Free points, cash back, and rewards from Staples

UPDATE: Use code 59367 for an additional $15 off!

This deal is good through 12/2/2013.  Rebate ID=13-78325. 

Staples has a new Free After Easy Rebate software download.  These are usually a great way to make progress toward meeting credit card minimum spend thresholds or to earn points and cash back for buying software regardless of whether you actually want the software.  This time, the total spend is pretty small ($125), but its better than nothing…

The idea is to go through an online portal to Staples.com and buy software for which you’ll eventually get all of your money back.  The best current portal options offer 5% cash back via uPromise or ShopDiscover. Once at Staples.com, buy three copies of this product for a total cost of $135, then apply coupon code 18359 to reduce the total price to $125 (coupon has expired).  If you use your Chase Ink card you will earn 5 points per dollar since this is an office supply purchase.  In other words, for $125 $135 you could earn a rebate of $135, plus 625 points for free, plus $6.25 cash back from a portal, plus $6.25 in Staples Rewards, plus up to $3 worth of Plink points (see “Plinking Staples“).  If you value all of those rebates at face value, then this deal could mean earning a profit of $25.50 $15.50 in addition to the 625 free points.

Staples has an amazingly easy “Easy Rebate” system. Once you purchase the software, they send you a rebate link via email. You click the link, fill out a little bit of info and you’re done. Note that you will have to wait a while, though. It takes 4 to 6 weeks to receive your rebate.  Usually Staples gives the option of receiving either a check or a Visa gift card, but this time unfortunately the Visa gift card is the only option.

If you have questions, please see the Q&A section at the bottom of this post.

Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Choose a shopping portal:

You can get additional points or cash back by starting with a shopping portal. Some good choices are uPromise 5%, and ShopDiscover 5%.  Click through the chosen portal to Staples.com.

Step 2: Add three copies of “Kaspersky Internet Security for Windows (1 User) [Download]” to your cart:

TIP: Search for item 275509

The rebate’s terms & conditions say:

Limit 3 rebates per name / address / household.

Step 3: Check out

TIP 1: If you have Staples’ rewards money, use it! If you have a Chase Ink card that gives 5X for office supplies, use it!

TIP 2: Your state may charge sales tax. If you know someone in a state that doesn’t charge sales tax for downloadable internet orders (CA, NH, etc.), then set their address as the delivery address and no tax will be charged. This is a download only purchase anyway, so nothing will really be delivered. I picked “deliver to store” and picked a store in New Hampshire. Of course, there won’t really be anything to pick up.

TIP 3: Apply coupon code 18359 to get $10 off your order!   UPDATE: Use code 59367 for an additional $15 off!

Step 4: Submit Easy Rebates

You will receive an email from Staples with a link in it for submitting the rebates . It’s easy!  Even though you ordered 3 items, you’ll only have to fill out the rebate once.

TIP: Usually, the software rebate can be changed from a Visa gift card to a check, but with this rebate they only allow the Visa gift card option.

Q&A:

A lot of trouble, little gain

• Q: Isn’t this more trouble than its worth?

• A: If you’re asking the question, then yes it’s more trouble than its worth.  In the past there have been similar deals, though, where you could buy hundreds of dollars worth of free after rebate items to earn thousands of points and extra cash back.  It might be worth doing this one to get the hang of it so that you’re ready next time.

Same Item

• Q: In the past I’ve bought the exact same item for the rebate. Can I do this again?

• A: Yes. As long as the rebate number is different from your past purchases, you should qualify for a new rebate. This rebate is different from any I’ve posted about in the past.

Per Household Limit

• Q: Can I buy a copy for every friend I know?
  
• A: I don’t recommend it. I know at least one person who tried to do something similar, but Staples did not approve the second set of rebates. I don’t know how they figured it out.
  

Status = Researching

• Q: The status of my order says “researching”. What’s up with that?
  
• A: Staples needs to verify your order. Sometimes this happens if you have the wrong email address or phone number on file. Simply give them a call or do an online chat with them to verify the information they need. Once that is done, they’ll confirm the order.
  

Rebate Submission

• Q: If I buy all three copies at once, should I submit one rebate form or three?

• A: Just submit one rebate form per order even if you bought 3 copies in one order.

• Q: Are you sure?  I tried tracking my rebate and it looks like I’m only going to get one rebate for $45.

• A: Yes, the rebate tracking display is confusing.  If all goes as expected, you’ll get the full $135 rebate.

