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Stop & Shop and Giant supermarkets gas rewards points on gift card purchases(2016-17)

Old Jan 22, 2016, 4:53 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: ChrisFlyer66
This thread has posts from 2016 onward; prior posts can be found here.
The thread for 2018 is here.
***If you buy gift cards outside promotions, you will earn ZERO points.***

Giant MD and Stop & Shop's points now stack with Shell's Fuel Rewards. See more here.
If you link a Mastercard to Fuel Rewards, you will earn an additional $0.15/gal for every $100 spent on anything at Giant/S&S with that card through the end of the year.


Accepted tender: Cash, credit, and debit. Also available are mobile/contactless payment (Apple Pay, etc.) and mobile loyalty (card barcode via app).

Summary
Stop & Shop (S&S), Giant Food Stores (Giant PA), and Giant Food (Giant MD) offer points for purchases which can be redeemed for a discount on the price paid per gallon on fuel sales at Shell and S&S/Giant fuel stations. $100* spend = 100 pts = 10c/gal discount. The particular rules vary between the three brands, and within Giant PA, the rules vary by location. Refer to the bottom of this wiki post for more information or links to official info from each brand.

Feel free to update this Wiki or suggest improvements. The goal is to help all of us spend less on gas!

- - - - - - - - - -
Current promotions
Fuel Rewards:
- $0.15/gal for every $100 spent at qualifying supermarkets with a Mastercard through the end of the year
Weekly Ad (advert starting 2017-__-__):
- Stop & Shop:
- Giant MD:
- Giant PA:
- Martin's:
- - - - - - - - - -
Additional Information

A loyalty card is required to take advantage of gas rewards. They look like the above image and can be obtained either online (links at end of wiki) or in-person (at the customer service counter).

The cards currently on promotion are listed in the current weekly circular and usually change every week. VISA and MC from Metabank or US Bank for $20-$500 (plus $5.95 fee) work. For GCs, if it meets the previous requirements, the packaging (blue, silver, birthday cake, etc.) doesn't matter! Check the issuing bank on the back.

S&S and Giant (DC, DE, MD, and VA) allow you to redeem up to 1500 points ($1.50/gal) per fuel purchase, and points expire 30 days after the qualifying purchase. With Giant PA, there is no limit to the number of points redeemed at one time.

Points earned in one program cannot be used in another program.

Your ID may be required when buying gift cards. Your name and other info may also be recorded for purchases over a discretionary dollar value. Whether you're buying a $100 card or a $5k stack, your experience will vary.

You can view your account online using the link at the bottom of the wiki.

It's best to purchase gift cards at the customer service counter, but reports state that a single $500 gift card can be paid for at any register without an issue. Purchases over $1k will require manager authorisation with a physical key, which may slow down the queue. You can go to the Solution Center to save time and make things easier for everyone.

Giant Eagle and Giant Food are different chains with different ownership, and this thread is not relevant to the former.

If you have more points in your account than are redeemed for a fuel purchase, then the remaining points will stay in your account until their respective expiration date(s). For example, if you have 2500 points and debit the 1500 ($1.50/gal) maximum, you will have 1000 points left. Similar behaviour if gas is ever below $1.50/gal before discount.

If you don't receive eligible points with your purchase due to system or human error, you can have them retroactively added by customer service (in-store or by phone). Have your receipt and a copy of the advert. It can take up to 24 hours for keyed points to appear in your account.
Official Rewards Pages
Stop & Shop Giant MD Giant PA
Weekly Circulars
Stop & Shop Giant MD Giant PA
Print Wikipost

Stop & Shop and Giant supermarkets gas rewards points on gift card purchases(2016-17)

Old Jun 1, 2017, 9:47 am
  #901  
 
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CVS?

