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The Deal
Office Depot/Max is back with their regular deal on discounted gift cards. This discount is only available for in-store purchases from November 19th through November 25th, 2023.
With this deal, $15 is instantly deducted from your total bill if you purchase at least $300 worth of Mastercard gift cards.
This is a wonderful opportunity to help you meet the minimum spending requirement of a new credit card you just got approved for, as long as that card is not an American Express Credit Card.
May 2023 Update: When you purchase 3 X $200 Mastercard Gift Cards, a total of $30 will be automatically discounted.
August 2023 Update: When you purchase 6 X $200 Visa Gift Cards in one transaction, a total of $60 will be automatically discounted. You will need to provide your Drivers License in order to complete purchases over $1000.
Earn 5X Per Dollar With The Chase Ink Business Cash
We recommend using the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card, which gives 5X Ultimate Rewards (UR) points per dollar at office supply stores.
I love accumulating Ultimate Rewards points for free travel and hotel stays, and I always try to take advantage of office supply promotions whenever they come around.
This promo can add 1,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) points to your stash per visit. If you visit a few times this week, you can easily double or triple your earnings.
Stacking Ideas
Stack 1: Dosh – Possible Account Shutdown
The cashback app “DOSH” also offers a 2% cashback for purchases at Office Depot/Max.
Although Dosh states that gift cards do not earn cashback, my experience has been the opposite. However, add a few random items to prevent an audit.
Just be mindful that Dosh can claw back any cashback bonuses they’ve given at any time, so YMMV (your mileage may vary).
This deal is a fantastic opportunity to get travel points and earn a $15 discount simultaneously, but the possibility of receiving cashback from Dosh makes this deal even more lucrative.
If you do not have DOSH yet, sign up by clicking the button below (referral link).
Make sure you link the credit card you plan on using to your Dosh account before making this purchase.
Some data points (DPs) indicate that you would need the card linked 24 hours before your purchase, but my experience has been quicker.
The cashback is usually instant, and the maximum cashback from Office Depot per day is $10.
Stack 2: Payce
Another cashback app that you can use at office supply stores is Payce.
The critical thing to remember with Payce is that you must activate the deals each month to trigger the cash bonus.
You must also link the credit cards on the app before purchasing.
Stack 3: Chase Offers
After setting up DOSH and PAYCE, check Chase Offers to see if they have cashback opportunities with Office Depot or Office Max.
They also typically offer these cash-back deals from multiple Chase credit cards – both consumer/personal and business cards – so check all your Chase credit card accounts.
I use the Cardpointers Chrome Extension to automatically add all my Chase offers to my credit cards, so I don’t forget them.
Easy Steps
STEP 1:
We announce these gift card deals on our Travel Miles and Points Facebook Group. It is free to join.
STEP 2:
Set up Dosh by linking a card you plan to use (e.g., Chase Ink Business Cash or a credit card with a sign-up bonus. Link your card once).- Set up Payce by linking the card you plan to use (e.g., Chase Ink Business Cash or a credit card with a sign-up bonus. Activate the offers every month).
- Add/Activate any Office Depot/Office Max Chase Offers.
STEP 3:
The following options will trigger the discount:
Option 1: Buy two (2) $200 Mastercard Gift Cards (MCGC)
Option 2: Purchase one (1) $200 MCGC and one (1) $100 MCGC
Option 3: NEW! Buying 3 X $200 gift cards can trigger the discount twice. Thus, buying $600 worth of gift cards (3 X $200) will give a discount of $30 ($15 X 2)
Heads-Up: $200 MC Gift Cards have an activation fee of $6.95, while $100 MCs charge $5.95. Update: New Cards now have an activation fee of $7.95.
| Options | Total Cost | With $15 Discount | Profit | Chase UR (5X per $) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Two (2) $200 MC gift cards for 206.95 each. (Old Cards: $6.95 Activation Fee) | $413.90 | $398.90 | $1.1 | 1,994 Ultimate Rewards Points |
| B. One (1) $206.95 MC and one (1) $105.95 VGC (Old Cards: $6.95 Activation Fee) | $312.90 | $297.90 | $2.1 | 1,489 |
| C. Two (2) $200 MC gift cards for 207.95 each. (New Cards: $7.95 Activation Fee) | $415.90 | $400.90 | -$.90 | 2,005 |
| D. One (1) $207.95 MC and one (1) $106.95 VGC (New Cards: $7.95 Activation Fee) | $314.90 | $299.90 | $.01 | 1,500 |
| E. Three (3) $207.95 MCGCs | $623.85 | $593.85 ($30 discount) | $6.15 | 2970 |
STEP 4:
Get the $15 discount, cashback from Dosh, Payce, or Chase Offers, and credit card points with just one swipe of your linked card.
