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Visa/MasterCard Gift Cards at Staples(2017 onwards)

Old Feb 9, 2017, 8:17 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: lowkeyflyer
This is the master thread for all VGC and MCGC sold at Staples.
The previous discussion can be found here.

The VGCs sold at Staples are issued by Metabank and serviced by Blackhawk Network.
The activation code for online purchase comes with the card. Cards purchased at store are activated at check-out.
To activate cards over the phone (without activation codes), call (877) 426-2551 to talk to a rep.
To activate cards over the web, www.giftcardkey.com.
The default PIN number is the last four digits of the card number but can be changed online.

As of 5/12/2014, all known portals are dead.

Earn 5x points with Chase Ink, or Simply Cash for 5% cash back
Buy Visa gift cards (Metabank) at Staples ($200 for $7.95) or the website ($300 for $8.95).

2k Limit per transaction / 10k per day for online. In-store is usually 2k but YMMV
Often times, there are promotions with no or reduced activation fees
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Visa/MasterCard Gift Cards at Staples(2017 onwards)

Old Nov 11, 2018, 1:27 pm
  #901  
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Metro ATL
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Yeah, I used it twice on 5x200 and no fees at all.
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Old Nov 11, 2018, 2:12 pm
  #902  
 
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Went to 5 locations, 1 was cleaned out. 3 had strict enforcement of just one. 1 had up to 10X
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Old Nov 11, 2018, 4:44 pm
  #903  
 
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The cashier at the store I visited today said max of $2000. I bought 3x$200 to actually pay some bills online at 5x... getting too hard to dispose of $200's at scale.
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Old Nov 11, 2018, 5:19 pm
  #904  
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Originally Posted by bigshooter
The cashier at the store I visited today said max of $2000. I bought 3x$200 to actually pay some bills online at 5x... getting too hard to dispose of $200's at scale.
Same here. One has limit of $2k, one has limit of one card. I get some patience for the $200 cards.
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Old Nov 11, 2018, 7:11 pm
  #905  
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How are folks getting rid of these? Just money orders? Dealing with $200 GCs is definitely a PITA. I have fewer stores in my area that will let me buy MOs with a gift card and doing $200s (I try to split payment to get to $400) always looks more suspicious than just using a single $500 GC. I have one Walmart in my area that will let me do 4 $200s at a time, but I'm "pushing it" when I try to unload 8. And I can't go back too often. So scale is really hard. Any other suggestions?
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Old Nov 11, 2018, 7:17 pm
  #906  
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 662
Originally Posted by iahphx
How are folks getting rid of these? Just money orders? Dealing with $200 GCs is definitely a PITA. I have fewer stores in my area that will let me buy MOs with a gift card and doing $200s (I try to split payment to get to $400) always looks more suspicious than just using a single $500 GC. I have one Walmart in my area that will let me do 4 $200s at a time, but I'm "pushing it" when I try to unload 8. And I can't go back too often. So scale is really hard. Any other suggestions?
slow and steady float the money. Did you obtain more then 10k in VGC?
RedSun likes this.
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Old Nov 11, 2018, 7:34 pm
  #907  
 
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 45
Originally Posted by iahphx
How are folks getting rid of these? Just money orders? Dealing with $200 GCs is definitely a PITA. I have fewer stores in my area that will let me buy MOs with a gift card and doing $200s (I try to split payment to get to $400) always looks more suspicious than just using a single $500 GC. I have one Walmart in my area that will let me do 4 $200s at a time, but I'm "pushing it" when I try to unload 8. And I can't go back too often. So scale is really hard. Any other suggestions?
4 at a time at WM. $10 back per card is worth the hassle.
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Old Nov 11, 2018, 7:51 pm
  #908  
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Originally Posted by Hb1500

4 at a time at WM. $10 back per card is worth the hassle.
Even 4 is pushing....
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Old Nov 12, 2018, 8:58 am
  #909  
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
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Did anyone else get the message "ITEM WILL BE ACTIVATED WITHIN 24 HOURS" on their receipt in-store for purchasing $200 Visa cards? I did yesterday and called in today as the card is still not working after more than 24 hours, but the rep said there is nothing they can do and I would have to go back to the store to have them activate the card.
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Old Nov 12, 2018, 1:44 pm
  #910  
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
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Originally Posted by RedSun
Even 4 is pushing....
what he meant was the system now rejects the 5th swipe, nice csr's and you can do 4
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Old Nov 12, 2018, 3:06 pm
  #911  
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Originally Posted by DeltaNeutral28
what he meant was the system now rejects the 5th swipe, nice csr's and you can do 4
Not surprisingly, after I did 4 today, I was told I could not do more. As I said, scale is hard here. We need another plausible liquidation technique, badly! Making endless visits to the Walmart to get free airline tickets and hotels isn't ideal.

Originally Posted by dealhunter32
Did anyone else get the message "ITEM WILL BE ACTIVATED WITHIN 24 HOURS" on their receipt in-store for purchasing $200 Visa cards? I did yesterday and called in today as the card is still not working after more than 24 hours, but the rep said there is nothing they can do and I would have to go back to the store to have them activate the card.
This happened to me once, a longtime ago. I think I had to go back to the store and the manager called some troubleshooting desk to get them activated. Not fun times. Not sure what happens if you don't go back to the store (like if you bought the cards while travelling).
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Old Nov 13, 2018, 7:48 am
  #912  
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
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Always YMMV:
The same store where manager was saying that the limit was $3k/day (so wrong) on Sunday would not allow me more than 1 VGC the very next day.
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Old Nov 13, 2018, 10:07 am
  #913  
 
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$3k is a fantastic "limit."
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Old Nov 13, 2018, 3:39 pm
  #914  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
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Given the uneven enforcement of limits, and the possibility/likelihood of a single buyer cleaning out stock, next time I get advance notice of fee-free sale, I'm going on a little pre-Sunday card hiding mission ...
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Old Nov 13, 2018, 4:09 pm
  #915  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
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Originally Posted by tuphat
Given the uneven enforcement of limits, and the possibility/likelihood of a single buyer cleaning out stock, next time I get advance notice of fee-free sale, I'm going on a little pre-Sunday card hiding mission ...
Just be friendly to the cashiers. They usually have newly rapped stock behind the counter. I actulally prefer the pre wrapped 10 packs. I feel safer about fraud. The Visa are also harder for me to liquidate. The easiest liquidation method for me is paying my property tax.
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