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On the heels of this week’s fee-free Mastercard gift cards, Staples is again be offering fee-free fixed-value $200 Visa Gift Cards from March 31, 2024 to April 6, 2024. The limit is again eight per customer per day (although some stores may allow more).
This offer doesn’t apply to the variable-load $200 cards that some Staples now sell.
The Deal
- Staples will waive the $7.95 activation fee when you buy a $200 Visa Gift Card between 3/31/24 – 4/6/24.
- Direct link to weekly ad (see the 3/31 ad page 5)
Key Terms
- Offer valid March 3 – March 9, 2024.
- Limit 8 per customer per day (YMMV on whether your cashier / store allows or enforces the limit)
- In-store only
Quick Notes
These deals can be great way of getting rewards through spending at office supply stores. If you can buy 8 at a time, that’s a potential of $1,600 that’s possible each day. Note that some stores may allow you to purchase more than 8, and we also hear occasional reports that some managers will only sell a smaller amount despite what the ad says.
See our Current Visa and Mastercard Gift Card deals page for other currently-available deals.
We have added this deal to our list of current Visa and Mastercard gift card deals.
Other times this deal has run recently at Staples:
Fee-free Visa Gift Cards
- 3/3/24 – 3/9/24
- 2/4/24 – 2/10/24
- 1/7/24 – 1/13/24
- 12/10/23 – 12/16/23
- 11/12/23 – 11/18/23
- 10/15/23 – 10/21/23
- 9/17/23 – 9/23/23
- 8/20/23 – 8/26/23
- 7/23/23 – 7/29/23
- 6/25/23 – 7/1/23
- 5/28/23-6/3/23
- 4/30/23 – 5/6/23
- 4/2/23 – 4/8/23
- 3/5/23 – 3/11/23
- 2/5/23 – 2/11/23
- 1/8/23 – 1/14/23
- 12/25/22 – 12/31/22 (only on $100 cards)
- 12/11/22 – 12/17/22
- 11/6/22 to 11/12/22
- 10/9/22 to 10/22/22
- September 25-October 1, 2022
- September 4-September 10, 2022
- August 7-13, 2022
- July 10-16, 2022
- June 12-18, 2022
- May 8-14, 2022
- February 27-March 5, 2022
- January 16-22, 2022
- December 12-18, 2021
- October 31-November 13, 2021
- October 17-23, 2021
- September 26-October 2, 2021
- September 5-11, 2021
- August 8-14, 2021
- July 11-17, 2021
- June 13-19, 2021
- May 9-15, 2021
- February 28-March 6, 2021
- January 17-23, 2021
- December 27, 2020-January 2, 2021
- December 6-12, 2020
- November 1-14, 2020
- October 11-24, 2020
- August 30-September 5, 2020
- August 2-8, 2020
- July 5-11, 2020
- June 7-13, 2020
- February 23-29, 2020
- January 12-18, 2020
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My Staples cleric just wanted to educate me that I don’t get the full $200 value from one of these cards because there are transaction fees, separate from the activation fee. He recommended using it for the biggest purchase amount possible instead of many smaller ones, losing something like 70 cents each time…
I can’t find any research that supports this, does anyone know the truth about this?
Thanks
I was surprised to see the statement that the fee free promotion will not be applied to the variable version of the Visa card $20-$200. I have bought a bunch of these cards over the past few months as the $200 version was gone from the racks and have had no issue with them ringing up without the activation fee. I will have to try it this coming week and see how my Staples store rings them up and the activation fee drops off? Maybe something has changed.
It’s not “Now live”.
Reading through the comments below, it seems like these are a bit pain to use or liquidate.
Any suggestions on the easiest way to use these? Can I add them to my phone wallet?
I was able to purchase 8 cards on Sunday and 8 cards on Monday. I was able to split tender payment on Sunday, but manager on duty on Monday had no idea how to split tender.
This game is getting too popular. We have one staples in the city and all the cards sell out the first day. We are going to have to start camping out on Sunday morning like concert tickets…..
FYI EVERYONE: I was told by their CS that these Visa / MC giftcards can not be used to pay Utility bills. Also can’t be used for Ebay, Paypal, or anything that might code like any online payment service (samsung pay, apple pay, etc).
