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Variable load gift cards to be pulled by Office Depot 2.4.2013

Variable load gift cards to be pulled by Office Depot 2.4.2013

Old Feb 3, 2013, 5:47 pm
  #151  
 
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Originally Posted by metoo
All the $500 was not on the rack but tons of AMEX Prepaid cards available.
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.
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Old Feb 3, 2013, 6:08 pm
  #152  
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Originally Posted by Deioces
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.
Which variable cards are 5.95?
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Old Feb 3, 2013, 6:29 pm
  #153  
 
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Originally Posted by bocastephen
Which variable cards are 5.95?
Designer vanilla visa cards (eg. Anne Geddes) and amex giftcards (non-prepaid) are $5.95 each.
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Old Feb 3, 2013, 6:35 pm
  #154  
 
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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

Originally Posted by bocastephen
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.
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Old Feb 3, 2013, 6:41 pm
  #155  
 
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Originally Posted by Deioces
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.
My East Bay Bay Area OD locations pulled all variable loads. Both stores were selling last night just before closing (one had just restocked with full racks). This morning, both had pulled their cards, and removed stocking tags/descriptions. Hope you are right, but empirically, doesn't look like your source is accurate.
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Old Feb 3, 2013, 6:45 pm
  #156  
 
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I can confirm that 500 gift cards with 4.95 charge were available as of today afternoon. Went in and got a few of them and they doesn't seem to be aware of any memo.
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Old Feb 3, 2013, 7:00 pm
  #157  
 
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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.
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Old Feb 3, 2013, 7:05 pm
  #158  
 
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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.
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Old Feb 3, 2013, 7:09 pm
  #159  
 
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Just from my experience, the OD in NYC charges $6.95 for AMEX $200 max
$5.95 for Vanilla $200 max. Not $4.95

Additional data point, I used to see variable load in Duane Reade (NYC drug store), no longer there, $200 max Vanilla now.
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Old Feb 3, 2013, 7:25 pm
  #160  
 
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Originally Posted by nwflyboy
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.
And add to that don't ask questions even if using weak code because a blog might figure it out. Also when people suggest to let threads die the next question should asked by someone should get them banned for awhile if it is on the same page and they should have seen it in my opinion
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Old Feb 3, 2013, 7:27 pm
  #161  
 
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Originally Posted by bubb1
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?
Many FTers have thread this thread in its entirety; it's not that long....yet

Once again and again and again - Chase has nothing to do with this.
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Old Feb 3, 2013, 7:44 pm
  #162  
 
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Originally Posted by Ducati
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.]
Exactly and lets not just point out one Blog that would apply to other FAR Less attractive pointing blogs as well which not pointing out anyone in particular to conform to the rules but the content of any pointy blog with referral links which is Really Only out to be a Money Grubber and suck off selfish profit for the blog.
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Old Feb 3, 2013, 7:56 pm
  #163  
 
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Bought 2 Amex prepaid Cards this afternoon. Loaded $500 each and fee was $4.95. Tons on the rack.
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Old Feb 3, 2013, 8:00 pm
  #164  
 
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Originally Posted by kannon99
Dead here in MKE, only $200 and under.
not correct
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Old Feb 3, 2013, 8:11 pm
  #165  
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Originally Posted by reaper99999
Designer vanilla visa cards (eg. Anne Geddes) and amex giftcards (non-prepaid) are $5.95 each.
I've never seen those in my area - are they typically sold at OD?
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