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As long as some of the office supply stores keep giving away free money, I will share the news here! And until someone gives me a better one, I will continue to use the Mad Lib construct to announce them.
Solve the Mad Lib
Save _____ (amount) when you buy _______ (purchase amount) in _______ (type) Gift Cards at _______. Refund will be given in ___________
This time, the Mad Lib answers are:
1) $20
2) $300
3) American Express
4) Staples
5) Staples Gift Card
To follow along, if you buy $300 in American Express gift cards this week at Staples, you’ll get a $20 Staples gift card by Easy Rebate in the mail. It’s in the weekly ad on page 15 ( H/T: Frequent Miler)
Making the most of the Staples free money deal
A Staples gift card is the worst of the 3 different types of these free money deals (best is instant rebate, and next is Visa gift card). Even discounting the $20 you’ll get back from Staples, I do think that this deal is probably worth doing. The hardest thing I have is remembering to use my $20 gift card (since I usually am using a CC for points when I spend). You could also sell it online if you want.
Definitely I would recommend using a Chase Ink or other card that gives 5x points on office supply stores. I love the Chase Inks for exactly this reason, and it’s one of the reasons that I think Chase Ultimate Rewards are the best points out there!
I always recommend 2 $200 cards (if they have them) – the activation fee is $1 more than the $100 cards, but IMO that is worth the 500 extra points you’d get.
I never know what to do when I show up at the store and Staples is (inevitably) out of the $200 gift cards. Do I just buy the $100 cards, even though the deal isn’t as lucrative, or do I try stopping back later at another store. I even wrote a poll about this (how much your time is worth) awhile back, and the consensus seemed to be to just buy the $100 cards in the store that you’re in, and not go back.
Keep in mind that American Express gift cards are NOT PIN-enabled, so they’re a bit harder to unload than Visa or Mastercard deals
Doing the math
If you find and buy 2 $200 American Express cards, you’ll spend $413.90, but then receive:
- $400 back on the actual card
- a $20 Staples gift card
- 2065 Chase Ultimate Rewards
I’d say it’s definitely worth a stop to Staples this week!!
Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
“…..they’re a bit harder to unload than Visa or Mastercard deals”
a bit?
What’s your strategy — other than actually using them for “normal” spend? (But if you do that, you’re losing opportunities for earning other points & miles with “normal” cc spend)
Do tell next time you post this promo for the amex gift cards. Am I missing something? thanks