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Staples Success!
I’ve reported before that it should be possible to get 10 points per dollar buying gift cards at Staples.com. Go through the Ultimate Rewards Mall to Staples.com and then use the new Chase Ink Bold credit card to make your purchases. Multiple readers have reported success with this, but of course I had to try it myself. This morning, points posted for purchases of both a Lands End card and a Visa gift card! I don’t have the new Ink Bold (yet), so I can’t verify that you will get 5X for an office store purchase, but I don’t see any reason why that won’t happen. In my credit card transactions, the purchases are correctly listed as being from Staples.
Ultimate Rewards Mall Predictions
Tomorrow is the beginning of February. This is significant because some of the current Ultimate Rewards Mall offers were only promised to go until the end of January. These include Staples (5X), Target (5X), HP (5X), and Drugstore.com (10X).
Starting tomorrow, I expect we’ll see some changes and some new offers. Here are my predictions (without any basis in fact whatsoever):
- Staples.com will stay at 5X (maybe just my wishful thinking?)
- Target.com will decrease from 5X to 3X
- HP will stay at 5X
- Drugstore.com will decrease to 8X
- Sears will increase to 6X or 7X
What do you think? Anyone want to offer up your own predictions?
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Thanks for posting this, I wasn’t aware that the Ultimate Rewards was changing (for some reason I thought it was the end of the year).
Including Itunes? Fee free through staples?
MR H: Yes, fee free for merchant gift cards including itunes.
Is there a fee, or not, from purchasing gift cards from staples.
MR H: There is a fee for purchasing Visa gift cards ($5.95 for $100 card), but no fee for merchant gift cards (such as Kohl’s, Lands End, etc.)
BTW, didn’t realize this but hotels.com looks to be 4x. Just reserved a $1200 stay in Paris earlier today, doh! BTW there is a 10% off coupon code for hotels.com if you switch to the UK site (see hotel coupon thread on FT). That’s a pretty nice combined discount if you can also get 4x UR.
Well, you’re 1 for 5. Target is 3x, Sears is still at 4x, Staples is 4x, Drugstore is 5x, and HP is 3x. Also, Target, Staples, Drugstore, and HP are not available for Freedom.
Looks like the Sapphire/Ink bonus offers this month are: Avis 5x, Blue Nile 5x, Barnes & Noble 10x, Office Depot 5x. Kohls is still at 10x. 🙂
Freedom bonus offers are: Kohls 10%, Pro Flowers 15%, Blue Nile 5%, Victoria Secret 5%.
HikerT: Thanks for doing the research for me! It saved me a lot of time this morning in preparing the morning post 🙂
If you have a Chase checking account and an Ink Bold card you receive a 20% bonus on all purchases.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credit-card-programs/1308885-chase-ink-bold-upgraded-ink-bold-exclusive-benefits-20-all-purchases.html
I really wish I could sign up for this card but the spend requirement for the 50k points is too high. On top of that, it’s a charge card so I can’t spread it out over a few months like I can with a card that offers a 0% intro apr.
Don’t forget to mention that there is an activation charge for each card you purchase. You pay an extra $6 for a $100 gift card.
MichaelP: Yeah, it took a while for me to see the points too. It was about 9 days from when I ordered the cards to the time that the points showed up under “Ultimate Rewards Mall & Travel Earnings”.
Jay: Thanks for the reminder. Yes, for Visa gift cards there is a fee. No fee, though, for merchant gift cards (Lands End, Kohl’s, etc.)
I am still waiting for my points for purchase of Starbucks and iTune giftcards to post, have already received the giftcards though.