Staples is awesome. They regularly come out with fantastically easy “free after rebate” offers. You can take maximum advantage of these offers by going through a points or miles earning portal to rack up cash back or points (and credit card spend) for free. I’ll continue to give easy, step by step instructions whenever these offers become available.
First, a warning
Some people have tried to get more than the allowed “per household” number of rebates by buying software in the name of their spouse, friends, dogs, whatever. I heard from a reader who tried this: he had only one set of rebates approved. The second set of rebates was denied because Staples found a link between his information and his spouse’s. The reader asked me not to divulge the details, and I’ll honor that. Just know that if you try to bypass the per household limit, you’re skating on thin ice. I don’t recommend it.
New stuff coming on Sunday
I get an email every Friday from Staples with a link to preview their upcoming Sunday ad. Here are just a couple of goodies I found:
On Monday (or Tuesday if I’m lazy), I’ll post details showing how to take Maximum advantage of these offers.
There is still time for the current round of freebies:
- Until March 24th (tomorrow!), you can earn thousands of free points from Staples by buying free after rebate software.
- If you tried this deal and your purchase has a status of “researching” just give Staples a call. Once they verify that you really intend to buy this software, they’ll confirm the order.
- If you buy 10 copies of the software in one transaction, you only need to fill out the rebate form once. Really. I promise.
Ok, here’s what happened…
I never got an email from Staples.
I called the rebate center at 877 266 6483, finally got a rep on the phone
He sent me to https://www.stapleseasyrebates.com/ and showed me how to submit my rebate online.
As long as my purchase was within the rebate days, all is well. You have 60 days to file it.
FYI, I also found out that once you buy software, it’s non refundable, even if it has not “shipped” and is still in “processing” status, so once you click Buy the deal is done. : ) I guess you can always get a manager on the phone and plead your case should you want to cancel BUT there’s no guarantee.
Niko
The customer service number at Staples is 1-800-3STAPLE. The Chase UR representative can be reached at the number on the back of your credit card. If your rebate email doesn’t arrive or your points don’t post within two weeks, call them. Or send Chase a secure email from your account; they can verify your purchase and tell you whether you qualify for the points.
Have patience. Keep records. Not everything is instantaneous.
I purchased 10 last night but have yet to get an email from staples with any info about the rebate. In this blog it says that they will send an email with details about rebate, how long does it usually take for them to send the email? Do I need to look elsewhere?
Niko: It’s possible that your purchase is in the “researching” status. Regardless, the deadline for the rebate was last night (I believe) so I think you should call Staples to cancel your order or at least ask them if you still qualify for the rebate given that you didn’t file it yet.
I’m a moron and didn’t read. Sorry for being stupid….
I too have purchased the Titanium Antivirus in two separate transactions and submitted the rebate. Will provide an report along with Matt W for additional verification if the rebates are accepted. Then I’ll just buy it 8 more times.
I need to figure out a new address though. I previously used California for delivery and did so again this time but was charged sales tax. I went too quickly and didn’t notice until after the second transaction.
I just tried to buy the Trend Titanium, but it won’t let me add more than 1 to my cart. Have they blacklisted my account, or is this happening to everyone?
My wife has Chase Sapphire Preferred card, I don’t. I use her UR account to buy stuff via UR mall, but I pay using my cards (AMEX, US Air MC, and others). When I first payed with AMEX cards, points didn’t show on her UR account. I wrote e-mail to Chase and they issued points without any doubt. Then all transactions when I paid using my other cards were posted on her UR account without any problem.
I bought the 10 Trend Micro from Staples UR mall on 3/20/12. I don’t see the points posted at UR yet. How many days does it take?
I didn’t go for 10 but have bought it twice and applied for rebate for both purchases. I will let you know…
Apparently Staples missed the “Easy” memo this time around.
All: As others have pointed out, the good news is that Staples has a new Free After Rebate item for which you are allowed 10 rebates. Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus is on sale for $35 with a $35 easy rebate. The problem right now is that the Staples system is messed up and is only allowing you to order 1 at a time. Hopefully this will be fixed soon. If anyone goes ahead and buys 10 separate copies, please let me know how that turns out. I plan to give their IT at least until Tuesday to fix this. The offer is good until Saturday (3/31). There are a few other minor free after rebate items as well, but they don’t add up to much. You can also buy a pack of batteries in-store and get 100% back in the form of Staples rewards. In the future, you can use those rewards to buy free after rebate items as a way of getting your money back. I wouldn’t bother with this unless you could use the batteries.
While not being able to add 10 at a time is annoying 10 single transactions and one easy rebate it is…
I suspect the “Max 1 per shopping cart” is a deliberate response to the overwhelming number of miles shoppers last month. The funny thing is that the rebate form still says max 10 per name/address but I dont know if the staples easy rebate site will handle 10 x 1 entries …
And McAffee is a MIR only, not eligible for easy online rebate.
Matt.
So it’s live. McAffee is ignorable, rebate is max of 1.
The TrendMicro Titanium Antivirus rebate is max of 10, however the Staples site is only allowing 1 to be added to the cart. You can add 1 download version and 1 boxed version if you want to go that route. I’ll just wait until later in the day to see if the shopping cart issue is intentional or a glitch tonight.
Amazing. Some people never read. Most every issue raised in these comments has been addressed in this or previous blog entries. It’s the same with those who ask questions that are answered in terms and conditions.
Ok, thanks.
I called UR and on two separate called I was told “the UR program was discontinued last July… no new people can sign up… and NO rewards can be earned”. I triple asked and each time they said “no new rewards can be earned, only existing rewards can be spent”. Does that sound crazy? I am going to my local chase branch tomorrow to talk to someone face to face.
On another note: Can I shop from MR and use a different card than my amex? I think I can’t but I’d like to know your experience on this.
Niko
Niko: You have to have a Chase credit card in order to get Ultimate Rewards points. You can get the Sapphire, Sapphire Preferred, Ink Bold, Ink Cash, Ink Classic, or Freedom card. See more about them in my “Preparing for Miles” tab. So, while you don’t necessarily have to use one of these credit cards when buying thru the UR mall, you do need to have one in order to log in at all.
No, I don’t think you can use a non-Amex card with the MR mall.