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A month ago, I started posting ways to earn free points and increase credit card spend by taking advantage of Staples’ free after rebate promotions on downloadable software. My first rebate has arrived, so I can now answer some questions that I couldn’t before!
Promotional Items
- Q: The Staples’ Terms and Conditions in the Ultimate Rewards Mall says that promotional items are excluded. Aren’t these free after rebate items “promotional”?
- A: I’ve done this three times now, and my Ultimate Rewards points posted quickly each time. So, either these items are not considered promotional, or Staples doesn’t enforce that restriction.
Rebate Time
- Q: How long will it take for my rebate to arrive?
- A: The Staples web site says to expect 6 to 8 weeks. My first rebates arrived after about 5 weeks so it looks like Staples’ estimate is fairly accurate.
Number of Checks
- Q: I bought 10 copies of the software. Will I receive 10 $45 checks or one $450 check?
- A: Well, my first rebate was actually a visa gift card, not a check, so I’m not 100% sure that checks will be the same, but with the Visa gift card I received just one. For another rebate in which I requested a check, I received email confirmation that the check was on its way. Strangely, I received 5 copies of this email even though I bought 10 copies of software. Only time will tell what that means.
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 bought, but the first rebates processed successfully.
- Note: You might want to download a copy just in case. A few days ago my accountant recommended that I try out Quickbooks software. My first thought was “great! I already bought that for free!”. But then I saw that the expiration for download had already passed! If any one reading this has a copy they can send me, please let me know. My license keys should still be valid (I think…)
There is still time:
- Until March 24th, 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.
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[…] just received my first rebate check in the mail from Staples’ Free after Rebate purchases. I previously received a rebate visa gift card which came in a regular envelope. However, for those who have been playing along, it’s […]
I think it may be a moot point because return policy on software may be limited to less than the rebate period
C-lee: I don’t know the answer
Silly question… my links to download expire late tonight. It also states “Downloadable software is not returnable or refundable.” Does that mean if I don’t download it and for some odd ball reason not get my rebate check, could I conceivably return it?
Ok… thanks for the assurance and your help!
I did it for 10 copies. Submitted once for a check. Should I submit the rebate request 9 more times, or does the one time submission include all 10 copies?
Thanks… Lee
C-lee: You only need to fill out the rebate once. I promise.
Sorry I’ve been following along sporadically on my iPhone (currently overseas in various third world countries with hit or miss wifi connections). Why the March 24th deadline, is that when Staples pulls the promo?
HoKo: This particular “free after rebate” deal ends on March 24th. Hopefully a new one will come out on March 25th!
Staples has a free custom ink pad for 100% back in Staples Rewards through March 24th. I don’t know if it’s just the Staples I go to 08520 zip, or all of them.
I wrote about it here http://dealsseeker.blogspot.com/2012/03/100-back-in-staples-rewards-on-custom.html
Also, did you know that Delta is offering 10 miles per dollar at Sears today?
DealsSeeker: Thanks! I think the ink pad deal is available everywhere. No, I didn’t know about the Delta special. Thanks for the tip!
Looks good here too – I don’t have my first checks, but the status for both is “Check has been printed/mailed.”
How long does the UR mall take to post points from a Staples purchase? Is there a contact if they don’t post? I can’t find info on the UR mall site for requesting missing points.
applezz13: UR mall points take anywhere from about 4 days to 2 weeks to show up under “Rewards Activity… Ultimate Rewards Mall & Travel Earnings”. The actual points won’t appear in your account until your statement close. If you don’t get points, you can log into chase.com and select “Secure Message Center”. Use that to send a message requesting the points. Or, simply call Chase’s customer service line.
Is “researching” the same as “Validation in progress?” Also, was there a specific phone number? Staples Easy Rebates gives contact options for email or Chat, but no phone.
David: I think you’re OK with “Validation in progress”. Check back later to make sure it gets updated with “confirmed” or something like that.
You can contact Staples customer service and they will resend you a download link. This has happened to me before.
What’s your method for finding these free-after-rebate offers? Any others out there we should know about?
David: Deals like these are posted regularly on FatWallet and SlickDeals. I’ll keep an eye on these and post whenever I see new, good stuff. Staples comes out with a new ad every Sunday so I will be most likely to post about these deals on Mondays or Tuesdays. I plan to also expand to non-Staples free after rebate deals although those tend to involve more work.