Originally Posted by financialhippie
I don't think I have a good way to liquidate though...Venmo? I guess at 5x even using them for regular spend could be worth it, especially with a good groceries category card
I used to buy OVGC at CVS using Amex GC. I'm not sure if this works anymore. It was worth it if you were trying to make a minimum spend bonus. I'm not sure for just gas points, you have to pay the fee for the Amex GC and the Visa. I guess if you use a lot of gas it would pay off.
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Old Jun 1, 2017, 10:28 am
  #902  
 
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Originally Posted by thebat
I used to buy OVGC at CVS using Amex GC. I'm not sure if this works anymore. It was worth it if you were trying to make a minimum spend bonus. I'm not sure for just gas points, you have to pay the fee for the Amex GC and the Visa. I guess if you use a lot of gas it would pay off.
Alas I don't use enough gas to make it worth it I think...I'll have to think about this one.

I'll definitely be swinging by tonight though for a few final rounds of VGC
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Old Jun 1, 2017, 2:17 pm
  #903  
 
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Originally Posted by financialhippie
I don't think I have a good way to liquidate though...Venmo? I guess at 5x even using them for regular spend could be worth it, especially with a good groceries category card
Although Amex is definitely APITA, the 5x offer on gas points is pretty compelling. I will probably buy a couple, with a 2% credit card, and liquidate for a 2% fee by paying income taxes. So, cost/benefit will basically be the delta btwn the GC fee and the total gas savings attributable to the purchase.
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Old Jun 1, 2017, 4:34 pm
  #904  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
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Datapoint, maybe tl;dr, based on experience today at Giant in No. Virginia --

Purchased 3 metabank Visa GCs, $500 each, paid with single CC. Sale completes, clerk gives me receipts & activation slips. On the way out the door, I noticed I only 2 of the little activation slips, then noticed that one of the GCs listed on the store receipt said "Not Approved."

Went back inside, thankfully the CSR was on the ball and could easily see that I was effectively charged $500 for a seemingly worthless GC. He went back to rack, got another GC of same type, and I walked away with the new card & activation slip.

Still not exactly sure what happened, or would have happened, if I didn't exchange the card, but it's a lesson to me to double check the receipts on future GC purchases.
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Old Jun 1, 2017, 4:57 pm
  #905  
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
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Originally Posted by thebat
I used to buy OVGC at CVS using Amex GC. I'm not sure if this works anymore. It was worth it if you were trying to make a minimum spend bonus. I'm not sure for just gas points, you have to pay the fee for the Amex GC and the Visa. I guess if you use a lot of gas it would pay off.
I would like to know as well. I bought $500 Amex GC from Shaws today and tried to buy OneVanilla from CVS. The register kept prompting for alternative method of payment. I thought it could be because the transaction was $504.95 but these used to auto drain the past. The manager tried to make it $500 (not sure if she succeeded) and it declined again. It is possible, but unlikely that the card has not activated yet since I went to CVS right after I bought it. I checked the status online and it shows a load of $500 and no other activity, which leads me to believe CVS stopped the party. Any data points on this?
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Old Jun 1, 2017, 6:01 pm
  #906  
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Northeastern United States
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Originally Posted by highinthesky
I would like to know as well. I bought $500 Amex GC from Shaws today and tried to buy OneVanilla from CVS. The register kept prompting for alternative method of payment. I thought it could be because the transaction was $504.95 but these used to auto drain the past. The manager tried to make it $500 (not sure if she succeeded) and it declined again. It is possible, but unlikely that the card has not activated yet since I went to CVS right after I bought it. I checked the status online and it shows a load of $500 and no other activity, which leads me to believe CVS stopped the party. Any data points on this?
IME Shaws is really good place to use the AMEX GCs to buy VGCs/MCGCs. Obviously I wouldn't try using the AMEX GC to buy a VGC/MCGC in the same visit, but I've bought them in the morning and went back in the evening and it worked fine when the math was done to make sure the VGC/MCGC amount didn't go over the AMEX GC load amount.

It's been a couple months since I purchased and used an AMEX GC at Shaws, but it always processed fine when I did. Additionally, most of the CSRs at the Shaws in my area don't seem to care about what you use to pay for your purchase and don't ask to see ID either. The only time I had anyone ask about my payment method was when I used my phone to pay once a few weeks back.
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Old Jun 1, 2017, 7:50 pm
  #907  
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Originally Posted by zoob27
5x for AMEX next week. More of a hassle, but still will be worth it.
What are the denominations and fees for the AMEX GCs at Giant?

