Free points from Staples

By
Greg The Frequent Miler
-
79

This deal is good until November 24 2012 (Saturday).

Staples is back with a new FAR (Free after Rebate) software download. Usually, these are a great way to make progress toward meeting credit card minimum spend thresholds or to earn points for buying software you may or may not want. This week’s deal is small, but I predict that it is a harbinger of much more to come in the next few months. 

The idea here is to go through an online portal to Staples.com. Once there, buy only one copy of this “Free After Rebate” downloadable software product for $59.99. If you use your Chase Ink card via the Ultimate Rewards Mall, you will get 2 points per dollar from the Ultimate Rewards Mall and another 5 points per dollar if you pay with your Chase Ink card (since this is an office supply purchase). If you use a Freedom or Sapphire card, you will earn 2 points per dollar from the Ultimate Rewards Mall and another 1 point per dollar from your Chase card. This means that you can earn between 180 and 420 free points. See Preparing for Miles for more info about the Ink and other cards.

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 check.

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:

According to HikerT’s website, the Ultimate Rewards Mall currently offers 2X for Staples purchases. Alternatively, you can go to TopCashBack for 5.5% cash back, or uPromise or ShopDiscover for 5% cash back. 

Step 2: Add one copy of “Kaspersky Internet Security 2013 for Windows (1-User) [Download]” to your cart:

TIP: Search for item 982927

image

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!  Alternatively, if you have a Discover card registered for the quarterly 5% bonuses, you will earn another 5% cash back for this online purchase.

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.

Step 4: Submit Easy Rebates

You will receive an email from Staples with a link in it for submitting the rebate form. It’s easy!

TIP: The software rebate can be changed from a Visa gift card to a check! About 4 screens into the rebate process, you’ll see this:

image

Click on “or see other options for my reward” and you’ll see this:

Q&A:

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.

Ultimate Rewards Mall T&C

  • Q: The Staples’ Terms and Conditions in the Ultimate Rewards Mall says “Not eligible on promotional items, technology, software, and electronics”. Shouldn’t this deal be ineligible since this is software? And, aren’t these free after rebate items “promotional”?
  • A: In all past FAR deals, points have posted despite these terms & conditions.

Do I have to use a Chase credit card?

  • Q: If I go through the Ultimate Rewards Mall to Staples, do I have to pay with a Chase credit card in order to get bonus points from the mall?
  • A: No, you can use any credit card, but you may have better luck with a Chase card. For details and information about risks involved please see Ultimate Question.

Rebate Time

  • Q: How long will it take for my rebate to arrive?
  • A: The Staples web site says to expect 4 to 6 weeks. My first rebates arrived after about 5 weeks so it looks like Staples’ estimate is fairly accurate.

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.

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. 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

  • 24 Month Rule (ThankYou Cards): To get bonus on any ThankYou card, you must wait 24 months after receiving a new cardmember bonus or closing any ThankYou card account. Applies to Preferred, Premier, Prestige, and Rewards+.
  • 24 Month Rule (Expedia Cards): To get bonus on any Expedia card, you must wait 24 months after opening or closing any Expedia card account.
  • 48 Month Rule (AA Cards): With Citi AA 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: 800-354-0401 (8am-7pm ET Mon-Fri); 866-695-6598 (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


  • 6 month rule: Must wait 6 months after applying for a Capital One card before applying for another one.

  • 2 card limit: Conventional wisdom and user experience has been that you can have at most 2 Capital One consumer cards, but according to application terms it may be possible to have up to 5. You may be limited to 2 of their rewards cards. Note that this limit does not apply to Capital One co-branded cards like the Kohl's charge card.

  • Get Same Card Again: There is no known rule against getting the same card and bonus again even if you still have the card open.

  • 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


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:

  1. Payments using personal Visa cards issued by Chase are subject to a limit of 20% of your credit limit.
  2. 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.
  3. 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):
Marriott Bonvoy credit cards are issued by both Chase and American Express.  If you're interested in getting more than one Chase or Amex Marriott card, it's important to consider the complex rules they have put in place:

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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Elizabeth

Also received the UR Mall points on 1/22 for the 11/23 purchase. Haven’t received the rebate yet, but web site shows that it is finally on the way.

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FrequentMiler

I haven’t received points yet, but I did just get my check in the mail today.

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Eddy

I received the points today. Had given up on them a long time ago 🙂

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FrequentMiler

Hmmm, I still didn’t get points

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Biggles209

@Kane Fascinating – mine posted also (10-Jan-2013), in spite of being told earlier that the purchases were not eligible.

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Kane

Very interesting. So I just got the extra Ultimate Rewards mall points for these purchases. They just posted a few days ago, almost 2 months after the purchase.