• Q: If I submit just one rebate form, will I receive 3 $45 gift cards or one $135 gift card?

• A: You should receive one $135 gift card.

Rebate Time

• Q: How long will it take for my rebate to arrive?
  
• A: The Staples web site says to expect 8 to 10 weeks. In my experience, it’s usually a bit faster than that, but it’s best to expect the full wait just in case.

Download

• Q: Do I have to download this software so that I can qualify for the rebate?
  
• A: No! I didn’t download any of the software I’ve bought in the past, but all rebates processed successfully.

Double Dip

• Q: Can I double dip by buying a Staples gift card through a portal and then go through the portal again to use the gift card?
• A: No.  Even though Staples gift cards can now be used online (that wasn’t true previously!), Staples wouldn’t allow me to apply gift cards to this order for some reason.

Do Good

• Q: I don’t need this software. Is there someone I can send the license keys to that could make good use of this stuff?
  
• A: Check with your local schools or libraries. If someone can make good use of this software, then great!

Chase's 5/24 Rule: With most Chase credit cards, Chase will not approve your application if you have opened 5 or more cards with any bank in the past 24 months. To determine your 5/24 status, see: 3 Easy Ways to Count Your 5/24 Status. The easiest option is to track all of your cards for free with Travel Freely.

Chase 5/24 semantics ("Subject to" vs. "Count towards"): Most Chase cards are subject to the 5/24 rule. That means the rule is enforced in making approval decisions. In other words, you probably won't get approved if your credit report shows that you opened 5 or more cards in the past 24 months. Meanwhile, most business cards (such as those from Chase, Amex, Barclaycard, BOA, Citi, US Bank, and Wells Fargo) are not reported on your personal credit report. These cards do not count towards 5/24. Example: Chase Ink Business Preferred is subject to 5/24, so you likely won't get approved if over 5/24. If you do get approved, it won't count towards 5/24 since it won't appear as an account on your credit report.

Amex credit and charge card limits: If you apply for a new Amex credit card, you may get turned down if you already have 5 or more Amex credit cards; or 10 or more Pay Over Time (AKA charge) cards. Both personal and business cards are counted together towards these limits. Authorized user cards are not counted. See also: Which Amex Cards are Charge Cards vs. Credit Cards?

Applying for Business Credit Cards Yes, you have a business: In order to sign up for a business credit card, you must have a business. That said, it's common for people to have businesses without realizing it. If you sell items at a yard sale, or on eBay, for example, then you have a business. Similar examples include: consulting, writing (e.g. blog authorship, planning your first novel, etc.), handyman services, owning rental property, renting on airbnb, driving for Uber or Lyft, etc. In any of these cases, your business is considered a Sole Proprietorship unless you form a corporation of some sort. When you apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor, you can use your own name as your business name, use your own address and phone as the business' address and phone, and your social security number as the business' Tax ID / EIN. Alternatively, you can get a proper Tax ID / EIN from the IRS for free, in about a minute, through this website. Is it OK to use business cards for personal expenses? Anecdotally, almost everyone I know uses business cards for personal expenses. That said, the terms in most business card applications state that you should use the card only for business use. Also, some consumer credit card protections do not apply to business cards. My advice: don't use the card for personal expenses if you're not comfortable doing so.

Manufacturing Spend Caution: Many, many things can go wrong when manufacturing spend. If you suddenly increase credit card spend, your accounts may get shut down. If you cycle your balance often (e.g. spend to your limit, pay the bill, repeat) within a billing cycle, your accounts may get shut down. If you repeatedly pay your credit card bill from an anonymous bill payment source, your accounts may get shut down. If you buy lots of gift cards you may lose money due to gift card fraud, theft, loss, or simply mishandling those gift cards (e.g. maybe you thought you already used a gift card and tossed it into your “used” bin). If you rely on only one method to liquidate gift cards, you may be stuck unable to pay your credit card bill when that method gets shut down. In other words, don’t try this at home unless you know what you’re doing, and you understand and accept the risks..

Chase Ultimate Rewards points are super valuable and super flexible. At the most basic level, points can be redeemed for cash or merchandise, but you'll only get one cent per point value that way. A better option is to use points for travel. When points are used to book travel through the Ultimate Rewards portal, points are worth 1.25 cents each with premium cards (Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred, for example) or 1.5 cents each with the ultra-premium Sapphire Reserve card. Another great option is to transfer points from a premium or ultra-premium card to an airline or hotel program when high value awards are available (see this post for details). If your points are tied to a no-fee "cash back" Ultimate Rewards card, then first move those points to a premium or ultra-premium card before redeeming them in order to get better value.

