How I got $20 off a Visa gift card

Actually, I have my mom to thank for this one.

Apparently, Staples sent out a kajillion (that being the technical term) emails to all the members on its mailing list. As an apology, it sent a $20 off $50 coupon.

Mom had no use for it, so she sent it to me. And my scheming little brain decided to test a theory.

I put a $50 Visa gift card in my cart, applied the coupon and started the checkout process. Sure enough, $20 was deducted from the total.

Clearly, Staples isn’t as uptight as OfficeMax about coupon restrictions.

Of course, I didn’t save exactly $20. There’s a $4.95 activation fee, and Staples charges a $1 shipping fee. Still, I got a $50 gift card for $35.95.

Pretty cool.

Anyway, I’m not writing this to brag. Well, okay, I’m not writing this just to brag. I’m telling you because I’m pretty sure you can get the same deal — on a fairly regular basis.

Back when I still subscribed to the Staples email, I routinely got $20 off $50 coupons in my inbox. It seemed like I got one every week, but it was probably closer to once a month. My memory likes to exaggerate.

I doubt that those coupons had any more restrictions than the one they sent my mom. In other words: Go sign up for the mailing list and see what lands in your inbox.

For the record, I have no relationship with Staples whatsoever. Except that I expect I’ll get a warm fuzzy feeling toward it when my GC comes in the mail.