Best options for buying Gift of College gift cards

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a close up of a gift card

This post covers the most rewarding options for buying Gift of College gift cards…

Gift of College Gift Cards Availability

Gift of College now offers a BUY IN-STORE LOCATOR. Note that this locator only shows stores that may sell the cards. Whether or not the cards are in-stock cannot be found online.

Many stores accept credit cards for the purchase of 3rd party gift cards, but the decision is usually left to the store manager. As a result, some of the stores that carry Gift of College gift cards won’t be useful for earning rewards if they don’t accept credit cards for the purchase.

Gift of College gift cards are currently available through the following stores and websites…

In-Store (up to $500)

When buying these gift cards in-store, it is always best to load $500 to each card purchased. In this way, you’ll minimize the $5.95 or $6.95 gift card fee as a percentage of the total amount spent. A $6.95 fee with a $500 load results in a 1.2% fee. As long as you pay with a rewards credit card that offers better than 1.2% value in rewards, you’ll come out ahead.

In-Store (up to $200)

  • CVS: $25 – $200
  • Fleet Farm: $25 – $200
  • Kinney Drugs: $25 – $200 ($50 in Vermont)
  • Stripes Stores: $25 – $200

Note that while the above stores are now selling Gift of College gift cards, the low maximum values mean that each card’s $5.95 or $6.95 fee is a large percentage of the overall transaction. As a result, these offer poor value unless you happen to have a credit card that offers a very large bonus at these stores.

Online

  • Fluz App max $200 (no purchase fee and get up to 1.5% back)
  • GiftOfCollege.com max $200
  • Kroger.com max $200
    (stack with fuel points – 2x fuel points every day or 4x during promos; see our post for more)
  • Walmart.com max $100
  • Also available through a few 529 Plan websites. Check your plan’s website to see if they sell these gift cards and to compare fees.

Among the online options, Fluz is clearly the best since it has no purchase fees and offers cash back.  The others all have significant purchase fees.

Credit Card Bonus Categories

Grocery Stores

Gift of College Gift Cards are currently available for purchase at multiple grocery store chains:

Many credit cards offer bonus points at grocery stores. Here are some of the best options:

Gas Stations

Gift of College Gift Cards are currently available for purchase at the following stores that are known to code as gas stations:

Many credit cards offer bonus points at gas stations, but you won’t earn a bonus for those that limit bonuses to “pay at the pump”. Here are some of the best options:

  • Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card: Earn 8X Wyndham points at gas stations!
  • Amex Business Gold: Earn 4X Membership Rewards on the two categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle from the following categories: ⚬ US purchases at restaurants ⚬ Airfare purchased directly from airlines ⚬ U.S. purchases for advertising in select media ⚬ U.S. purchases at gas stations ⚬ U.S. purchases for shipping ⚬ U.S. computer hardware, software, and cloud computing purchases made directly from select providers. 4X applies to first $150,000 in combined purchases in your two categories each calendar year, 1X point per dollar thereafter and on other purchases. Terms apply.
  • Citi Premier: Earn 3X ThankYou points per dollar at gas stations.
  • Amex EveryDay Preferred: Offers up to 3X Membership Rewards at gas stations: Earn 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar at US gas stations plus a 50% bonus each billing period in which you make 30 or more purchases.
  • Bank of America Business Advantage Cash Rewards Mastercard: Earn 2% on dining plus 3% on 1 choice from: gas stations (default), office supply stores, travel, TV/telecom & wireless, computer services or business consulting services (for the first $50,000 in combined choice/dining purchases each calendar year, 1% thereafter).  With Business Advantage Relationship Rewards Platinum Honors status (which requires $100K in savings and investments across Bank of America and Merrill Edge), you’ll get a 75% bonus on rewards.  This translates to 5.25% cash back within your chosen category of spend.
  • Bank of America Cash Rewards with Platinum Honors: You can get up to a 75% bonus through your banking relationship with Bank of America and/or Merrill Edge. This makes it possible to earn up to: 3.5% at grocery stores and 5.25% on gas up to the first $2,500 in combined purchases each quarter; and 1.75% cash back everywhere else.
  • More great options can be found here

More info

To learn more about how to earn miles when saving for college (or paying student loans), please see: Frequent Miler’s Miles for College.

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