Amex Membership Rewards points can be incredibly valuable if you know how to use them. In general, if you use Membership Rewards points to pay for merchandise or travel, you won't get good value from your points. One exception is with the Business Platinum card where you'll get a 35% point rebate when using points to book certain flights. This gives you approximately 1.5 cents per point value, which is pretty good. Another exception is with the Business Gold Card where you'll get a 25% point rebate when using points to book certain flights. This gives you approximately 1.33 cents per point value. If you don't have either card, then your best bet is to transfer points to airline miles in order to book high value awards. More details can be found here: Amex Membership Rewards Complete Guide.

Marriott points can be redeemed for free night awards, travel packages, airline miles, or experiences. 5th Night Free Awards: When redeeming points for free nights, the 5th night within a single reservation is free. Airline miles: Points can be converted to airline miles at a rate of 3 points to 1 mile. With many programs, a bonus is added on when you transfer 60,000 points at a time, such that 60,000 points transfers to 25,000 miles. Also, you'll get a 10% bonus when transferring points to United Airlines. Everything you need to know about Marriott's rewards program, Bonvoy, can be found here: Marriott Bonvoy Complete Guide

Editor’s Note: This guest post was written by the same guy who showed you how to fly round trip to Africa (DC to Senegal) for 50,000 points, how to book business class to Europe for 80,000 miles roundtrip, and more. You can find John’s website and award booking service here: theflyingmustache.com/awardbooking. -Greg The Frequent Miler

Amex Application Tips Safe to Apply: Amex is the safest bank for trying your luck at earning a new welcome bonus offer. They don’t usually issue a hard pull when denying your application, and if you already have an Amex card, they won't usually issue a hard pull when approved for another one. Plus, they’ll now warn you during the application process if you’re not eligible for the bonus. Lifetime Rule: If you've ever had the same card before, you are most likely prohibited from earning a welcome bonus offer for the card if you apply now. Fortunately you'll be warned during the application process if this is the case. Amex is known to "forget" that you've had a card after about 7 years. 90 Day Rule: You can get at most two credit cards within 90 days. This rule does not apply to Pay Over Time (charge) cards. 5 credit card max: Amex usually won't approve applications for new credit cards if you already have 5 or more Amex credit cards or 10 or more charge cards. Better Offers: You may be able to get a better offer than the best available public offer. Details here. Hard inquiries combine into 1 when approved same day Check application status here. If denied, call reconsideration: 877-399-3083 (new accountholders); 866-314-0237 (current accountholders)

Chase Application Tips Shut-Down Caution: Signing up for new Chase cards can lead to Chase reviewing your accounts. This may lead to Chase shutting down all of your accounts if you appear to be a credit risk. See this post for details and recommendations: Why Chase shutdowns have increased and how to avoid them. 5/24 Rule: With most Chase cards, you won't get approved if your credit report shows 5 or more cards opened in the past 24 months. Details here. 24/48 Month Rule: With most Chase cards, you can get the same card and bonus again 24 months after having received the bonus as long as you no longer have the card open. With Sapphire cards, you must wait 48 months. No wait is required for Chase Ink cards. 30 Day Rule: It is tough to get approved for more than 2 Chase cards within 30 days Get Same Card Again: You can get the same exact card and again if you first cancel the older card and follow the 24/48 month rule. Ink cards are OK to get again without cancelling previous card if you apply with a new business. Better Offers: You may be able to get a better offer than the best available public offer. Details here. Hard inquiries combine into 1 when approved same day (not always true when mixing business and personal) Call (888) 338-2586 to check your application status If denied, call reconsideration here:1-888-270-2127 for both personal and business cards

Citi Application Tips 48 Month Rule: With most Citi cards, you have to wait 48 months after receiving a bonus for the same exact card. Velocity Rules: Max 1 personal card per 8 days. Max 2 personal cards per 65 days. Max 1 business card per 95 days. Get Same Card Again: Citi allows getting same card again (even if card is still open) as long as you follow the 24 or 48 month rules and velocity rules (above). Hard inquiries DO NOT combine into 1 when approved same day Check application status here. If denied, call reconsideration here:800-695-5171 (personal); 800-763-9795 (business) If reconsideration # doesn’t work, try the Citi Credit Card Executive Office: 423-477-6858

