Deal has ended, view more Staples deals by clicking here.
The Offer
- Staples stores are selling $200 Visa gift cards with no activation fees from 12/27 – 1/2.
The Fine Print
- Limit 5 per customer
- Valid 12/27 – 12/2
- In-store only
Our Verdict
Good to see this back. Remember to use a card that earns at a high rate on office supply store purchases or use up the Staples Amex Offer for 10% off before year’s end if you haven’t already.
Hat tip to GCGalore
Did you guys read about Staples offering to buy OD again? Less competition, less offers. Not good.
Chuck
Saw that
A newbie here that want to get Staples visa or Office Depot on future deals.. Cannot find current data points on Ink Cash Business regarding monthly or yearly maximum spend to avoid shutdown. Can anyone chime in? My limit is 9500. Thanks
Not aware of Chase closing any accounts. I average 5k a month if ‘office supply’ purchases over past 3 yrs. It is usually the accounts bluebird, greendot, serve that are shut down if patterns fit MS. Bank accounts have been shut down for excessive MO deposits. Hope this helps.
Do I need to wait 24 hours before I can use Visa GCs bought from Staples? Tried to one after 1 he of activation, but did not work. Thanks.
Anyone knows if WM Visa GCs can be used to buy MOs @ WM or Kroger?
Only the one issued by Green Dot, not the other type. Don’t use it right away, have to wait for a while, otherwise, it’ll say “debit not available”.
I thought Walmart hardcoded the Green Dots they sold to not be used to buy MOs there (a while back).
Thanks. I know it worked about year or so ago when my local WMs still allowed debit cards. Will test out and report back.
DE/GE and WM Visa GCs still work for buying MOs @ WM. Mostly like other Everywhere cards work as well. Happy MSing.
Anybody else having trouble getting 5 cards in one go? Clerk told me it is one per visit and 5 total
It depends where you buy. In bigger cities I am sometimes reduced to one if you can find one. It’s the rural areas that rock. Last time they had this I was in rural Maine. I drove my sister, brother-in-law, and mother to LL Beans then we drove to Falmouth, Maine. They were well stocked. I asked the limit and the clerk said $2000. I said per person per day? He said yes. I said can I bring in my family and each buy $2000? He said yes. So with the help of my 89 year old mom and others I purchased $8000 on two cards in one store. My best single day haul.
Rural areas don’t see the MS BS so aren’t aware and don’t care is my experience.
Your 89-year-old mom is as cool as my 85-year-old mom. Mine would be offering to change her coat and go for it again!.
I’ve been pretty giddy when a now-closed Staples location was chill about P2 and I each getting $2k/day. Walking out with twice that would be amazing! That was on 5x cards?
Rowan, Yes of course. Sorry I just assume this I shouldn’t make that assumption. I have 2 of the old Inks at 5x.
Gotcha. No, I definitely wince when people talk about doing these deals with lesser cards (not accounting for meeting an MSR of course) so I was just confirming the math on that beautiful pile of UR’s you were swimming in that day! lol
Hear you on the “rural” distinction…. though not many Staples locations fit that description…. “Abusers” like you risk ruining it for the rest of us…. Not cool coming into Staples stores in Hoo’ville five minutes after they opened only to find out a given week’s supply had already sold out — and then same thing happen mid-week minutes after they re-stocked. Enough complaints to mgmt prompted the closer monitoring….
But that was last month. As it’s getting harder at the other end, to liquidate them…. one’s “haul” may be less fruitful, and thus more supply on hand for all. (OD/OM location past two weeks in the once capital of the south,, something other than a rural area…. remained plentiful throughout)
Escot, I know you wrote a lot but all I read was “waaaaaah”.
This isn’t a game for the faint at heart. All we share is a passion for the game and information. When it comes to accumulation of points/miles it’s every person at their comfort level and ability.
Besides, in rural areas it often doesn’t matter as two few play and they don’t run out.
Office Depot near me (not as rural) gets wiped out a lot during sales. People hide them behind other cards also so they’ll be available next day when they come. I caught on and look behind the “Sephora” cards now. I don’t begrudge them. If they can get 5 or 10 cards in a trip, I envy them but not condemn.