I still have not received the rebate for the Quickbooks software. However, I did receive the other 2 rebates.

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Kane

I received the mail in rebate for the Mcaffe software. I’m still showing validation in progress for the Kaspersky software. I did the quick books rebate and have yet to receiver anything on that…that one was 90 dollars…I’m not feeling too good about that one.

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Tricia

I just received a denial of points secure message from Chase also.

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Biggles209

Just did a chat session for two rebates (23-Nov-2012 and 10-Dec-2012) that were not progressing. I was told: “David, the rebate records both show they are valid and processing. We are just waiting for the holiday return period to end on 01/11/13. Once this has passed the rebates will be mailed within 15 days for you.”

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FrequentMiler

Biggles209: Great!

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Frequent Miler

Preacher: good question. Maybe the holidays slowed things down

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Preacher

Do you guys think we’ll ever get the rebate? It’s been, what, 6 weeks now and nothing?

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Elizabeth

No UR Mall points on this round, just the 5x Ink Bold. Had the Invalid UPC error on the Easy Rebate which was cleared using online chat. At 4+ weeks the rebate still shows as Validation in Progress. Previous rebates used to pay out much quicker.

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FrequentMiler

Biggles209: Good idea. For now, anyone reading this, please let us know if you get points or not when buying software via UR Mall to Staples.

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Biggles209

FM: Maybe you could do a post dedicated to Staples UR bonus points that we could use as a focal point for tracking what is going on. There may be a pattern that we can uncover…

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Biggles209

The purchase that I did get UR bonus points for was TurboTax + Quicken with a $40 Easy Rebate. Did anyone else do this, and, if so, what was the outcome?

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FrequentMiler

Biggles209: That’s very interesting. I can’t imagine that they would handle FAR software any differently. I wonder what’s going on?

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Biggles209

Just had UR bonus points post for a software purchase from staples.com on 10-Dec-2012 – this was not a FAR deal, but it was electronic delivery. There was a small Easy Rebate.

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FrequentMiler

Kane: track your rebate here: stapleseasyrebates.com

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Kane

I submitted the mail in rebates at the end of the November. Shouldn’t we get some sort of confirmation that they received the mail in rebate forms? This is making me uneasy.

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FrequentMiler

Yep, it looks like Staples is finally adhering to their own terms & conditions. I wonder if this is true of gift card purchases as well?

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Robert

I also have a reply from chase about the points through UR:

I have received your e-mail regarding non-receipt of
additional bonus points for making purchases through
Ultimate Rewards Mall.

Upon review, I do not see that the transaction made
towards Staple.com for $59.99 qualified
to earn the additional bonus points.

Further, after the transaction is successfully processed,
you’ll receive an e-mail confirming your accelerated
earnings purchase through Ultimate Rewards website.
Hence, I request you to provide us with the e-mail
confirmation that you have received after making the
purchase through Ultimate Reward. You may send the e-mail
confirmation as an attachment or fax the information to
1-888-643-9628. Once received the details, either I, or
one of my colleagues will be happy to review your inquiry
further and take appropriate action.

It seems that the staple free points are dead, at least for non-ink card holders.

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Frequent Miler

Biggles: thanks for the update. Too bad!

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Biggles209

I asked Chase where the Mall points were, and got this message:

I have confirmed that the Kaspersky Internet Security 2013 for Windows (1-User) [Download] and the SanDisk Cruzer Edge 8GB USB 2.0 USB Flash Drive (Black/Red) shown in your attachments do not qualify to earn Ultimate Rewards Mall bonus points.

The merchant disclosures state Not eligible on gift
cards, gift certificates or any other similar cash
equivalents. Not eligible on promotional items,
technology, software, and electronics. Shopping cart must be empty prior to accessing Staples through this site to be eligible. Discount reward certificates and Copy and Print shop orders are not eligible. Staples Business Advantage orders are not eligible. Contact with Staples for price matching, sales assistance, etc. will likely cancel eligibility. Any return, exchange or other adjustment made at a physical store location for an on-line purchase may result in your purchase being deemed ineligible for reward.

Because the items you purchased were software and
technology they would not qualify to earn Ultimate Rewards Mall bonus points. Please be sure to review the merchants terms and conditions before making a purchase through the Ultimate Rewards Mall to ensure the items will qualify to earn bonus points.

Another one bites the dust (partially)!

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Samuel

I haven’t gotten points through the Ultimate Rewards Mall either. Maybe they are now enforcing the terms that say software is excluded. Has anybody gotten the points yet?

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See

How long should the “validating in process” stage last? I’ve been stuck there since 11/23….

