Help TPG Teachers Through Staples' Reward A Classroom Program
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
The first day of school is just around the corner, so if you're a parent or student, chances are you'll be spending some cash to prep for the new year. That means plenty of opportunities for earning bonus points of back-to-school supplies (stay tuned for an upcoming post), but it also creates opportunities to help teachers all around the country stock their classrooms with much needed supplies with Staples Rewards' "Reward A Classroom" program. Simply put, Staples will give 2-5% of your spend (up to $50 a year) to a teacher who is enrolled in the program to be used for Staples purchases. This requires minimal effort on your part and the teacher automatically gets the credit- no need to keep receipts or submit anything once you are linked to a teach. Each registered teacher can have up to 40 people linked to their account, so they can get up to $2,000 in Staples credit a year, which is no small chunk of change.
How This Works
If you are a teacher who participates in Staples' Teacher Rewards, or a parent whose child has a teacher who is enrolled in the Reward A Classroom program and you want our help in linking more Staples Rewards account to your account for the extra bonuses, email us at teacher@thepointsguy.com, and we'll put together a list of teachers who could use free supplies from Staples. We will not publish a future post with any of this information, but we will give out the information to any TPG readers who wants to help out. In the subject line, put TEACHER ADDITION.
If you spend money at Staples and want to help out, email teacher@thepointsguy.com and put TEACHER REQUEST in the subject line and we will respond back with a Teacher Rewards Number and information on how to do the one-time linking. If you don't have any plans to spend at Staples, please don't request a teacher because they can only have 40 people linked to their account each year and if you link and don't spend, that's lost (free!) supplies for them.
Quadruple Dip + Karma
So what is the points angle here? If you have the Chase Ink Bold, Ink Plus, Ink Classic or Ink Business Cash Credit Card you earn 5 valuable Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent at office supply stores (like Staples), plus you can earn an additional 3 points per dollar by shopping at Staples.com through the Ultimate Rewards shopping portal, plus you'll earn your usual 5% Staples Rewards, and you'll be earning bonus rewards for a worthy teacher. It's a win-win-win-win.
Reward A Classroom Details
Staples Rewards members can earn up to 5% back on purchases in the form of rewards, but they can also designate a teacher who can earn additional bonuses including 2% back in rewards on everything excluding postage, phone/gift cards and savings passes, and 5% back in rewards on Copy & Print purchases. Teachers can earn up to $50 from as many as 40 parents per year for a grand total of $2,000 back in rewards. The awards that the teacher earns are in addition to what you earn, so there's really no reason why you wouldn't want to have free money donated to a teacher.
First, teachers need to have a Teacher Rewards number, which you can sign up for here. Next they can register up for a Reward A Classroom account here. Then you can share your Rewards A Classroom account with parents and friends who can link to it, and then when they make purchases at Staples with their own Staples Rewards account, the teacher automatically earns those additional rewards. Parents can find teachers rewards account at this link by searching by name, school and city/state.
To find out more about the program, visit the FAQ page here.
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at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.