Deal has ended, view more Staples deals by clicking here.
Update 4/17/25: Deal is back from 4/20-4/26/25
Update 3/20/25: Deal is back from 3/23/25 – 3/29/25. Hat tip to FM
Update 2/20/25: Deal is back from 2/23-3/1
Update 1/24/25: Deal is back from Sunday, 1/26/25 through Saturday, 2/1/25 (ht FM)
Update 11/28/24: Deal is back from 12/1 – 12/7
Update 10/31/24: Deal is coming back for 11/3 through 11/9 (ht kawnipi)
The Offer
- Staples stores will be selling $200 Mastercard gift cards with the $6.95 activation fee waived.
The Fine Print
- Limit 9 per customer per day; check with your local store to see their rules
- In-store only
Our Verdict
As always remember to use a card that earns at a high rate on office supply store purchases. Or stack with a Chase Offer or use your Amex Business Gold for the $20 office supply credit.
Update History:
- Update 10/3/24: Deal is back from 10/6 – 10/12. Hat tip to FM
- Update 9/5/24: Deal is coming back for 9/8 through 9/14. The new limit now is 9 per customer per day. (ht kawnipi)
- Update 8/8/24: Deal is coming back for 8/11 through 8/17. Limit 8. (ht kawnipi)
- Update 7/11/24: Deal is back from 7/14 – 7/20
- Update 6/14/24: Deal is back from 6/16 – 6/22.
- Update 5/16/24: Deal is coming back for 5/19-5/25. Limit 5 this time. (ht kawnipi)
- Update 4/18/24: Deal is coming back for 4/21 – 4/27 (ht GC Galore)
- Update 3/21/24: Deal is back from 3/24 – 3/30 (ht GC Galore)
- Update 2/22/24: Deal is back from 2/25 – 3/2
- Update 1/25/24: Deal is coming back for 1/28 – 2/3 (ht GCGalore)
- Update 12/28/23: Deal is coming back soon for 12/31 – 1/6. Limit 8. (ht kawnipi)
- Update 12/3/23: Deal is back this week 12/3 – 12/9. Limit 8. (ht Emi S)
- Update 11/2/23: Deal is coming back for the week of 11/5 – 11/11. Limit 8. (ht kawnipi)
- Update 10/5/23: Deal is back 10/8 – 10/14
- Update 9/7/23: Deal is back for 9/10 – 9/16. Limit 8 this time. (ht captduk)
- Update 8/10/23: Deal is coming back soon for 8/13 – 8/19. Back down to a maximum of 5 cards this time. (ht kawnipi)
- Update 7/13/23: Deal is back from 7/16 – 7/22
- Update 6/18/21: Deal is back and valid 6/18 – 6/24 (ht GCG). Stack with Chase Offer for 10% back.
- Update 5/18/21: Deal is back and valid 5/21 – 5/27
- Update 4/20/23: Deal is back and valid 4/23 – 4/29.
- Update 3/23/23: Deal is back and valid until 3/26 – 4/1.
- Update 2/23/23: Back until 2/26 – 3/4.
- Update 1/26/23: Deal will be back and valid until 1/29 – 2/4 with a max of 8 this time. (ht kawnipi)
- Update 7/14/22: Deal is back, valid from 7/17 until 7/23
- Update 12/1/22: Deal is back and valid until 12/4 – 12/10. Hat tip to GC Galore
I’m doing the Staples-Safeway Money Order method but depending on the Safeway employee, it’s a smooth process, or not.
1 employee quite happy to let me do $200 Money order, .89 cent fee on a separate credit card.
That one deposited to bank no issues.
2nd employee tried to help me do an $1800 Money order, swiped out over 9 cards, but then did not like having the fees paid with a credit card. The way they spoke suggested that it didn’t work (turned out it did) so I tried another card, tapped a debit card. (Again they said this wouldn’t work, but it did?) ended up refunding me .89 cents since they were putting it on one order. Said something about “not supposed to use credit cards/tap function to pay for fees.” But honestly I think the employee was just confused because it did work twice.
That’s interesting that the 1st rep let you pay the fee with a credit card. I would have thought that it would be hard-coded not to work by the system.
BTW, wouldn’t it have been easier to buy a MO for $199.11 so you would have only needed to use the 1 GC to pay for it?
Yes. All my MO $200 minus fee. All you need to use card once.
Do these need to be “seasoned” or have a waiting period? I registered my cards but getting declined when trying to pay my property tax online
working and plenty at QC, IL
had to work this Sunday, but I’m going to check today. Most likely already gone 😔
In case anyone is wondering, I was able to purchase some today.
👀 now that I graduated. I’m revealing that you can pay college tuition using this for NY state public universities (only works for school covers the credit card fees)
It is right time the deal come back this Saturday.
Do these cards restrict usage/block MO purchases? Got stuck with 30 MCGCs last time I tried lol
At WM they are “blocked” in a sense or at the very least harder to execute because WM doesn’t process MCGCs as debit by default. Not sure why you buy 30 of these things without any firm plans on how to liquidate the funds. I know at grocery stores too, some are being “blocked” where it wouldn’t even process it as debit for MO purchases.
No, they work for MOs just fine and WU has no issue with it. However, many places that sell WU MOs won’t allow it. We have one supermarket chain left in our area that still allows it.
What kind if chain are you talking about? You mean MCGC or VGC can still be used to purchase MO at specific chain?
I don’t understand how this is work the effort. Just to get $5 back in rewards? What am I missing?
Well, one possibility is that everyone’s valuation is different. Yours is $5, others’ might be $0, $10, $15, $20, etc.
Just read the comment thread for 1 minute and you will start to piece things together. I’ll give you the basic rundown though. Churning, Chase Ink 5x office supply multiplier, and money orders.
These days, it’s the money order part of that equation that’s the problem, especially if you live in major metropolitan areas.
if you have a card that gets 5% back on office purchases, you are getting $10 arbitrage for each card, plus added value if you get chase UR points and use them for travel, minus the time commitment and whatever it may cost you to liquidate the card (if you aren’t using them to pay for things that don’t get 5%). or they help you meet a sign-up bonus on a new credit card.
some of us just happen to be lucky. my kids’ piano teacher is just a block away from a staples that regularly restocks cards the same weekday as their lessons. my local utilities charge only a small percentage to pay by debit card, so i profit when i pay and they don’t have any credit card on file.
I pay ~10k property tax at a 3% profit, if your location allows paying property tax with card.
Not sure what your question is at all? What effort are you talking about? Whenever you buy these VGC/MCGCs, you better have a firm plan on how to liquidate them or else don’t buy them.
Anyone have an issue with their Staples hiding them? Never have once seen $200 Visas or MC’s at two Staples locations near me but the third one always has dozens even to the end of the sale.
You can always open the carousel and get them out yourself. I always check if there are none outside.
I have about 8 Staples within a 40 miles radius. 4 of them never have these cards on carousel. I accidentally befriended a CSR at one location, who got these for me from behind the counter. The next day the manager told me with a straight face that they havent carried these cards for years and dont plan to carry them anytime soon. So I go to the other 4 now. I always call and ask if they have it. I was told on two Sunday afternoons that they “sold out” of the cards.
Employees at one store I visited 100 miles away told me they don’t like to sell them because the customers they bring in don’t buy anything else, which is part of the reason why they have these now regular sales to begin with. Other Staples where I live don’t mind the extra foot traffic. Occasionally, I’ve bought something else if Staples was the only store that had it.
You can always buy something from your favorite Staples and return it unopened in your least likely Staples.