If you try to (like I did), the card will get cancelled, and then you have to call their CS so they can mail you out another card 2 weeks later with your previous balance.
ALSO, paying for gas “at the pump” never worked for me. I was always forced to walk inside the store and they the clerk how much money I wanted to charge on my card for pump # _____.
yes, that is how you have to use them at a gas station.
I was able to pay my utility bill last month with these. Has it changed since then?
has not changed, you can do that. no problem
I find them unuseable just about everywhere, too! I can sometimes use them at a grocery store but only if it’s for an amount less than what’s available on the card. I’ve read that people have success draining those left over small amounts at Costco. Please, give me your tips! Do you just buy Amazon and other types of gift cards that you can load into an app?
you can use them at grocery store even for amounts greater than what is on the card if you go through a regular cashier and do split tender. most machines at automated check out lines do not do split tender, although some do.
I use these for just about everything, including payment of utility bills (specifically electricity, and municipal water/sewer/garbage). The issue you’re describing sounds like a case of YMMV based on which payment processor a person’s specific utility providers use, as opposed a sweeping generalization “these cards can’t be used to pay utility bills”.
Always remember that CS reps are badly paid and badly trained. They have a habit of just making things up to get people off the phone. If you get the same info from multiple reps over multiple calls, it’s worth something, but just once? Pretty much ignore it.
You can 100% use them to pay utility bills, no problem. Just register them first. Been doing it for electric and water forever.
Do these need activated. I tried to pay IRS taxes, but it wouldn’t work. Something about wrong zip code? How do I do this?
The big downside of these Staples Visa / MC giftcards is that they can (mostly) only be used for ACTUAL PURCHASES in store and SOMETIMES online (no Ebay).
So no paying bills allowed. If you try (like I did) the card gets cancelled and you have to call them to mail you out a different card.
Wanted to clarify that by “Bills” I meant utilities, but I had no problem paying medical bills.
wrong. you can pay your bills on line, I do for water, electricity, state farm and a lot of other bills. no problem.
register them on line. for use on line.
will be there today. Hopefully I can buy 8 instead of two.
Are these gift cards accepted as debit cards? Trying to not pay the 3% credit card fee my local golf course charges for credit cards.
Yes, they function as PIN-enabled debit cards.
So if I present these as debit cards (like a doctor’s office), I shouldn’t be hit with a fee? I guess in the past it seems various places tried running these as a debit but then couldn’t process on their payment systems unless run as a credit? Have you had any experience with that issue, Tim? Thanks
My local Staples manager would only sell me 2 cards. When I mentioned that the ad said 8 card limit, manager said it was hard coded into the register to only allow 2 cards. We all know this is not true. I believe that I was recognized by the manager.
I’m seeing this too. The ad at 2 different Staples shows “Limit 2 per customer per day”. Hope this is a one time change and goes back to 8 next month. Otherwise it’ll be hassle with too many trips!
The posted ad said limit 8 and I showed this to the manager, but I was still limited to two cards. I also bot $500 Visa GC with a fee, without limitation.
I bought 5 yesterday, the guy was nice and said that I can get 8 max per day, maybe more if I go in the morning and night hahaha
Plan on draining these quickly – I had one that sat in the sock drawer for a few months. Never shared with anyone and somehow it was magically drained. Google it and you’ll see this is pretty common and seems like somehow the codes have been cracked
I have had issues with Vanilla Visa GC bot at a grocery store. card drained before I could use it. Staples Visa GCs have been packaged securely. Never an issue so far at Staples.
Did you contact pathward to have it replaced?
Yes – I made contact and eventually received a replacement card. Dealing with agents that are “english as a second language” is a frustrating experience.
Are the VISA GCs got from Staples cant be used to pay online bills?
I just paid some bills online (AEP, hospital), no problem
They can’t be used to pay utiliites. But medical bills count as purchases, so should be ok
All Utilities companies use different systems. Your city isn’t like mine.
Bought at staples no problem. However, having trouble buying MO even with registration of pin at Walmart. Any thoughts or data points?
My guy, you are 3 years too late to the game to try that method. It’s dead.
what would the fee be to transfer funds from the visa GC to paypal?