Bank of America Application Tips 3/12 or 7/12 Rule: You won't be approved if you have opened 3 or more accounts, with any bank, in the past 12 months. For those with Bank of America deposit accounts, the rule changes to 7+ accounts. 2/3/4 Rule: Max 2 consumer cards per rolling 2 months, 3 per rolling 12 months, and 4 per rolling 24 months. 5 card limit: You will not get approved for a new consumer card if you already have 5 consumer BOA cards open Get Same Card Again: With some BOA cards, must wait 24 months after either opening or cancelling, depending upon the card. Hard inquiries are usually combined into 1 when initiated within 30 days but there have been reports of TransUnion not combining. Click here to check your application status If denied, call reconsideration here: (800) 732-9194 (8am-7pm ET Mon-Fri); 800-481-8277 (business cards);

Barclays Application Tips Get Same Card Again: Must wait at least 6 months after cancelling previous card (with some accounts Barclays requires waiting 24 months). Hard inquiries are combined into 1 when approved same day. Most inquiries issued through TransUnion. Consumer: Click here to check your application status Business cards: Click here If denied, call reconsideration here: 866-710-2688

Capital One Application Tips Velocity Limit on consumer cards: Existing or previous cardholders are not eligible for the same card if they have received a new cardmember bonus for the same product within the last 48 months. Hard inquiries usually get issued through all 3 credit bureaus To check application status, call (800) 903-9177 or (877) 277-5901 If denied, call reconsideration here: (800) 625-7866

Discover Application Tips 2 card limit: You can have a maximum of 2 Discover cards. 12 month rule: Must wait just over 12 months after previous card was opened before applying for another Discover card. Get Same Card Again: No known rules against getting same card & bonus again. Click here to check your application status If denied, call reconsideration here: 888-676-3695

TD Bank Application Tips Get Same Card Again: Yes? Very little is known, but it appears to work in some cases. Hard inquiries are combined into 1 when approved same day. Call (888) 561-8861 to check your application status

US Bank Application Tips Get Same Card Again: Depends on the product. For example, with the Altitude Reserve card you cannot get the bonus again. The terms state "The bonus is not available to Cardmembers who currently have, or had, a U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite account." Hard inquiries may be combined into 1 when approved same day. Call (800) 947-1444 to check your application status. If denied, call reconsideration here: 800-947-1444 or 800-685-7680

Wells Fargo Application Tips Bank first: Wells Fargo usually requires having a bank account open before you can apply for a credit card. 16 month rule: Limit of one signup bonus per 16 months Get Same Card Again: No known rules against getting same card & bonus again. Hard inquiries are combined into 1 when approved same day. Check application status here. If denied, call reconsideration here: 1-866-412-5956 (consumer) or 1-800-231-9244 (business)

Under certain circumstances consumer Visa cards don't work with Plastiq. The following payments are fine: Rent (residential rent, HOA fees, and commercial rent) Taxes & government fees Utilities (electricity, cable, internet, and telecom) Tuition (including daycare and camp) Payments outside of the above list are subject to the following limitations: Payments using personal Visa cards issued by Chase are subject to a limit of 20% of your credit limit. Payments using personal Visa cards from other issuers (other than Capital One or Wells Fargo) will code as a cash advance. That means you’d incur cash advance fees and wouldn’t earn any credit card rewards. The following types of Visa cards are not affected by these changes: Capital One personal Visa cards, Wells Fargo personal Visa cards, Visa business credit cards, Visa corporate, debit and prepaid gift cards.

In order to meet minimum spend requirements, people often look for options to increase spend in ways that result in getting their money back. These techniques are referred to as "manufacturing spend". American Express has terms in their welcome offers that exclude some manufactured spend techniques from counting towards the minimum spend requirements for the welcome bonus offer. For example, most new cardmember bonuses have terms like this: Eligible purchases to meet the Threshold Amount do NOT include fees or interest charges, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, purchases of gift cards, person-to-person payments, or purchases of other cash equivalents. That said, many techniques for meeting minimum spend are perfectly fine. Here are some techniques that are safe for meeting Amex minimum spend requirements (click each link for more information): Pay Bills Pay Federal Taxes Loan money with Kiva Buy and sell merchandise

We have added this to our running list of Black Friday deals, which will be constantly updated through Cyber Monday with a mix of gift card deals, merchandise deals, and travel deals. Check back often.

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