need to Know About Staples Easy Rebates.
Do I need to register the Mastercard gift card first online, before I can use it to purchase MOs at Walmart? The register at walmart kept asking me for a signature instead of a PIN so I wasn’t able to go through with the transaction.
Mastercards are tough to use at Walmart as debit.
Have other people had the same problem before? Is it YMMV? I couldn’t find any DPs.
Yeah, Mastercard at Walmart is an old problem, I think. If you are fast, you can hit the ‘Cancel’ button and that sometimes helps. I think there’s a Flyertalk wiki about it, not sure exactly where.
I live near nyc. My local wmart only takes cash for mo. My serve was shutted down. I called several mo stores. Only one will take visa debit for $2.99 per mo but they want my ssn which i dont want to give. Is there a place near nyc that takes vgc for mo?
>This will not stack, however, with the recent Amex Offer since that offer is only valid online.
False, the 5% back on $200+ is valid in store as well, it is on my personal AMEX, just checked T&C
There are a few different Amex Sync offers with Staples. One is for 5% off a purchase of $200 or more on up to $2000 total purchases (multiple purchases through 08/31/2016). There is also another where you spend $200 get $25 back. I got the 5% offer on all my business cards, the $25 back on my personal cards. If memory serves me correct, the $25 back was only available online. The 5% is valid both online and in-store (though I think gift cards are excluded online but not in-store).
My staples was pretty easy going until yesterday. Would not let me buy more than 500 in gift cards. Said something about updated money laundering notice internally. I then just sent to another staples to get my another $400 in vgc.
My experience was pretty efficient. I was near a Staples today so I did one of these deals for the first time. Used my Ink to buy two $200 VGCs. Spent about 5 minutes filling out the Staples rebate form online at home. Liquidated the VGCs tonight at my supermarket where I was shopping anyway. Just needed to buy one MO, as the money counter reps have never raised an eyebrow at my request to split payment. Put my groceries in the car and walked right across the street to my credit union ATM, where I deposited the MO.
The whole process took me maybe 30-45 minutes.
Does someone want to check my math?
(2) $200 VGCs at Staples –> $413.90 –> 5x on Chase Ink = 2,070 UR points or $43.47 value per TPG valuation
$43.37 UR value + $20 rebate = $63.37 gross profit
Subtract $14.69 in fees ($13.90 VGC fees; $.79 MO fee)
Net profit: $48.78
Not bad!
I went to my local Staples today to buy $2K worth of VGC using my Ink Card. I usually do 5x$400 transactions and often on the 5th Chase will flag for fraud which I clear on my phone and it then goes though without problem. This time, the register requested “cash or another form of tender” on the 3rd transaction but no fraud alert from Chase. I ended up using an Amex card for the last 3 transactions which went through no problem. I called Chase and they said they they have no record of the 3rd charge being submitted so it must be something internal to Staples. Since the Amex went though 3 times I’m thinking it might have been some bug with Staples processing visa transactions at that moment, but something to look out for.
Due to the limit, factor in the time to go to the store, to manage the rebates, and to liquidate the vgcs, and you are paying yourself below minimum wage for this run.
In my books, only worth it if you already have a plan in place, or have an upcoming redemption where you need to top off your UR or MR balance.
Don’t forget efficiency, folks.
Even if you just do one rebate with a 5% card you’re gaining ~$30… you have to be really bad at this or really far away from a Staples for the process to take 4 hours to complete.
I am considering applying for the Chase Ink Plus Business card with the hopes taking advantage of the 60,000 points bonus after spending $5K in the first 3 months by purchasing $5K in Ebay gift cards from Staples.com while also earning 5X UR points.
Will this work or am I at risk of not earning 5X UR points these days with purchasing Ebay gift cards from Staples.com?
Thanks in advance.
Is this offer only valid in-store or can we purchase the visa gift card at staples.com?
It is always in store only. Also get them asap when the promo started, $200 Visa cards is easily out of stock.
Availability depends on the store. I found a store that almost always has them in stock. On occasion, there have been none on the rack, but I’ve just had to ask. Another store never has them on the rack, and seldom has them at all.
Upromise is 5% back at Staples right now