Deal has ended, view more Staples deals by clicking here.
Update 4/7/22: Deal is back and will run 4/10/22 – 4/16/22. Not as good as when the full activation fee is waived, but we saw this same deal at this exact time last year so I wouldn’t worry that the no activation fee deal to go away permanently.
The Offer
- Staples stores are selling $200 Visa gift cards with a $5 discount off the regular activation fee cost ($6.95) from 4/10/22 – 4/16/22.
The Fine Print
- Limit 5 per customer
- Valid 4/10/22 – 4/16/22
- In-store only
Our Verdict
Not as good as the deals where the full activation fee is waived, but still good enough for people with cards that earn at a high rate on office supply store purchases.
I just visited Staples this morning. With the fee-free deal, the cards are always gone by Wednesday morning at my local Staples. With this $5 off deal, I’d guess that about 20% of the cards were sold. Hopefully Staples will realize that they get a lot more food traffic with the fee free deal.
No, I will not partake. It’s already a questionable exercise doing it when the full fee is waived.
When the full fee is waived, I get $75 in URs (transfer to CSR) per $1000 of gift cards purchased. It costs $0.92 to convert $1,000 to money orders. So I’m up $74. At $1.95/card, I’m up $64 instead. If you max out the CIC, it’s best to only do fee free. If you don’t, there’s no reason no to do this deal IMO.
Could you pls share where to do money order? Thx
Food Lion (I’m in Virginia)
So FL allows 5 GCs in the same transaction?
i use these Staples 200 VGC to pay my 2% City double cash.
You pay off your Citi Card, with debit cards? Lol how?
Amex offer 30 of 100 spending at staples
Does this stack? Are visa cards eligible?
From my experience it worked the last dozen times with my AMEX Staples offer, however I don’t has a crystal ball to know whether it will work the next time, I just try and see
it worked. bought it this morning and got the amex email right after
It has worked in the past for me
Squeeze the bottom line, Good old days, $15 off, now only a skinny $5. sigh 🙁
$15 off is Office Max/Depot.
Back in the rebate days…
In the “good old days,” the $15 off was only if you purchased two VGCs, so it was $7.50 off per card.
The good old day I got $2000 worth of product free after a 56 mail in rebates deal from Staples.. huh $15off????
The good old days was when Office Depot gave $30 back when you purchased 3 $200 cards.
It’s been like over a year since these sales included buying the cards online. Is this permanent?
Dont do it
The current Amex offer will push me to do this one instead of waiting until a no activation fee one reappears.
Why???
I have a $25 offer for $100 good until 6/30, why the rush? Fee-free will come back LONG before then.
Because then I’m not fighting to get to a Staples before it opens on the first day. Chances are more likely that I would be able to get a few of these. Plus, I have bills I can pay. I can only use these organically.
If I buy 5 cards, the net fee would be $9.75 ($1.95 x 5). If I add in $1 to pay for liquidation expense, that’s $10.75 for 5,000 UR points (Chase Bus. Cash card). $0.00215 per point (ie, just over two-tenths of a cent per point).
Not as good as no fee, but still very good value. (Unless you’re going to max out your $25,000 spend per year in office supply anyhow).
stonks
Very true, (and depends on your 5X bandwidth available, (I.E., older Ink Plus, AND Ink Cash = 75K/year Bandwidth @ 5X).
If liquidating via organic spend, 4X is less than 5X, (but still worth doing).
I’m completely jealous that you have a way to liquidate 5 $200 Meta’s to cash for $1!
I know. I have this fear that one day they’re going to say, “sorry, cash only” for MO’s. 🙁
They already do at half the stores that sell MOs around here.
or use them to pay bills in no category bonus. I pay my auto ins with these 200.00 visa cards.
DON’T BUY them! We need the fee-free VGCs to be back. Don’t let Staples think there’s demand for $5 off.
They do this every year.
And then they switch back to fee free because they don’t sell well otherwise.. therefore don’t buy these
Don’t buy… we need to teach Staples we don’t appreciate these faux “sales”.
If we didn’t appreciate these faux sales. We shouldn’t even need to be told not buy…