Variable load gift cards to be pulled by Office Depot 2.4.2013
#151
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: ATL
Programs: DL PM, SPG Plat
Posts: 885
This is what I saw also. While there i happened to see the manager, who knows me well from my regular visits, and I mentioned that they appeared to be all out of the $500 GCs. This seemed to catch the manager by surprise, who walked over to the rack to help me look before stating that they would probably be restocked in a day or two. I guess they hadn't seen the memo yet.
#152
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,008
Data point from my Bay Area source: variable cards with a $5.95 still sold and not to be discontinued according to them. $3.95 variable cards pulled because not a good deal for them. This agrees with a blog post I cited earlier.
Don't know if my OD is missing something, I just bought a couple and will check in again in a few days.
Don't know if my OD is missing something, I just bought a couple and will check in again in a few days.
#154
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 970
Methinks problem will be physically unloading a fistful of $200 cards where only took 2 before. I regularly get the stinkeye with the $500 gcs as it is already. Adding $200s into the mix isn't going to be pretty with cashiers who have to type in last four digits on 5 cards...Before, just did 2 transactions of $496.05 to kill the cards. In and out fast. Now, will be frustrating finding cashiers who know how to do multiple gc cards at a time. Game is never dull
Here is my personal math assuming 5k Ink per month to hit 50K in spend at an Office store in a year (yes I know some of you can do this in 2 months), the end result is 300k points in year 1.
50,000 points - $0 (sign up bonus on card 1)
50,000 points (two months of BB using old OD cost system) = 20 GC's at 4.95 and 20 VR's at 4.95 = $198 for 50,000 pts or .00396
200,000 points (10 months of BB using new OD cost system) = 200 GC's at 4.95 and 100 VR's at 4.95 = $1485 for 200,000 pts or .007425
300k points (plus extra spend here and there for the year) should total around 320,000 points or 3 round trip tickets in Business Class on UA, a *A partner or Korean Airlines for a total of 1683 in fees and other normal ancillary spend.
I think that's a pretty decent (not great or stupendous) deal and that's before doing work on any of the other card and spend projects that are around, but less convenient.
50,000 points - $0 (sign up bonus on card 1)
50,000 points (two months of BB using old OD cost system) = 20 GC's at 4.95 and 20 VR's at 4.95 = $198 for 50,000 pts or .00396
200,000 points (10 months of BB using new OD cost system) = 200 GC's at 4.95 and 100 VR's at 4.95 = $1485 for 200,000 pts or .007425
300k points (plus extra spend here and there for the year) should total around 320,000 points or 3 round trip tickets in Business Class on UA, a *A partner or Korean Airlines for a total of 1683 in fees and other normal ancillary spend.
I think that's a pretty decent (not great or stupendous) deal and that's before doing work on any of the other card and spend projects that are around, but less convenient.
#155
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 970
Data point from my Bay Area source: variable cards with a $5.95 still sold and not to be discontinued according to them. $3.95 variable cards pulled because not a good deal for them. This agrees with a blog post I cited earlier.
Don't know if my OD is missing something, I just bought a couple and will check in again in a few days.
Don't know if my OD is missing something, I just bought a couple and will check in again in a few days.
#157
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: DL, UA, BA, AA
Posts: 28
Variable load gift cards to be pulled by Office Depot 2.4.2013
Clarification: by "my source" I meant "the od that I have been using as a source for gc's", not "my informant". I was indeed referring to Amex gc's. Got 2 today, plenty available, they said no change is coming for them, will try again mid week and see if anything has changed.
#158
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: LAX
Posts: 238
I went in one of the OD in LA (Noho area) and the 25-500$ (Visa, One Vanila, AMEX) are out of rack. I found one AMEX but the system didn't allow. Manager was called and he mentioned that these are not to be sold and he threw away the card.
#160
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: On the Lake USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, Hilton Diamond because they have nothing higher
Posts: 523
Let this be a lesson to all.
If there's a good deal going, shut the fark up. For gods sake, don't tell the bloggers, and don't post it here openly on FT. If you feel like sharing, send someone a PM.
Unless you want to make the deal end as quickly as possible - in that case, by all means, give it visibility.
If there's a good deal going, shut the fark up. For gods sake, don't tell the bloggers, and don't post it here openly on FT. If you feel like sharing, send someone a PM.
Unless you want to make the deal end as quickly as possible - in that case, by all means, give it visibility.
#161
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 676
I haven't read these threads in their entirety (who has ), but I'll speculate that these claims of fraud are bogus, since these variable load cards are carried all over the place, and OD seems to have the same prevention methods as most other stores. I suppose a fraudster could juice their returns with the 5x cashed out quickly, but I doubt it. Perhaps the issue is that the Chase 5x bonus is partially subsidized by the store by higher merchant fees etc?
Once again and again and again - Chase has nothing to do with this.
#162
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: On the Lake USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, Hilton Diamond because they have nothing higher
Posts: 523
If that's the case, I'm curious as to know how long the frugaltravelguy.com blog took to announce the new lower spend requirement on the Ink Bold when it was lowered from $10K to $5K back in November? Were the news of the lower spend immediately posted WITH a link to the application on Chase's website (because it's "NOT all about the money"), or was there some sort of "delay" until the blog's affiliate links were updated for the better offer? Inquiring minds want to know.
[Following the rules: Not attacking the person; just challenging the credibility of the post.]
[Following the rules: Not attacking the person; just challenging the credibility of the post.]
#165
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,008