Tag Archives for staples.
(Please note you need a Chase Ink card and a Kohl’s charge card to replicate this.)
Just a quick follow up to my recent obsession with the points bonanza that is Kohl’s.
Points are starting to post. Here’s a rundown of everything I got for a $257 purchase.
2,573 Ultimate Rewards points, which I value at ~$50!
Yeah! It really happened! It amused me.
My Staples drama has been well-documented. But then, a funny thing happened. I got 5% cash-back rewards from my $500 free after rebate purchase.
$25 – for free!
Staples gave me $25 to play with – for free!
So what did I do? Bought a $50 e-gift card to Sephora, right on Staples.com. The card came in my email pretty quickly. The cologne I wanted was $55, but this certificate brought that down, right away, to $30. A pretty nice discount.
Sephora gift card on Staples.com
So about that other $10 off? I clicked through 2 portals: the AAdvantage portal to buy the gift card from Staples, and the Ultimate Rewards portal to buy the cologne from Sephora.
Staples: $50 x 2 points/dollar = 100 points (worth $2)
Sephora: $55 x 8 points/dollar = 440 points (worth $8)
The points posted, and the cologne shipped free. It smelled all the better knowing I’d gotten it for a smooth $20. Can’t beat that with a stick.
Moral of the story: always hop on that free-after-rebate stuff from Staples. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. Pretty awesome stuff.
Last update to the torrid drama of the free 1500 AAdvantage miles from the free-after-rebate software purchase from Staples that originated back in March. When last we heard, I’d received the checks but not the miles. Welp, I am happy to report I’ve finally received all 1500 miles.
…but not without a lot of followup! I value 1500 miles at around $30, but hot damn did I have to work (and wait!) for it.
I sent an email to the Cartera people on April 26th. They were great with the followup and sent me emails on May 11th, 20th, and 31st. The last one was to say the miles had posted. I checked my account and there they were. Yay!
I also found something else that sparked my interest. I now have $25 in Staples rewards that I can spend after the June statement closes. I’m wondering if I have purchase an e-gift card, then use it after clicking through a portal to generate even more FREE miles. That would be simply awesome. So while the Staples saga is over (this one, anyway), the quest for points and miles soldiers on.
See original posts here and here.
So I did get those darn Staples checks after all. Yup, two checks for $250 each. Buying that software helped me to meet the minimum spend on my Citi AAdvantage Amex, and I’ve received my 50,000 bonus miles + $150 statement credit for my upcoming trip to Alaska. All good things. But, I clicked through the AAdvantage shopping portal before buying the software, and to date, have not received the additional 1,000 miles. Grrr.
I wrote to them a week ago, and immediately received an auto-reply that said to give it an additional 4-8 weeks for research and processing. So, I’m still holding out hope that I make good on my original post and get 1,500 free AAdvantage miles.
Now that my balance is reaching 70,000 miles, I’m torn between an awesome redemption or saving up for an around-the-world Explorer Award. TO BE CONTINUED.
See original posts here and here.
Valid
Looks like it’s gonna go through. I chatted the Help Desk on the rebate site, and they say I have to wait for 30 days – they want to make sure I don’t return it. But after that, the checks should come in. Thus giving me 1,500 free AAdvantage miles. But since it’s helping me to meet spend on my new Citi AAdvantage Amex, the real haul is way more.
Excited that it’s clearing just fine. That being said, I’ve got this software if anyone needs it… :p
Looking forward to getting those checks in early/mid April!
Staples called me today to confirm the validity of my order of 10 three-user Kaspresky Anti-Virus software downloads. It was from a 902 area code, which is Nova Scotia. The guy from Staples made me verify my name, address, and email. He said that because of the popularity of the deal, they were calling to confirm that the orders were legitimate. While I was on the phone with him, I refreshed the Orders page on the Staples site, and my order status changed from “Researching” to “Transmitted for fulfillment.”
I don’t need the software, but I did receive the download codes as soon as I hung up the phone. So the first part is over, that being the order clearing through Staples and my bank (Citi, in this case). The next step is to get the rebates processed and in hand. Wonder how long that’ll take… As soon as I get the check, I’d like to look into donating and/or selling the software. It would be my first time to actually profit from a deal in both points and cash.
Will update when the rebate status changes. Hope it isn’t a protracted process like the Thanksgiving Kaspresky deal.
Thanks to the Frequent Miler for posting this opportunity today.
Nice lil’ haul
I’ve done this FAR (Free-After-Rebate) thing once before, and it worked like a charm. The Staples people say you’ll get the check within 4-6 weeks, but for me it was more like 8. I also had to do the live chat help thingy a couple of times to coddle them into moving the process along. That last check was for $60. This time I upped the stakes and spent $500 (not the full $800 as suggested in the post linked above.)
It actually was pretty easy. Thanks, Staples.
This accomplishes many things. It will help me meet the minimum spend on my brand new Citi Amex card, which is $3,000 within four months.
I’ll get 500 AAdvantage miles for putting this on the Citi Amex. I clicked through the AAdvantage Shopping Portal to get an additional 2 miles/dollar. Total haul of 1,500 FREE AAdvantage miles. The redemption value for me is .02 cents per mile, so I value this at $30. But more importantly, it brings me closer to getting 50,000 more miles when I reach the $3,000 mark with the new card.
The software is for Windows computers, and I have a Mac, so it’s pretty much useless to me. I’m thinking I could sell it online or perhaps donate it to a local non-profit and write it off on my taxes next year, either of which would help me to turn a further profit on clicking a few links and floating $500 for a month or two. Not bad. Not bad at all.
The only thing that bugs me is that status that says “Researching.” Researching what? Hmmmz.
Hello and welcome to Out and Out! My name is Harlan – I’m a points and miles enthusiast who loves to travel. I am interested in personal finance, the power of positive thinking, and the extraordinary journeys that make life worth living.