May 4, 2014, 4:19 am
Last edit by: weezl
This thread is about prepaid debit cards from Staples. Please post questions on other topics in the appropriate threads elsewhere in this forum.
As of 5/12/2014, all known portals are dead.
*Note- max purchase at one time seems to be 9x $200 (stays under their $2000 limit)
Pluses to Online purchase:
1. Less time/effort/gasoline vs traveling to store to purchase
2. No mgr override or cashier call to Chase needed for large purchases
3. Can bulk activate by phone after receipt of VGCs
4. Email is a nice way to keep record of your purchases
5. Avoids stupid sticky gum (4x per card) that has to be peeled off of each VGC
6. Rare opportunity to liquidate rewards and/or rebate card (YMMV)
Pluses to in-store purchase:
1. No wait/immediate gratification- mail order can take weeks
2. No risk of someone getting to your mailbox to steal your VGCs before you get them out of there
3. Activated at time of purchase- no need to call in or wait for stupid letter containing one activation code/card that comes in the mail separately (the letter sometimes arrives AFTER the VGCs arrive; this can be mitigated, see Pluses to Online #3, above)
As of 5/12/2014, all known portals are dead.
- Get Chase Ink and BB/Serve
1% discount: Sign up Ink (must be Visa) at https://www.visasavingsedge.com/ to get 1% cash back at StaplesEnded 12/31/14- 5x points: Buy Visa gift cards at Staples or the website. $200 ones charge a hefty $6.95 activation fee (with 1% back it was effectively $4.88).
- Liquidate gift cards like any other
*Note- max purchase at one time seems to be 9x $200 (stays under their $2000 limit)
Pluses to Online purchase:
1. Less time/effort/gasoline vs traveling to store to purchase
2. No mgr override or cashier call to Chase needed for large purchases
3. Can bulk activate by phone after receipt of VGCs
4. Email is a nice way to keep record of your purchases
5. Avoids stupid sticky gum (4x per card) that has to be peeled off of each VGC
6. Rare opportunity to liquidate rewards and/or rebate card (YMMV)
Pluses to in-store purchase:
1. No wait/immediate gratification- mail order can take weeks
2. No risk of someone getting to your mailbox to steal your VGCs before you get them out of there
3. Activated at time of purchase- no need to call in or wait for stupid letter containing one activation code/card that comes in the mail separately (the letter sometimes arrives AFTER the VGCs arrive; this can be mitigated, see Pluses to Online #3, above)
Visa Gift cards at Staples(2014-2015)
Mar 11, 2015, 6:36 pm
#2371
Join Date: Jul 2007
Programs: NW Plat, SPG Gold, Amex Plat
Posts: 110
I think you are confused 
. I said Staples GCs, not Staples VGCs. But either way to answer your question the Staples VGC rebate cards do not have PIN access so they can't be used to load BB. You can only use them for regular spend. Typically its just $20 in value so I don't find them lucrative anyways.
. I said Staples GCs, not Staples VGCs. But either way to answer your question the Staples VGC rebate cards do not have PIN access so they can't be used to load BB. You can only use them for regular spend. Typically its just $20 in value so I don't find them lucrative anyways.I've been a swagbucks.com member for almost a year now. For those not familiar with the site, they offer various ways of accumulating their form of currency--SBs or SwagBucks which can be held on to until you have enough to cash in on a choice of gift cards. Unlike many places that offer gift cards as rewards, Swagbucks offers a "Paypal GC", essentially a cash deposit into your PP account. (With cash as an option, I'm not sure why anyone would opt for a merchant specific gift card when their "prices" are exactly the same... whether you choose a $25 Target GC, $25 Starbucks GC, a $25 RedRobin GC... you "pay" the same 2500 SBs as a $25 Paypal deposit.)
Anyway, they recently added a new option--virtual prepaid Visa Cards. By virtual.. there's no snailmailing out plastic, you simply get sent a code that sets up an account which issues a digital image of the card. There is a big restriction--they can only be used for online/phone orders. Just this past week they tweaked their rules to offer 2500 SB level cards for only 2200 SBs... any of them EXCEPT the Paypal option. I decided to check out the virtual Prepaid Visa. The image looked like a real Visa card and I noticed it had "Debit Card" printed on the front. It also had my name printed on it...it wasn't a generic prepaid Visa/MC that every other store in the country is selling.
That got me thinking, could I "cash it out" linking it as debit card on Bluebird. Checking out Bluebird's T&Cs, the salient terms are:
To successfully link a debit card to your Bluebird Account:
1. The debit card must be in your name.
2. The billing address associated with your debit card must match the billing address on your Bluebird Account profile.
There's nothing in there that specifically disqualifies the linking of a prepaid Visa Debit card. What appears to forbid the use of prepaid cards purchased at retail establishments is rule 1, as they're always purchased with a name like "A GIFT FOR YOU" or "GIFT CARD RECIPIENT". I gave it a shot and it worked like a charm--instantly had the money credited to my Bluebird account.
