Deal has ended, view more Staples deals by clicking here.
The Offer
- Staples stores are selling $200 Mastercard gift cards with no activation fees from 3/28-4/3.
The Fine Print
- Limit 5 per customer per day
- In-store only
Our Verdict
Usually the Visa gift card deal is more popular as they are easier to unload, but Mastercard still popular as well. Use a card that earns at a high rate on office supply store purchases.
Hat tip to GC Galore
I was able to load $200 MC GC into BB with one swipe, no pin required, even though I registered the card and set my pin before that. This was the same location where VISA GC were down to $99 limit per swipe. So looks like MC GC are still good to go (for now).
Was this at the Money Center or regular cashier terminal? MCGC never required pin for loading BB Amex. Thanks
anyone able to liquidate this by paypal?
Was it the bluebird or serve that can load MC without pin?
Anybody else have to do 10 captcha puzzles to register or check balance on these cards?? Then the page load messes up and makes you start over!
Turn off your VPN.
Yes, I hate it. Even without VPN, you have this. Most frustrating part is even when u solve it correctly, it says it was incorrect. WTF.
I got that once and as someone else indicated, I also have had issues when I entered the correct answer. Today, I checked one card successfully and can’t check any others. Do you guys sometimes get this message, and does it resolve itself after a while? “Invalid Request
Request validation failed. Please try again.”
Yes I get invalid request every now and again. I feel like it has happened more rarely lately.
Loaded BB Amex with MCGC. Can someone please explain the procedure on how to load BB Visa in general? You insert the card and once the acct info is validated, take it out and then swipe the GC? Thanks
With VISA – just do $99 per swipe.
Was able to unload these with Amex BB at Walmart with $200 swipes and no pin. Issued by metabank, batches 04/18, 10/19 and 05/20, with expiration dates of 04/27, 10/28 and 06/29.
Are these MCGC’s from staples working to liquidate at walmart for 99$ per swipe without issues ? If anyone has experience around this please comment along with BIN number and expiration dates of GCs that work without issue
Is it risky to get two cards using my us bank altitude here?
YMMV…better to avoid issues
Curious – what’s the angle / benefit for Staples and MC here? They are offering 5 at a time, so they’re obviously aware of what ‘we’ are doing… and MC gets a 2.5% cut but its negated by the Rewards rates they probably pay on most cards. Are they just assuming 5% of people will forget to liquidate them? Does staples buy them at $200 per or less?
I have a feeling they don’t buy them at all, maybe they make a couple bucks per card and pay the sale amount to Metabank. Just a hunch, but these may be more about having cash flow for them than making profit.
They are hoping people coming in to the store to buy the GCs will buy something else in the store…like a Sharpie or an eraser or a 3 pack of masks. They can make up easily if you buy anything other than GC as everything is marked up heavily.
I figured that’s their ‘hope.’ But besides soda stream refills… I can’t see a reason to buy stuff at Staples these days =P Even if you buy some sharpies, it seems hard for that slim profit margin to offset the $25 in CC fees from the GCs.
This. The stores would be deserted if not for people buying these cards.
I’ll buy a book of stamps. Wonder if USPS gives them a commission on that even?
Didn’t think of getting sold out so fast in a Northern Dallas store. Went there this afternoon (on Mar 28) around 4pm and the racks that hang $200 MGC were empty already. Asked an associate and was told sold out already.