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Sun

I think it takes anywhere from 6-8 weeks. Rebates via Staples Easyrebates does expedite the processing. I’ve never had a problem receiving a rebate back with Easy Rebates. Mail-in rebates like the Intuit is a little more dicey. I’ve had mixed experiences with mail-in rebates. Lost envelopes, lost rebates, etc. It is much harder to rectify as more manual intervention is involved.

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Kane

No Chase UR Mall points have posted. Went through the mall to make these purchases but no bonus has posted. Has anyone else experienced the same issue?

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Tim J

FYI, this is available again/still for both the boxed and download versions. Not sure if this is a new rebate.

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gt5309a

The problem is I live in VA! But I called and they said my Easy Rebate will still go through. So no big loss for me. The question now is can I get another rebate for buying the download version?? 🙂

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FrequentMiler

gt5309a: You can only get another rebate if the rebate number is different between the boxed and download versions

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gt5309a

Whoops! Bought the wrong version. Got the actual box and CD as opposed to the downloadable version. Just got a call from the San Diego Staples saying my order was ready to be picked up!

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FrequentMiler

gt5309a: Maybe pick it up and then sell it on EBay?

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Gt5309a

Hmm. Not sure what I did wrong. Picked a store in San Diego and was charged tax of $4.26.

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Kev

I’m all for free points but this seems like a lot of potential hassle for about $5 worth of UR. If they suddenly decide to enforce that “no software” thing, then where are you?

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Steve

Gt5309a – I purchased and did in store pick up for CA (San Fran store). I did not get charged sales tax.

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Matt

I didn’t call up/use chat, but after the first email saying invalid UPC code I am now showing ‘validation in progress’ on my rebate page, so perhaps they are fixing it without any action required… I’ll keep an eye on it for 72hrs then contact them if it seems stuck there.

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Krazny

No sales tax in Oregon. Had mine “delivered” to a Staples in Portland. No sales tax charged to me.

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Gt5309a

CA does charge sales tax.

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FrequentMiler

Gt5309a: California charges sales tax for most things, but not for digital downloads

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Kim

At the moment we’re experiencing an issue with this promotion (offer #12-28672) causing records to show as invalid for UPC due to the system not correctly verifying the purchase information. Please allow 72 hours for your record to be updated with your purchase information and the status to be updated.

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harvardslacker

Offer extended to 12/1 (at least, that’s what it currently says).

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Larry Ordway

Unfortunately, my problem wasn’t fixed as easily as everybody elses. They said wait 72 hours and the issue would be fixed.

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Alon

They also told me 72 hours … It’s a known issue with this particular rebate according to my “chat” with their help desk

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Larry Ordway

Sam, I went through the link in the email and still got the invalid email this morning.

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sam_goh

@FM – regarding the zip code email, it really helps if you use the link in your email after your purchase that links the easyrebate site – it already comes with zip prefilled in. If you go to easyrebates manually it’s easy to miss and get that email.

Don’t forget the 20% 11/30 expiration coupons floating around, they work nicely with this.

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Krazny

I omitted one detail in my post above: phone agent did ask for the zip code of the place where the product was delivered. I gave it, and that was it.

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Krazny

I had the same problem (invalid UPC). Everyone should check the email they received and check the status. If you get the same message, just follow the link to Help, and click the Chat button. Agent came on quickly, I pasted the link to the rebate in the chat window and explained the status said “invalid UPC” but that is was a downloadable purchase so there was no UPC. Agent just asked if the rebate was for $59.99, I said yes. Two minutes later, the agent said it was all set, I’d get my check in the mail within 15 days. Easy.

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tassojunior

Hurry back from vacation so you can help us figure out what to do now that Office Depot has stopped selling Vanilla reloads.

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Sun

So, this is for qty 1 only? I remember in past FAR you could buy up to qty 10.

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charles

Alon, I got the same message today. I had the same concern as you. Maybe it will fix itself by Monday. If not, I’ll give them a call then as FM did.

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RP

I had Invalid UPC, too after clicking the link from my email to check the rebate status. I clicked Help at the bottom of the page and then clicked Chat. I was asked for the order number and the SKU, and then told that my order was now updated and that the rebate check would be mailed in 15 business days.

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Alon

I got an email that my easy rebate for Kaspersky was processing so I went to check and got the following status for my rebate:
Invalid
Invalid UPC Number
Since it’s an “easy rebate” there was no UPC . . . has anybody else had a similar experience? If so, what recourse do I have?

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FrequentMiler

Alon: I got that email this morning too. I sent them a request for help and they told me they needed the delivery zip code in order to process the rebate. So, I gave them the zip code of the store I picked for Pickup. They then said that my rebate is OK and being processed.

