How to Save at Staples: Rewards, Coupons, and Price Match Guarantee (2026)

Staples has more ways to save than most shoppers use. This guide covers Easy Rewards tiers, price match rules, coupon stacking, free shipping thresholds, and the best seasonal sale windows to plan big purchases around.

Office supplies are a $186 billion global market, and small businesses spend $77 to $92 per employee each month on supplies. That adds up fast. Staples has more ways to cut that bill than most shoppers know about. There’s a loyalty program, a solid price match policy, and a sales calendar that gets very good a few times a year. This guide covers all of it.

Staples Easy Rewards: How the Loyalty Program Works

Easy Rewards earns 1 point per dollar you spend in-store, online, or via the app. Every 200 points equals $1 off. That’s a 0.5% return. Not big, but it builds fast once you add the bonus picks.

Here’s where it gets better. At sign-up, you pick 3 bonus categories for 2x points. Options: ink and toner, tech, paper, furniture, cleaning supplies. Pick what you buy the most. Ink users, that’s your pick. It earns twice as fast.

The tier structure is where the real perks kick in. Base members ($0 to $249/year) get the standard rate. Hit $250 and you’re Base+. That means free shipping with no order minimum. Hit $1,000 and you’re Premier, with priority support. If you order a few times a month, crossing $250 is easy and worth doing.

Points don’t expire as long as you earn or redeem at least once every 18 months. That’s a wide window. Occasional shoppers won’t lose their balance the way they do with tighter programs.

How to Maximize Your Easy Rewards Points

Pick your 3 bonus categories based on what you buy the most. If ink and toner tops your Staples spend, pick it first. Paper and cleaning supplies are good picks for bulk buyers.

Recycling earns points at no cost to you. Drop off empty ink cartridges and get 100 to 400 points each, based on your tier. Tech items earn 1,000 points per month. Up to 10 cartridges count each month. If you go through 4 to 6 per month, that’s 400 to 2,400 free points. Just for dropping off empties.

One detail many guides skip is the activation step. Since 2025, Staples moved bonus point offers to in-app opt-in. They don’t apply on their own. Check the “My Deals” tab before any big order. Miss this and you earn the base rate when you could earn 5x or 10x.

Staples Coupons and Promo Codes

Staples runs promos all year. Codes are live about 60% of the time and most run 10% to 40% off. During big sale windows, furniture and print deals can hit 50% off. Good to know before a big buy.

New email sign-ups get $15 off orders of $60 or more. Do that first. The Coupon Corner at staples.com has weekly codes, but the list is hit or miss. Check verified Staples codes at DontPayFull before checkout. Takes 30 seconds and often turns up codes the Coupon Corner doesn’t have.

From tracking codes across thousands of stores, a pattern shows up with Staples. Furniture codes (20% off 5+ items), print deals (30% to 40% off banners), and paper BOGO offers show up more often than tech codes. If you’re buying furniture or placing a big print job, wait for a code. They come up often.

Coupon Stacking Rules at Staples

In-store, you can use up to 5 promo codes per transaction. Each code applies to a different item. Two coupons can’t hit the same product. Online, it works the same way per item, but different items in your cart can each use a separate code.

Rewards points always stack with promo codes. You earn on the lower total. That counts. The exception: price match requests can’t be paired with a coupon on the same item. Auto-applied discounts at checkout have the same limit.

Staples Price Match Guarantee Explained

Staples matches the price on any identical item from a listed competitor. The item must be in stock when you ask. Same brand, model, color, and quantity. No swaps.

The list covers Amazon (sold by Amazon, not third-party sellers), Walmart, Best Buy, Office Depot, Target, Costco, Dell, HP, Quill, Sam’s Club, and WB Mason. For print jobs, it also matches FedEx Office and UPS Store. That’s more than most shoppers expect.

The 14-day window is the part most people skip. Buy something today, find it cheaper at a listed competitor within two weeks, and Staples refunds the gap. You don’t need to catch the lower price before you buy.