So how this relates to the current topic... it got me to wondering about the Staples Rewards Prepaid Visa cards Staples sends out for most of their Easy Rebates. As its been mentioned by a few people here, they offer no option to set a PIN, a requirement for using a debit card at WM to load BB. It's a different story using a linked debit card online to load your account--they don't ask for a PIN. Staples Rewards cards are however, issued in the name used when submitting the rebate--embossed on the front like any bank issued debit card. I have a stack of them totaling just over $1K I'd like to zero out as quickly as I can, given a $3.00 monthly maintenance fee kicks in after 6 months. I can't find a single mention of from anyone who's tried this or even considered the idea.
Comments?
Mar 11, 2015, 8:54 pm
#2372
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 429
Be careful about changing linked debit cards to Bluebird... pretty sure they'll shut you down after you switch out a couple.
Mar 12, 2015, 6:32 am
#2373
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,207
That doesnt stop bb/serve/rb from telling you prepaids are not allowed. We've been there done that, this has been tested with other prepaids that do have your name on it (rebate cards, etc). They are NOT allowed. You really think that bb, having been around for years, that this hasnt been tried?
Mar 12, 2015, 9:20 am
#2374
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 3,509
This might sound a little off topic at first, but hear me through---
I've been a swagbucks.com member for almost a year now. For those not familiar with the site, they offer various ways of accumulating their form of currency--SBs or SwagBucks which can be held on to until you have enough to cash in on a choice of gift cards. Unlike many places that offer gift cards as rewards, Swagbucks offers a "Paypal GC", essentially a cash deposit into your PP account. (With cash as an option, I'm not sure why anyone would opt for a merchant specific gift card when their "prices" are exactly the same... whether you choose a $25 Target GC, $25 Starbucks GC, a $25 RedRobin GC... you "pay" the same 2500 SBs as a $25 Paypal deposit.)
Anyway, they recently added a new option--virtual prepaid Visa Cards. By virtual.. there's no snailmailing out plastic, you simply get sent a code that sets up an account which issues a digital image of the card. There is a big restriction--they can only be used for online/phone orders. Just this past week they tweaked their rules to offer 2500 SB level cards for only 2200 SBs... any of them EXCEPT the Paypal option. I decided to check out the virtual Prepaid Visa. The image looked like a real Visa card and I noticed it had "Debit Card" printed on the front. It also had my name printed on it...it wasn't a generic prepaid Visa/MC that every other store in the country is selling.
That got me thinking, could I "cash it out" linking it as debit card on Bluebird. Checking out Bluebird's T&Cs, the salient terms are:
To successfully link a debit card to your Bluebird Account:
1. The debit card must be in your name.
2. The billing address associated with your debit card must match the billing address on your Bluebird Account profile.
There's nothing in there that specifically disqualifies the linking of a prepaid Visa Debit card. What appears to forbid the use of prepaid cards purchased at retail establishments is rule 1, as they're always purchased with a name like "A GIFT FOR YOU" or "GIFT CARD RECIPIENT". I gave it a shot and it worked like a charm--instantly had the money credited to my Bluebird account.
So how this relates to the current topic... it got me to wondering about the Staples Rewards Prepaid Visa cards Staples sends out for most of their Easy Rebates. As its been mentioned by a few people here, they offer no option to set a PIN, a requirement for using a debit card at WM to load BB. It's a different story using a linked debit card online to load your account--they don't ask for a PIN. Staples Rewards cards are however, issued in the name used when submitting the rebate--embossed on the front like any bank issued debit card. I have a stack of them totaling just over $1K I'd like to zero out as quickly as I can, given a $3.00 monthly maintenance fee kicks in after 6 months. I can't find a single mention of from anyone who's tried this or even considered the idea.
Comments?
I've been a swagbucks.com member for almost a year now. For those not familiar with the site, they offer various ways of accumulating their form of currency--SBs or SwagBucks which can be held on to until you have enough to cash in on a choice of gift cards. Unlike many places that offer gift cards as rewards, Swagbucks offers a "Paypal GC", essentially a cash deposit into your PP account. (With cash as an option, I'm not sure why anyone would opt for a merchant specific gift card when their "prices" are exactly the same... whether you choose a $25 Target GC, $25 Starbucks GC, a $25 RedRobin GC... you "pay" the same 2500 SBs as a $25 Paypal deposit.)
Anyway, they recently added a new option--virtual prepaid Visa Cards. By virtual.. there's no snailmailing out plastic, you simply get sent a code that sets up an account which issues a digital image of the card. There is a big restriction--they can only be used for online/phone orders. Just this past week they tweaked their rules to offer 2500 SB level cards for only 2200 SBs... any of them EXCEPT the Paypal option. I decided to check out the virtual Prepaid Visa. The image looked like a real Visa card and I noticed it had "Debit Card" printed on the front. It also had my name printed on it...it wasn't a generic prepaid Visa/MC that every other store in the country is selling.