Grow up. This is for the big boys. Don’t be another victim crying “ this is why we can’t have good things”. Jeez.
I am also “faint at heart” and will be looking behind Sephora GCs now two.
Look behind the Sephora cards…it is because of people like you that people take the gift cards with them and bring them back to buy when they are on sale.
Jack you have reading comprehension problems. I said I noticed what others do. I play by the book but take it to the limits.
You take them from the store and bring them back? Slimy! (See how easy it is to misinterpret?).
Slimy! Hiss. U a snake.
There is a beer (Zombie Dust) in Chicagoland that used to be 2 cases per day per person at the brewery. Considered the world’s best pale ale. People would drive 500 miles to get it or pay 4x the price. I used to take my 85-y.o. MIL in there for lunch and then go to the takeout kiosk. Get my two cases and say “And my MIL would like two cases also.” Guy always said “I bet she would.”
One of my favorite memories of her.
So much useless detail.
No, but sometimes they ask the manager to approve, depending on the store.
Steve – not that we ever want to argue with a clerk but in this case since the ad specifically says “limit 5 per customer per day” I’d suggest gently request that they check in with a manager on this policy. It obviously just doesn’t make any sense for the store to expect you to come back to make a single card purchase FIVE times in ONE DAY to meet that allowance… 🙄
I usually get 10 (i don’t go beyond $2000 max / day Staples limit). I use my rewards card which makes me a trustworthy buyer in cashier’s view. Earlier this month I cut it down to 5 per visit since I wanted to make sure things were still BAU at Walmart for BB loading. So far that seems to be the case at the register.
Glad to see this repeat, especially the dates! I can use a card that will statement close on 01/07/21 and get the rewards for redemption.
I wanted this deal for before Christmas for gifting. Bad timing.
Office Depot’s $15 off $300 expires today.
Both OD and OM out of business in our area. Only staples, sandwiched between Costco and Sam’s warehouse.
Celia, I went to OD to take advantage one last time today but they were out of all but the five backs. I’ve never bought these before because I am unsure if they liquidate well. Forget about WM now, anyone liquidate these in grocery stores for WU MOs?
Tried to buy a MO at Kroger in GA today using GE and DE cards, but card reader spit out the “Not Authorize” message. Clerk saw “card issuer having issue” or something similar on her screen. I guess Visa GCs stop working at Krogers.
yes. (very gently)
Five backs/DE/SE/GE still work at all walmart MC/CS I have tried. Only the normal gift cards have issues. That might change later but still under the radar for now.
I liquidated “Five Backs” at a grocery store back in October. Of course, I got the $ value, but didn’t get “5 back!” 🙂
Does DE/SE work at grocery stores. I tried GE and they were working fine.
A bunch of Staples AO’s to do, procrastination without consequence this time
I think we will be seeing tons of discounts and no fee options for VGC from Office Depot/Staples/Simon Mall. They really will see a difference in their sells of these since the WM fiasco.
You can call it a WM Fiasco…but from the Walmart standpoint, they lose money on these things and they make the lines at customer service longer.
What is the WM fiasco?
unfortunately my dumb ass managed to find something on clearance about every time I went in to get an MO
I’m hoping when their VGC sales drop, they’re gonna run even higher discounts. That could be good for some churners.
Churners ??? Where and how? Liquidation is dead imo
Unless it’s for slow personal spend $18 here $25 their ,then spend your time checking your balance everyday, or once a month I pay rent ,with them,so I clear. 3 cards, no big churning, plus paying rent cost me 2.9% so I make 2.1 % .
So is it worth ?Was getting 10 back at Exxon for gas ,for three months,was easily better then using gift cards , no checking on balance
Does make me wonder — why is Staples & OD/OM motivated to offer these deals? Do enough people actually give them other business when they come in for these to make it worth while??? I figured they would be taking a bath.
Will this count for new card spend target for Amex.
As has been shown in many places, that is an open invitation for Amex to deny/clawback the bonus or worse things.
So glad I am not Amex dependent for point/cash redemptions. I may be unhappy with BOA banking but their CC points programs work for me. They are like tax free bank dividends!
Can you explain further about BOA?
Might work but would not recommend it.
No.