A month ago, I started posting ways to earn free points and increase credit card spend by taking advantage of Staples’ free after rebate promotions on downloadable software. My first rebate has arrived, so I can now answer some questions that I couldn’t before!
Promotional Items
- Q: The Staples’ Terms and Conditions in the Ultimate Rewards Mall says that promotional items are excluded. Aren’t these free after rebate items “promotional”?
- A: I’ve done this three times now, and my Ultimate Rewards points posted quickly each time. So, either these items are not considered promotional, or Staples doesn’t enforce that restriction.
Rebate Time
- Q: How long will it take for my rebate to arrive?
- A: The Staples web site says to expect 6 to 8 weeks. My first rebates arrived after about 5 weeks so it looks like Staples’ estimate is fairly accurate.
Number of Checks
- Q: I bought 10 copies of the software. Will I receive 10 $45 checks or one $450 check?
- A: Well, my first rebate was actually a visa gift card, not a check, so I’m not 100% sure that checks will be the same, but with the Visa gift card I received just one. For another rebate in which I requested a check, I received email confirmation that the check was on its way. Strangely, I received 5 copies of this email even though I bought 10 copies of software. Only time will tell what that means.
Download
- Q: Do I have to download this software so that I can qualify for the rebate?
- A: No! I didn’t download any of the software I bought, but the first rebates processed successfully.
- Note: You might want to download a copy just in case. A few days ago my accountant recommended that I try out Quickbooks software. My first thought was “great! I already bought that for free!”. But then I saw that the expiration for download had already passed! If any one reading this has a copy they can send me, please let me know. My license keys should still be valid (I think…)
There is still time:
- Until March 24th, you can earn thousands of free points from Staples by buying free after rebate software.
- If you tried this deal and your purchase has a status of “researching” just give Staples a call. Once they verify that you really intend to buy this software, they’ll confirm the order.
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