I have gotten rid of a couple of these cards on Venmo. It's not scaleable, though -- just a couple of tanks of cheap gas (which is what most are probably looking for).
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Old Jun 2, 2017, 9:53 am
  #908  
 
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The AMEX GCs are variable to 500 for $5.95.

I tried to buy an OV at CVS with it but no go.
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Old Jun 2, 2017, 10:03 am
  #909  
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
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Originally Posted by zoob27
The AMEX GCs are variable to 500 for $5.95.

I tried to buy an OV at CVS with it but no go.
thanks for the data point.

anyone know if using the Amex gc to buy visa/mc would work at giant/s&s? I don't think the cashiers would allow it (at least I've always been asked for my cc and ID when buying any GC) but curious if the registers are hard coded against it?
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Old Jun 2, 2017, 3:32 pm
  #910  
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
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Originally Posted by stuntgoats
thanks for the data point.

anyone know if using the Amex gc to buy visa/mc would work at giant/s&s? I don't think the cashiers would allow it (at least I've always been asked for my cc and ID when buying any GC) but curious if the registers are hard coded against it?
Just a thought; If you buy an AMEX GC with a cashier and then buy a Visa card with the same cashier using the AMEX GC you just bought I am thinking that there's a good chance that it would work. You can just tell the cashier that you're doing it for gas points, they're generally good with that.
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Old Jun 2, 2017, 3:51 pm
  #911  
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
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Originally Posted by DiMAn0684
Just a thought; If you buy an AMEX GC with a cashier and then buy a Visa card with the same cashier using the AMEX GC you just bought I am thinking that there's a good chance that it would work. You can just tell the cashier that you're doing it for gas points, they're generally good with that.
I asked about that today and was unsuccessful. They told me that I "cannot use a gift card to purchase another gift card". I probably should have politely asked if it was a policy or if the register were coded against it.

I might ask again at a different giant; there's one that I go to and know the one manager.
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Old Jun 2, 2017, 4:01 pm
  #912  
 
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Originally Posted by stuntgoats
I asked about that today and was unsuccessful. They told me that I "cannot use a gift card to purchase another gift card". I probably should have politely asked if it was a policy or if the register were coded against it.

I might ask again at a different giant; there's one that I go to and know the one manager.
Someone mentioned people cycling through Visa GCs during $15 voucher promo couple month back, so unless they're coded against AMEX but not Visa buying a GC with a GC should work.
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Old Jun 2, 2017, 4:10 pm
  #913  
 
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Originally Posted by stuntgoats
I asked about that today and was unsuccessful. They told me that I "cannot use a gift card to purchase another gift card". I probably should have politely asked if it was a policy or if the register were coded against it.

I might ask again at a different giant; there's one that I go to and know the one manager.
Just say, "thank you," and move on. S&S is already very accommodating with gift cards, and you don't want that to change.
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Old Jun 2, 2017, 7:55 pm
  #914  
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Originally Posted by zoob27
The AMEX GCs are variable to 500 for $5.95.
Thanks. The sale in my town is good through Thursday, 6/8, so I think I'll wait for the last day and buy an AMEX card. Worth it to me to get another week of cheap gas, especially during the summer driving season. And I suspect I can easily get rid of a single AMEX GC on Venmo without drawing their ire.

Obviously, if we learn of another Visa/MC gift card deal before this week's promo ends, I might rethink my strategy.
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Old Jun 2, 2017, 8:23 pm
  #915  
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Originally Posted by iahphx
Thanks. The sale in my town is good through Thursday, 6/8, so I think I'll wait for the last day and buy an AMEX card. Worth it to me to get another week of cheap gas, especially during the summer driving season. And I suspect I can easily get rid of a single AMEX GC on Venmo without drawing their ire.

Obviously, if we learn of another Visa/MC gift card deal before this week's promo ends, I might rethink my strategy.
my thinking also - if you did the visa promo properly then all you are gaining is an extra week of cheap gas, so don't really need much exposure to amex cards. Basically how much gas do you use in 1 week.
Easy enough to burn off the amex on organic spend.
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