How to earn up to 15x rewards at Staples

When you think of Staples, office supplies are the first thing to come to mind. But did you know that they sell so much more than that? You can order quite a few household items from Staples that you’d otherwise get from the grocery store or Amazon. I’m going to show you how to earn up to 13x rewards at Staples.

After a brief hiatus, Staples is back on the Dosh app with a bigger offer. Now, you’ll earn 5% cash back with Dosh instead of 3% when this article originally published in May 2019. This news is a great opportunity to update and republish this article to help you save money by earning cash back on your purchases.

Click here to sign up with Dosh using my referral link and the promo code “TIMMY“.

** Update: Since this article was republished, Dosh reduced the cash back to 3% with a maximum of $5 cash back per day. You’ll need to spend $167 per day to max out the cash back. **

I want to thank Dosh for sponsoring this article. I’ve been using them for a couple of years now and love earning so much cash back when I eat and shop at participating locations and book hotels.

What else does Staples sell besides office supplies?

Of course, you can order printer ink, pens & paper, and staples at Staples. But they also sell plenty of other goodies online and in-store. Here are a few examples of things you should consider buying at Staples instead of other stores:

• Electronics like computers, laptops, and cell phones
• Batteries for all of your devices
• Lamps and shelving
• Coffee, soda, and water bottles
• Paper towels, paper plates, plastic utensils, and napkins
• Chips, snacks, gum, and candy
• Sponges, trash bags, hand soap, and laundry room supplies
• Packing tape, shipping boxes, and bubble wrap
• Business cards, posters, and envelopes
• Power tools, ladders, hardware, and light bulbs
• Gift cards for other stores and restaurants

You’re not going to be able to do all of your shopping at Staples, but you might find better prices and more rewards by buying some extra items at Staples instead of your normal store.

Use a credit card with Office Supply bonus

Buying with the right credit card makes all the difference. Some credit cards will pay up to 5x rewards when shopping at office supply stores. I’ve had the Chase Ink Business Preferred for years for my business. It is my go-to credit card when shopping at Staples and other office supply stores because it offers 5x Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Unfortunately, the old Ink Preferred that earns 5x is no longer available to new applicants, so you’ll need to find a different card to add to your wallet. Here are some of the best credit cards for office supplies:

• Ink Business Cash Credit Card – earns 5x Chase Ultimate Rewards on the first $25,000 combined spend on office supplies, internet, cable, and phone services each year.
• SimplyCash Plus Business Credit Card from American Express – offers 5% cash back on the first $50,000 combined of office supplies and wireless telephone services. Additionally, it also earns 3% cash back on a category of your choice, such as airfare, hotels, gas, or dining.
• U.S. Bank Business Edge Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard – while this credit card only earns 3% cash back on office supplies, gas, and cellular, the spend limit it uncapped.

What is unexpected in today’s credit card world is that all three of these business credit card options have no annual fee. To see the latest credit card offers and sign-up bonuses, go to our credit card marketplace.

Register for Dosh Cash Back App

I started using Dosh to earn cash back on dining at my favorite restaurants. Over the last couple of years, they’ve added many retailers so we can earn awesome cash back at many of the places we love to shop.

Recently, Dosh added Staples as a retailer partner. Dosh members will earn 5% cash back on their purchases with registered cards. Sign up for Dosh using my referral link and the promo code “TIMMY” to earn $5 after linking your first debit or credit card.

There are a few restrictions on the 5% cash back with Dosh.

1. There is a maximum of $20 cash back per day.
2. Valid only at Staples.com (using portals is ok)
3. No valid for in-store purchases.

In other words, you can spend $400 each day before the Dosh 5% cash back maxes out.

You don’t need to opt-in to this promotion. Simply use your Dosh-registered credit cards when checking out at Staples.com to receive your cash back.

Sign up for Staples Rewards

Staples offers its own rewards program called Staples Rewards. Members earn up to 5% back in rewards for shopping in-store, but you won’t earn anything for online shopping.

You’ll start out earning 2% back in reward certificates that you can spend on future Staples purchases. Once you spend at least $1,000 within 12 months, you’ll bump up to 5% back in rewards. Please note that this program excludes postage and gift cards.

As a bonus, all members of Staples Rewards receive free next-day delivery on orders of $49.99 or more.

Earn with shopping portals

Before I shop online anywhere, I always go to CashbackMonitor.com to see which shopping portals are offering the best rewards. Sometimes, I go for the cash back, while other times the airline miles or hotel points are a better value.

In the case of Staples, you can earn up to 5x rewards from seven different shopping portals. For cash back, I would pick RebatesMe for 5%, Top Cashback for 3% (referral link) or iConsumer for 7.2% (referral link).

To earn airline miles, I would opt for the United Mileage Plus mall to earn 4x miles per dollar you spend.

Keep in mind that you can either earn 5% from Staples Rewards (in-store) or the rewards from a shopping portal (online). These two options will not stack.

Use the United MileagePlus X app

The United MileagePlus X app allows you to buy gift cards on the spot to many of your favorite retailers and restaurants. Doing this allows you to earn credit card rewards AND United miles for your purchase.

Staples is one of the retailers participating in this app. Reports from readers indicate that the charges will post at office supplies so you would earn bonus rewards for that category.

At the time of this article, Staples was offering 3 United miles for every dollar that you buy in gift cards. I purchased a $5 Staples gift card (the minimum you can spend) to see if the transaction would stack with Dosh.

Dosh usually rewards cash back immediately, but I haven’t received after a couple of days. I assume the transaction coded with United as the merchant instead of Staples, so that is why I couldn’t stack the Staples cash back from Dosh.

The Bald Thoughts

I love being able to stack programs to maximize the rewards I earn when making purchases. Credit card rewards are just the first step in earning valuable rewards and cash back towards your next vacation. Sign up for store rewards programs and use online shopping portals to add another layer of rewards to your shopping. And, finally, take advantage of free cash back apps like Dosh where you can earn even more cash back.

How do you maximize your earnings when shopping at Staples?