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Grant

I don’t need my code, so someone can use it.
.
KASPERSKY INTERNET SECURITY
Item Number: 982927
Quantity: 1
.
Download your product from the following link.
Product: Click to Download
You may use the Product Key(s) to activate the product.
Product Key: W8XY9-31257-54PJ5-PWGDE

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Marathon man

I was forgetful however and neglected to choose pick up in store and use a NH store to save $3.31 in tax for MA but i did use a $5 off $50 i would not have used so oh well good enough

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Marathon man

Thanks fm! I always liked kaspersky and needed to take the trend software off around now anyway.
.
It was a bear to get all this done using an iphone but i eventually preloaded everything to each site and then did it (added a $2 staples rewards coupon and a $5 one i got in an email flyer on my staples acct first after loading the item). It was harder cuz phones dont want to use a full html site so it kept crashing out but it eventually worked. If all went well ill have the ur too!
.
Cheers, mm

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Grant Thomas

@Duc, thanks for the $5 off code 🙂

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Ron

You can also get the McAfee Internet Security free after rebate (mail in only) for $54.00 no tax/delivery valid thru 12/1/12. Item # 982947. Will get a check for $54.

Also Quickbooks Online Simple Start 2013 (item 953839) $90 is FAR (but charged me tax of $7.43). Have to activate the software to enable rebate code so a bit of a pain.

So $59.99 + $54 + $90 = $203.99 plus $7.43 tax gives 408 UR points via the UR mall (2x at Staples) plus 1020 UR (+37 UR for tax) using Ink card (5x) at Staples = 1465 UR points for $7.43 cost (and one stamp) = ~$0.005 per UR point.

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RP

Thank you! Easy!

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slooz

They also have:

http://www.staples.com/McAfee-Internet-Security-2013-for-Windows-1-3-User-Download/product_982947

It is a mail in rebate, but i’ve done it 3 times and it has always come thru.

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Chimmy

@slooz,

Unfortunately, that one requires activation in order to receive the rebate, so it makes it a little bit more difficult to obtain.

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Krazny

Worked great – 420 UR points. Thanks!

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Mileswhore

Thanks again. I’m looking for the max (10) copies promo. That and they need to bump up the Ultimate Rewards mall to 10 x at Staples.

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Chimmy

Just did it for myself and two relatives. Hope it works out. Thank you!

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Jon

UPromise has Staples at 5% cash back.

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Chimmy

Thank you!

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Duc

Hey Greg,
How about using this $5 off $30 code for purchase today
http://www.offers.com/staples/?offer_id=1033039
Then you will actually make $5 on each purchase

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Tom / SitInFirst.com

Worked great. Thanks!

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joe

Is it possible to get a business address off the internet for a store in one of the no-tax states, and just put that on the order, since nothing’s really going there anyway?

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Hong

is there any problem to get the rebate if the delivery address and billing address are different? the rebate is counting on the billing address or delivery address?

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Lively

Chris: That’s an ridiculous list!

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Matt

Thanks FM! These are easily my favorite way to earn miles (and I have a few) wish I didn’t have to wait for you to spoon feed me them but things like this do keep me coming back for more.

Keep up the good work, and enjoy the vacation!

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Angelina

Thanks this was a total no-brainer!

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Grant

Thx FM 🙂

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Chris

Lots of dis-qualifiers on the Shop Discover site including “not valid on software”. I have been having trouble with collecting Discover’s CashBack Bonuses, they can’t seem to do basic math.

All RetailersSee All Retailers

Earn 5% Cashback Bonus
when you shop on
Staples

Add to Favorites
Staples
Earn 5% Cashback Bonus
Staples makes it easy to find the business essentials you need, like office supplies, ink & toner, copy paper, electronics, office furniture and more. Get FREE delivery on most orders over $50.
Offer not valid on gift certificate purchases
Offer not valid on shipping, taxes, or other service fees
Offer not valid on GPS devices and GPS accessories, PDA’s, cameras (including camcorders), scanners, and digital frames. Also not valid on computers, software, hardware, drives, memory, printers, copiers, fax machines, custom printed items, premiums and items sold on StaplesPromotionalProducts.com
Offer is not valid in combination with any offers found outside ShopDiscover
Must link to retailer site from the ShopDiscover Web page found at Discover.com and use your Discover Card for each transaction
Offer is subject to change, including termination, without notice
Merchants may change their prices at any time; Cashback Bonus is calculated on the merchant site price if different from what is seen on ShopDiscover
The promotional Cashback Bonus will be applied to your account within 8 weeks after the order has shipped

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Ozaer N.

hehehe MY GOD, THAT WAS EASY!!

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