How to Request a Price Match

In-store, show an associate either a printed ad or the live competitor website on your phone with the lower price visible. The product must show as in stock at the competitor at that moment.

Online, use live chat or call 1-800-333-3330. Have a screenshot or URL showing the lower price and confirming the item is in stock. For post-purchase adjustments, same process, same 14-day window. The refund goes back to your original payment method.

Price Match Exclusions to Watch

Marketplace sellers on Amazon or Walmart don’t qualify. This trips people up. Amazon listings often show first-party and third-party offers side by side. Before you rely on an Amazon price, check that it says “sold by Amazon” and “fulfilled by Amazon.”

Black Friday and Cyber Monday prices are excluded. So are clearance, open-box, limited-quantity items, and BOGO deals. Bundles with gift cards or rebates don’t qualify. There’s also a limit of one price-matched item per customer per day.

Staples Free Shipping: Delivery Options and Order Minimums

Free next-day delivery kicks in at $35 on most items, weekdays only. Ink and toner orders over $35 also ship free. Base+ members get free shipping with no minimum at all.

Same-day in-store pickup is free on most items. And here’s a trick: some items cost less online than in the store. BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick Up In Store) lets you pay the online price and grab it the same day. The gap can hit 30% on some items. No shipping fee either.

AutoRestock: Subscribe and Save on Recurring Purchases

AutoRestock gives 5% off one recurring item, or 10% off when you subscribe to two or more at once. Free shipping on all AutoRestock orders, every time. Pause, skip, or cancel anytime.

Best for: ink and toner, paper, coffee, cleaning items, trash bags. These are low-variance items with a set reorder cycle. The 10% discount stacks with your rewards points. You earn on the lower price.

The Savings Stack: How to Combine Discounts for Maximum Savings

The real opportunity at Staples is layering discounts. Most shoppers use one at a time. Here’s how the full stack looks on a single order.

Layer 1: Promo code or coupon. Apply a verified code at checkout. A 10% code on a $200 order saves $20 before anything else.

Layer 2: Easy Rewards points. You earn points on the discounted total. Use 2x bonus categories where they apply. On a $180 post-code total with 2x on ink, you’re earning 360 points worth $1.80.

Layer 3: Cashback portal. Rakuten often pays 2% to 3% back on Staples orders. Activate it before checkout.

Layer 4: Post-purchase price match. Found a lower price within 14 days? Request the adjustment. Works well on tech, where prices shift often.

Layer 5: AutoRestock for repeat orders. Subscribe to two items and get 10% off both, plus points on the lower price.

So what does this look like with real numbers? Start with a $200 order. A 10% code drops it to $180. Cashback at 3% is $5.40. Points on $180 at 2x in a bonus category gives you 360 points, worth $1.80. That’s roughly $27 back before a price match even comes into play.

Staples Seasonal Sales Calendar

Staples runs four major sale windows per year, and knowing the timing lets you plan big purchases around them.

New Year Reset (January). Storage, print services, and file supplies go up to 30% off. Good time to buy a shredder.

Tax Season (March-April). Shredders drop up to 40% off, plus filing gear and tax software. If you’ve been holding off on a shredder, this is usually the best price of the year.

Back to School (mid-June through mid-September). Supplies go as low as $0.25. The app gives out free items each week. Teacher deals run during this window, including Teacher Days.

Easy Deal Days (early October). Staples ran this sale in October 2025, with up to 40% off 1,000+ items. Select items earned 100% back in points. It’s a pre-holiday event.

Black Friday and Cyber Week (late November). Staples’ 2025 Black Friday ran through December 6 with up to 50% off tech and furniture. Laptops dropped up to $280. Best time of year for tech buys.

Holiday Sales (December). Custom cards and photo gifts go 40% to 50% off. Good for offices that send cards in bulk.

