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Are you wondering what all the fuss is about Staples Rewards? At first glance, they are not any cheaper than Wal-Mart. Why is Staples mentioned in nearly all savings sites online? 

Here’s the skinny on Staples 101:

1. Get Rewarded. There are multiple ways to earn at Staples. The first thing you’ve gotta do is to apply for and get a Staples Rewards card. These are free, offer no credit checks and are simple to do. Just fill out a form in the store or online and “bam” (that was “easy”) – you’re in the Staples family.
2. Now what? The next step is become familiar with sales and deals via sales flyers or online at Staples.com. You’ll see a host of products offered at discounts and sales. Pay attention to are the items that offer extra or bonus “Reward Points”.For example; Currently Staples is offering 50% back in reward bucks on cases and half cases of paper. This is significant. If you pick up $44.00 worth of case paper in the store, you’ll earn $22.00 in rewards for that quarter. 
3. Check Weekly Deals. Every week a flyer comes out, which you can view online, in stores, or in the Sunday paper. Some sales, like this case paper double back deal, are offered for a few weeks. Others appear and disappear in a mere seven days. This is why you’ll need to check often to catch these deals.
4. Cash back adds up. Not to slam Wal-Mart, but buying certain items from Staples is usually a savvier bet. Even if you find an office need, (like a printer cartridge) a few bucks cheaper elsewhere, you won’t rack up the extras like you will from Staples. Try getting $22 bucks back from Wal-Mart to test this theory.
5.  Recycle for Greenbacks. Staples offer additional means to earn rewards. Recycle your ink by dropping it off, let the cashier scan your card, and check your online account in a few days. You’ll see a tab on the Staples Rewards account page for recycle rewards. Each cartridge is worth $3.00 in rewards points to you. You can recycle up to 10 a month, unless you make 1K in annual purchases from Staples. After that, you’re kicking into their “Premier” rewards program. Then your recycle ante  is upped to 20 cartridges a month and you’ll get free delivery on all orders (unless it’s a custom product). Until you quality for Premier Rewards, prevent online delivery charges by placing orders of fifty bucks or higher, unless Staples is having a special promotion.
6. Monthly & Quarterly Rewards. Keeping track of this can be challenging till you get the hang of it. With ink recycling rewards expect a refund in the way of email or snail mail (you can set this to your preference) about 23 days into the following month. September’s recycle rewards, for instance, will be sent on October 21-23. Quarterly, any qualifying purchases you’ve made, (usually ink, toner, paper or printing) acquires points. These vary depending on the deal’s offered,  but usually average about 10% or more. Spend a hundred bucks in a quarter on qualifying purchases- you’ll get a rewards check for $10 back. You need at least ten dollars in rewards to get a quarterly check mailed. If you don’t have enough, it will rollover into the next quarter. Quarters are as follows: Jan- May, April- June, July- Sept, and Oct- Dec. Rewards checks are not cash. Instead they are vouchers to be used online or in the stores like cash.
7.  Special coupons and offers to members. From time to time, you’ll find special offers and coupons or sales sent to you via mail or email as a member.

My current quarterly transactions include a $10 check and a recycle check of $18 for September. Not bad, given I changed accounts in August and these rewards are only reflective of one full month of use. Tomorrow I’ll give some FAQ’s and pointers on making the most of your Staples Rewards Program.

Introduction