Per Chasing the Points, $200 Visa gift cards are now available for purchase online.
Possibility of 10x
There is a possibility to get 10X at Staples now if you have a Chase Ink Card. I was able to use the Discover Cash Back portal to get 5% and also pay with my Chase Ink to get another 5x points.
Here is a link to where you can earn the most. It looks as though Discover and Upromise are the top portals to earn cash back.
At first, I did not see the $200 link on the site but when I clicked through to the actual product, the $200 option showed up.
Where is the $200 option?
There it is!
The Hard Math
If you were to purchase $1,000 worth of gift cards, the total cost would be $1,034.75. There is a $6.95 fee attached to each card but shipping is FREE if you enter your staples rewards number.
$1,034.75 * 5 = 5,174 Chase UR Points.
$1000 * 5% = $50 Cash Back
5,174 Points = $71 + $50 = $121 Cash Back – Fees (34.75)
Total Value = $86 per $1000 purchased. I calculated this by using Frequent Milers fair trading prices and subtracting the cost of the fees.
What Does This Mean?
As you can see, it is now easier to earn points by staying at home and not going into the store. Keep in mind that you will have to wait for Staples to ship these items to you. In my experience, it takes about 3-4 days for the shipment to reach you. If you can wait, the costs for manufactured spend can be offset greatly and see that you actually even make a profit in the end along with points.
H/T to Chasing the Points