STEP 5:
Since you can only get the $15 discount once per visit, you can potentially repeat the process a few times during the promo week to accrue more points.
May 2023 Update: You can earn a maximum of $30 if you purchase 3 X $200 gift cards.
Pro-Tip: If no gift cards are left on the racks, ask any employee to check the back office. Sometimes, they forget to replenish when the cards on display run out.
Caution: Only purchase the number of gift cards that you can comfortably use in the future. In this post, I will list the best ways to redeem these gift cards later. Also, since these purchases are charged to your credit card, please be mindful to purchase an amount you can quickly pay in full once your credit card statement comes around. It is NEVER a good idea to pay banks hefty bills. Hence, do not employ this strategy if you anticipate difficulties settling your bill in full on or before the due date.
Best Ways To Use These Gift Cards
You can use these gift cards to cover any of the below expenses:
- Estimated Taxes
- Medical Bills
- Utilities: Electricity, Water, Internet, Phone, Garbage, etc.
- Groceries
- Gas (you need to pay inside)
- Auto Insurance
- Home Insurance
- Car Repair/Maintenance
- Restaurants
- Shopping (in-store and online)
- Home Mortgage via Plastiq
Which Credit Card To Use?
Option A: The Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card
| The Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card |
|---|
| Annual Fee: $0 |
| Intro Offer: Earn $900 Cashback (90,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points) after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. |
| Earn: 5% on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services per cardmember year. |
| Earn: 2% on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants within the cardmember year. |
| Earn: 1% per $1 on all other purchases, with no limit. |
Refresher: 1 Chase Ultimate Rewards Point from a no-annual-fee card like the Chase Ink Cash is equivalent to only 1 cent if you withdraw your points as cashback. Alternatively, if you have one of the three premium Chase cards (Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire Preferred, or Ink Business Preferred), you can transfer your Ultimate Rewards points accrued from Ink Cash to these premium cards to access more lucrative redemption options such as transferring to airline and hotel partners. If you want to know more about how to transfer your Ink Cash points to the aforementioned Chase premium cards, here is a step-by-step guide on how to do it.
Fraud Alert: If you are using your Chase Ink Business Cash to buy gift cards for the first time, make sure you have your phone with you, as Chase may send you a fraud alert via text. Once you verify who is making the purchase, Chase will approve the transaction, but the cashier may have to scan the gift cards again.
Option B: A New Credit Card
Meeting a minimum spend requirement for a credit card you recently got approved for.
Since the Chase Ink Business Cash only provides 5 points per dollar on up to a maximum of $25,000 per cardmember year on combined Office Supply, cable, phone, and internet charges, the card is not recommended when you exceed this $25,000 threshold as you will only earn 1 point per dollar then.
Hence, I recommend pivoting to other business cards that reward office supply store bonuses or a new card that you need to meet a minimum spending requirement for.
Option B.1: Chase Ink Business Preferred: 100,000 Points
| The Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card |
|---|
| Sign-Up Bonus (SUB): 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points |
| Minimum Spend Requirement: Spend $8,000 within 3 months to earn the SUB |
| Earn 3X: Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable, and phone services, and on advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year. |
| Earn 1X: Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases, with no limit |
| Earn 1X: Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases, with no limit. |
| No Foreign Transaction Fees |
| Annual Fee: $95 |
Option B.2: The Chase Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card
| The Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card |
|---|
| Annual Fee: $0 |
| Intro Offer: Earn $900 cashback (90,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points) after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. |
| Earn: 1.5% cashback on all purchases |
Pro-Tip: Do not buy gift cards using a new American Express Credit Card to meet a minimum spend requirement. This is against their terms and can result in a clawback of your sign-up bonus (SUB).
Final Thoughts
I am a huge fan of these promotions and try to take advantage of them at every opportunity.
I highly encourage you to do the same, mainly if you are accumulating Chase Ultimate Rewards points or meeting a minimum spend requirement.
However, a gentle reminder is only to purchase the number of gift cards you can comfortably pay once your credit card statement comes around.
It is never a good idea to keep a balance on your cards and consequently pay high interest charges.
That will defeat the purpose of this hobby, which is frugal travel.
Do you plan to swing by Office Depot/Max this week too?
Hat Tip: Doctor of Credit
EDITORIAL DISCLOSURE – Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. The content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.”
