ADVERTISER DISCLOSURE: The Frugal Tourist is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as MileValue.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Additionally, the content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired.

---

The Office Depot/Office Max Visa Gift Card (VGC) Deal

---

Office Depot/Max is back with their regular discounted Visa Gift Cards (VGCs) deal.

This discount is only available for in-store purchases from April 14th through April 20th, 2024.

With this deal, $15 is instantly deducted at the register if you purchase at least $300 worth of Visa gift cards in-store.

This is a fantastic 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.

You can also use a credit card that earns bonus points at Office Supply Stores.

The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card currently earns 5 points per dollar at Office Supply Stores, including at Office Depot and Office Max.

---

Updates

---

Date	Details
March 2024	Stores can sell a maximum of 10 cards X $200 per transaction. Each card has an activation fee of $7.95. Ten cards will total $2070.95. You get $15 off every $300, so $2070.95 will earn a $90 discount. The final amount is $1,989.50 after the discount. Total earnings: $10.50 plus 9,947.5 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points earned from the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (CIC). The CIC earns 5X per dollar at office supply stores ($1,989.50 X 5 = 9,947.5 Chase points).
August 2023	When you purchase 6 X $200 Visa Gift Cards in one transaction, $60 will be automatically discounted. You must provide your driver’s license to complete purchases over $1000.
May 2023	When you purchase 3 X $200 Visa Gift Cards (total: $600 + activation fees), $30 will be automatically discounted.

---

Earn 5X Points Per Dollar at Office Depot/Office Max

---

As mentioned above, we recommend using a credit card that earns 5 points per dollar, like the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card, at office supply stores. 

I love accumulating credit card points for free travel and hotel stays, so I always try to take advantage of office supply promotions whenever they come around. 

If you use a 5x-earning credit card, this promo can add about 1,500 travel points to your stash per visit.

If you visit a few times this week, you can easily double or triple your earnings.

---

Stacking Opportunities

---

Stack 1: Dosh

Heads Up: Possible Account Suspension if Dosh notices that your purchases are mostly gift cards.

The ” DOSH ” cashback app also offers a 2% cashback for Office Depot/Max purchases. 

Although Dosh states that gift cards do not earn cashback, my experience has been the opposite. However, make sure to 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 wonderful opportunity to get travel points and earn up to a $30-discount simultaneously, but the possibility of receiving cashback from Dosh makes this deal even more lucrative.

Make sure you link the credit card you plan on using to your Dosh account before making this purchase. 

Some data points (DPs) suggest 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: Bank Offers

---

After setting up DOSH and PAYCE, check bank offers to see if they have cashback opportunities with Office Depot or Office Max. 

They also typically offer these cash-back deals from multiple bank credit cards – both consumer/personal and business cards – so make sure to check all your credit card offers.

I use the Cardpointers Chrome Extension to add all my bank offers to my credit cards automatically, 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 Payce by linking the card you plan to use.
• Add/Activate any Office Depot/Office Max and bank offers. 

STEP 3:

The following options will trigger the discount:

Option 1: Buy two (2) $200 Visa Gift Cards (VGC)

Option 2: Purchase one (1) $200 VGC and one (1) $100 VGC

Option 3: NEW! Buying 3 X $200 gift cards can trigger the discount twice. Thus, buying $600 worth of gift cards (3 X $200) in one transaction will give a discount of $30 ($15 X 2).

Option 4: Buying Everywhere Visas will also trigger this discount. I typically purchase Grocery Everywhere Visas, which can be easily liquidated at Costco. Everywhere Visas have a lower activation fee ($3.95-$5.95). More details below.

Update: New Visa Gift Cards now have an activation fee of $7.95.

---

Options	Total Cost	With Discount	Profit	5X Per Dollar
A. Two (2) $200 VGC for 207.95 each.	$415.90	$400.90	-$.90	2,005
B. One (1) $207.95 VGC and one (1) $107.95 VGC	$314.90	$299.90	$.10	1,500
C. Three (3) $207.95 VGCs	$623.85	$593.85 ($30 off)	$6.15	2970
D. Three (3) $205.95 Grocery Everywhere ($5.95 Activation Fee)	$617.85	$587.85	$12.15	2940

---

---

Office Depot Visa Gift Cards	Activation Fees
Visa Gift Cards	$7.95
Everywhere Dining	$4.95
Everywhere Grocery	$5.95

STEP 4:

Get the $15-$30 discount, instant cashback from Dosh, Payce, or bank offers, and credit card points with just one swipe of your linked card.

STEP 5:

Since you can only get the $15-$30 discount once per visit, you can potentially repeat the process a few times during the promo week to accrue more travel points.

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.

---

Everywhere Visa Gift Cards

---

Everywhere Visa gift cards are another type of Visa gift card that is eligible for this promotion.

While not as flexible as regular Visa Gift Cards, some points enthusiasts might find the Everywhere Visa gift cards more budget-friendly as their activation fees are cheaper.

Several “Everywhere” Visa Gift cards are available in-store, but I only purchase two:

• Everywhere Grocery Visa Gift Card ($5.95 Activation Fee) – can be used at supermarkets, including Costco
• Everywhere Dining Visa Gift Cards ($4.95 Activation Fee) – can be used at restaurants and may be accepted at Costco

---

How To Use These Gift Cards

---

You can use these gift cards to cover any of the below expenses:

1. Estimated Taxes
2. Medical Bills
3. Utilities: Electricity, Water, Internet, Phone, Garbage, etc.
4. Groceries
5. Gas (you need to pay inside)
6. Auto Insurance
7. Home Insurance
8. Car Repair/Maintenance
9. Restaurants
10. Shopping (in-store and online)
11. Costco Gift Cards

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 of purchasing 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.

---

Which Credit Card to Use?

---

Option A:  Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

---

A Credit Card that Earns 5 Points Per Dollar at Office Supply Stores

Fraud Alert: If you use your 5X-Earning Credit Card like the Chase Ink Business Cash to buy gift cards for the first time, ensure you have your phone with you, as the bank may send you a fraud alert via text. The bank will approve the transaction once you verify who is making the purchase, 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.

However, do not use an American Express credit card, as AMEX claws back bonuses if spending requirements are met by buying gift cards. Instead, use your new AMEX on your daily organic purchases.

---

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

---

1. When Does Office Depot/Office Max Announce These Gift Card Sales?

---

The only way to know is to swing by Office Depot on a Sunday to determine whether they have gift cards on sale.

We also announce it on our free Travel Miles and Points Facebook Group.

---

2. How Often Does Office Depot/Office Max Have These Gift Cards Sales?

---

Office Depot/Office Max has been running Visa and Mastercard gift card sales about 1-2X per month.

As stated above, we announce these sales in our free Travel Miles and Points Facebook Group.

---

3. Do I Need to Register These Gift Cards Before Use?

---

It is not necessary to register these gift cards before use.

You can complete your online purchases using any billing address if the gift cards are not registered.

---

4. When Should I Use These Gift Cards?

---

These gift cards are considered debit cards, so you can use them anywhere debit cards and credit cards are accepted in the United States.

This blog post has a list of ideas on where you can use these gift cards.

---

5. When Should I Not Use These Gift Cards?

---

We do not recommend using these gift cards in the following scenarios:

• Do not use gift cards when purchasing high-ticket items that require purchase protection. Instead, I’d use a credit card that offers purchase protection or an extended warranty.

• Do not use gift cards when you will likely need to return items in the future.

---

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 accumulate credit card points or need to meet a minimum spending requirement.

However, a gentle reminder is to purchase only the number of gift cards you can comfortably pay for 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?

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.”

---