We are an independent publisher. Our reporters create honest, accurate, and objective content to help you make decisions. To support our work, we are paid for providing advertising services. Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Next” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. The compensation we receive and other factors, such as your location, may impact what ads and links appear on our site, and how, where, and in what order ads and links appear. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, our site does not include information about every product or service that may be available to you. We strive to keep our information accurate and up-to-date, but some information may not be current. So, your actual offer terms from an advertiser may be different than the offer terms on this site. And the advertised offers may be subject to additional terms and conditions of the advertiser. All information is presented without any warranty or guarantee to you.

This page may include: credit card ads that we may be paid for (“advertiser listing”); and general information about credit card products (“editorial content”). Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Apply Now” button or “Learn More” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. When you click on that hyperlink or button, you may be directed to the credit card issuer’s website where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer. Each advertiser is responsible for the accuracy and availability of its ad offer details, but we attempt to verify those offer details. We have partnerships with advertisers such as Brex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo and Discover. We also include editorial content to educate consumers about financial products and services. Some of that content may also contain ads, including links to advertisers’ sites, and we may be paid on those ads or links.

For more information, please see How we make money.

Easy 5x points on all spend: The ultimate guide to Visa and Mastercard gift card deals

  • Meghan Hunter

    • Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

    Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.

    If you’re looking for an easy way to earn more miles & points, consider buying gift cards. Using the right credit card to purchase gift cards at certain types of retailers can net serious bonus rewards.

    I always consider this route when I’m giving a gift for a special occasion, like a birthday or graduation. Sure, everyone loves cash. But a gift card is more or less the same — and you can earn miles & points for your purchase! Plus, retailers often offer deals on gift cards, like waived purchase fees or automatic rebates. With zero purchase fees, you’re essentially earning free money on these gift cards when you maximize your spend.

    Just note that banks can claw back rewards if they suspect you’re abusing the system. So we don’t recommend exploiting this process.

    Here’s what you need to know about buying Visa and Mastercard gift cards. Including the current deals, where to buy them and which credit cards you should be using.

    Current Visa and Mastercard gift card deals

    Staples is offering waived purchase fees on its $200 Visa gift cards. Here are the details:

    These cards are pin-enabled, which means you can use them for just about anything you’d typically use a debit card for, including paying bills.

    You’re buying a $200 gift card for $200 since the purchase fee is waived — what this effectively does is give you up to 5x points on all spend if you’re using the right card to pay for the gift card. More on that below.

    (Photo by lentamart/Shutterstock)

    Where to buy Mastercard and Visa gift cards

    You’ve got lots of options when it comes to buying Visa and MasterCard gift cards, including:

    Having these options is nice because it means you can maximize the bonus points you earn for your gift card purchases by using the appropriate credit card.

    Which cards to use at which locations

    The Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card, for example, earns 5% (5x Chase Ultimate Rewards points) back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on phone, internet, and cable TV services each account anniversary year. So if you buy a single $200 Visa Gift Card at Staples with this deal using your Ink Business Cash card, you’ll earn $10 back (or 1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points). If you have either the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, your points could be worth even more. We value Ultimate Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, meaning 1000 points would be worth $17.

    Right now, the Ink Business Cash card is offering a fantastic $500 bonus (or 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points if you’re a Sapphire cardholder) after spending $3,000 within the first three months of account opening.

    Office Depot has been known to run similar promotions in the past. And using a card that earns bonus rewards at office supply stores would work here, too.

    Remember also that grocery stores usually sell gift cards for a variety of different retailers. So you could use a credit card that earns bonus rewards at grocery stores to maximize your gift card purchases.

    Right now, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is an excellent choice for grocery store purchases. New cardmembers will not only earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Here’s our review of the Freedom Unlimited.

    Or you could use a card like the American Express® Gold Card that earns 4x Amex points at U.S. supermarkets on the first $25,000 spent per calendar year, then 1x. Buying a $500 gift card at a supermarket would net you 4,000 Amex Membership Rewards points, which are worth $72 according to our valuations. You can read our full review of the card here.

    Finally, select gas stations also sell Visa gift cards. You can use a card that earns bonus points on gas purchases, like the Citi Premier® Card which earns 3x ThankYou points at gas stations.

    Bottom line

    One of the easiest ways to earn travel rewards is by buying gift cards. And when a store is offering a no-fee purchase deal, you really can’t go wrong. Just be sure to use a card that maximizes rewards to earn free points on your purchase.

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)