That got me thinking, could I "cash it out" linking it as debit card on Bluebird. Checking out Bluebird's T&Cs, the salient terms are:
To successfully link a debit card to your Bluebird Account:
1. The debit card must be in your name.
2. The billing address associated with your debit card must match the billing address on your Bluebird Account profile.
There's nothing in there that specifically disqualifies the linking of a prepaid Visa Debit card. What appears to forbid the use of prepaid cards purchased at retail establishments is rule 1, as they're always purchased with a name like "A GIFT FOR YOU" or "GIFT CARD RECIPIENT". I gave it a shot and it worked like a charm--instantly had the money credited to my Bluebird account.
So how this relates to the current topic... it got me to wondering about the Staples Rewards Prepaid Visa cards Staples sends out for most of their Easy Rebates. As its been mentioned by a few people here, they offer no option to set a PIN, a requirement for using a debit card at WM to load BB. It's a different story using a linked debit card online to load your account--they don't ask for a PIN. Staples Rewards cards are however, issued in the name used when submitting the rebate--embossed on the front like any bank issued debit card. I have a stack of them totaling just over $1K I'd like to zero out as quickly as I can, given a $3.00 monthly maintenance fee kicks in after 6 months. I can't find a single mention of from anyone who's tried this or even considered the idea.
Comments?
I am fully aware of swagbucks but you are wrong in that all the $25 GCs are 2500 SB. The $25 Amazon GCs and plenty others store brand GCs (non Paypal) only cost 2250 SBs for the first one in each month. But again its one of those things you ask yourself if you want to use an additional 250 SB to get PP Cash back. If you earn a ton of SBs per month then yes if all things equal I would opt to get the Paypal Cash GCs option. I'll be lucky to get more than 2500 SBs per month anyways so I don't think its a big deal its just matter of preference.
Mar 12, 2015, 1:12 pm
#2375
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 503
New rebate starting week of Sunday 3/15. Buy $250 in VGC, get a $20 rebate GC.
Mar 12, 2015, 3:52 pm
#2376
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,432
Has anyone ever written about the best strategies to avoid the "one household" limit? I send a few cards to friends and family (most of which I ultimately retrieve), but I'd love to have a better method. It does seem like they make some effort to enforce this rule.
Mar 12, 2015, 3:55 pm
#2377
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 429
How do you send to another address? I thought they tracked the credit card? Or do you just put a different easy rebate account/address?
Mar 12, 2015, 4:29 pm
#2378
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 503
I snail mail all of my rebates. Lately even different names and different addresses were still getting denied as 'more than one per household'. I don't know if they're tracking IP addresses or what. Submitted via snail mail they all seem to always get approved.
Mar 12, 2015, 5:16 pm
#2379
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 4,431
Has anyone ever written about the best strategies to avoid the "one household" limit? I send a few cards to friends and family (most of which I ultimately retrieve), but I'd love to have a better method. It does seem like they make some effort to enforce this rule.
Mar 13, 2015, 7:22 am
#2380
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: RDU
Programs: A few
Posts: 5,499
They enforce it for sure. I usually do 3-- one to my address and one to each of my parents 2 homes. I recently found out my uncle does the same-- one to his home and 2 to my parents. Last time, I missed out on the rebates because he did it first. I received a postcard from Staples indicating that there's a limit per address. The 2 previous times, he missed out.
i only have a couple of addresses i can use... it's a pretty effective method of enforcing the limit
Mar 13, 2015, 7:35 am
#2381
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,207
I was beginning to lose hope.
Has anyone ever written about the best strategies to avoid the "one household" limit? I send a few cards to friends and family (most of which I ultimately retrieve), but I'd love to have a better method. It does seem like they make some effort to enforce this rule.
Has anyone ever written about the best strategies to avoid the "one household" limit? I send a few cards to friends and family (most of which I ultimately retrieve), but I'd love to have a better method. It does seem like they make some effort to enforce this rule.
Mar 14, 2015, 9:27 am
#2382
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 116
How do you guys liquidate your staples rebate gift cards. I have a $15 card that got declined as both credit and debit at Wal-Mart yesterday. I called and verified that the balance was still $15. Is it better to just pick a different store to use it at?
Mar 14, 2015, 9:49 am
#2383
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,432
I used to get rid of them on Amazon Payments, but that obviously doesn't work anymore. See if you owe money to anyone that you can pay online with debit cards. I pay down my USAA auto insurance policy every month with the "junk" gift cards I get from rebates like this. I remember using them at Walgreens, too, and they would tell you the balance if you didn't have enough left on the card.
Mar 14, 2015, 11:31 am
#2384
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 65
I use them to load Redbird or Amex for Target and just run it through as credit if it asks for a pin.