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Staples is again offering fee-free Visa Gift Cards this week, but this time the ad states it is valid on $100 Visa Gift Cards. I would be tempted to think that’s typo if not for the fact that they also changed the maximum quantity (from 8 cards recently to just 5) and the the amount of savings (“a $5.95 value”), so this seems pretty deliberate. Hopefully this isn’t a change that’s here to stay.
The Deal
- Staples will waive the $5.95 activation fee when you buy a $100 Visa Gift Card between 12/25/22 – 12/31/22.
- Direct link to weekly ad (see the 12/25 ad page 10)
Key Terms
- Offer valid December 25, 2022 to December 31, 2022
- Limit 5 per customer per day (YMMV on whether your cashier / store allows or enforces the limit)
- In-store only
Quick Thoughts
Well this isn’t what anybody wanted to see. On the one hand, this sale still makes it possible to pick up some easy 5x spend. On the other hand, I’m concerned that this may be a sign of things to come.
As noted at the top, it isn’t one change to the ad but multiple that concern me here. The thing that stands out to me the most is that this is now advertised as a “$5.95 value”. That’s eye-catching because we had quite recently reported that the activation fee on $200 gift cards had recently increased from $6.95 to $7.95 — and along with it, the weekly ads for the last couple of gift card deals had indicated that waived purchase fees were a “$7.95 value”. At the time, we wondered how this might affect Office Depot sales, which are typically $15 off of $300 or more. It seemed like Staples had this covered by waiving the newly-increased fee.
However, now they seem to have gone in the opposite direction, instead waiving the fee on the lower-denomination $100 cards. I’m surprised that they both changed the promotion to only waive the fee on $100 cards and decreased the maximum limit per day from 8 to 5. That means a decrease of up to $1600 in gift cards per customer per day to just $500 per customer per day. If you were counting on Staples sales to generate points, that’s a significant change.
Again, we don’t know that this change is here to stay. Hopefully it isn’t.
This promotion can still be an easy way to generate some points without cost on this end of the deal if you’re going to Staples, just far fewer points than previous promos. Remember that it is in-store only.
We have added this deal to our list of current Visa and Mastercard gift card deals.
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Local Staples doesn’t have any of these.
I won’t like this change if it stays. I pay a state farm bill and an electric bill every month using the $200 cards as the bills are around $150. This change, if it stays, will kill that. I have already been cut out of my ability to manufacture spend by changes to the registers at the places I used to purchase money orders. This will be a real kick in the pants for me.
If no one buys these I bet they will eventually go back to $200. Make sure not to buy these! When staples offers the $200 cards on promo I end up buying my other supplies from them as well. But I will go back to OD which has more stores and is more convenient for me if staples is only offering $100 promo cards.
Bah humbug
My Staples store is closed on 12/25
Looks to me like the end of an era.
Hope I’m wrong, but the most likely reason is they’re tired of us, and they’re testing our limits. For me, jumping through the hoops for $200 cards (8 at a time) was worth it, but just barely. The same hoops for five $100 cards? No way – that’s clearly not worth bothering with to me.
Will be watching to see their next move.
I”m guessing $100 cards make nice last minute presents.
A bit late for last minute gifts since it starts on the 25th.
This can’t be good.
Orthodox Christmas?