Staples for Teachers and Students

Teachers get up to 20% off in-store and 10% off tech during Teacher Days. No long sign-up. If you buy for a class, that’s real money on items schools rarely cover.

Classroom Rewards lets you send your earned points to a teacher. It won’t save you money. But it’s good to know if you shop for a school.

Students get 15% to 20% off laptops, monitors, and dorm furniture via Student Beans. The tech side is the most useful part. Staples has solid low-cost laptops, and that range stays strong year-round.

Back-to-school runs mid-June through mid-September. Each week the app gives out free items: Sharpies, erasers, notebooks. Small, but free is free.

Staples Business Advantage: Savings for Companies

Larger companies can set up a Staples Business Advantage account. You get custom pricing, an account manager, and free next-day delivery. If you place large orders on a set schedule, the pricing is the main draw.

Smaller businesses have the Select Membership: $79 per year for up to 19 employees. You get 10% off Staples brand items and 3% back on orders over $250. Business accounts also earn rewards points. Is $79 worth it? At $1,000 per year in Staples spend, the 10% brand discount pays for the fee many times over.

Tracking coupon use across business accounts, one pattern keeps coming up. Small offices grab a code, use it once, and move on. They skip the subs and tiers sitting right there. AutoRestock plus a business plan can cut yearly supply costs by 15% to 20%. That’s far more than any single code delivers.

Insider Tips to Save Even More at Staples

The Amazon return hack. Drop off an Amazon package at any Staples location and you can walk out with a $10 off $30 or 15% off coupon. You’re making the trip anyway. The coupon costs you nothing.

App deals. The “My Deals” tab has offers that don’t show up on the website. They’re tied to your order history and often beat public codes. Check before every order.

Split big orders with Affirm. Staples has pay-later through Affirm. A $400 printer becomes 4 payments of $100 over 6 weeks. No interest, no extra charge.

Clearance tech. When new laptop and printer models come in, the old ones drop hard. Think 30% to 40% below the launch price on still-good gear.

BOPIS. If you live near a Staples, ordering online for in-store pickup gets you the online price with no shipping fee. Same-day pickup, no delivery wait.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Staples price match Amazon?

Yes, but only for items sold and shipped directly by Amazon. Third-party sellers don’t count. The product must be the same brand, model, color, and quantity. It also needs to be in stock at Amazon when you ask. You can request the match at checkout or within 14 days after buying.

Can you stack coupons at Staples?

In-store you can use up to 5 promo codes per order, but each one must apply to a different item. Two coupons on the same product won’t work. Rewards points always stack with codes, so you earn on the lower price. Price matches can’t be paired with a coupon on the same item.

Does Staples offer free shipping?

Yes. Orders of $35 or more get free next-day delivery on most items, weekdays only. Base+ members get free shipping with no minimum at all. AutoRestock orders always ship free too.

What is the Staples Easy Rewards program?

Easy Rewards is Staples’ loyalty program. You earn 1 point per dollar spent. You also pick 3 bonus categories that earn 2x. Every 200 points equals $1 off. Points don’t expire as long as you use the account every 18 months. Spend $250 per year and you hit Base+ (free shipping, no minimum). Spend $1,000 and you’re Premier.

Do teachers get a discount at Staples?

Yes. Up to 20% off in-store and 10% off tech during Teacher Appreciation Days. Staples also runs Classroom Rewards, where shoppers can send their earned points to a teacher of their choice.

How do I use a Staples coupon code online?

Add items to your cart, then enter the code at checkout. One coupon per item, but each item in your cart can use its own code. Check the DontPayFull Staples coupons page for verified active codes before you start.

Sources

1. Circana: U.S. office supplies industry market data, 2024
2. Fortune Business Insights: Global office supplies market valuation and growth forecast, 2026
3. Retail Dive: Staples Easy Deal Days launch announcement, October 2025
4. Yahoo Finance / BusinessWire: Staples Black Friday 2025 details and discount ranges

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