Staples Easy Rewards (formerly Staples Rewards)

Staples Easy Rewards took over from Staples Rewards and the Classroom Rewards program in February 2024, a Staples help page says. The terms set one base earn rate for every member. A shopper can sign up in a store, online or in the Staples app, and creating a Staples account brings the shopper into the program. Points count at Staples stores in the U.S., on staples.com, in the app, by phone and at some outside marketplaces. Buying through Staples Contract & Commercial LLC does not count.

The base rate is 1 point for each $1 spent. Points are counted on what the shopper pays after coupons, discounts and point redemptions. Sales tax and shipping charges never earn. Gift cards, stamps, clearance items, protection plans, subscriptions, travel and notary services and bulk orders earn nothing. Each member can pick up to three bonus categories at a time that earn double points or more, and can swap them as often as they like. Offers that the member turns on add bonus points on up to $9,999 of buying per offer. Points for a store purchase usually show up in 24 to 48 hours, but the terms allow up to 30 business days.

Two hundred points take $1 off, so the base rate gives back 0.5% of spending. Members redeem in whole dollars at checkout, starting at 200 points, and up to $49,999 in one sale. In a store, the member scans the app card or gives a phone number, then shows a government photo ID whose name matches the account. Points do not expire while the account stays active, which takes one point earned or spent every 18 months. An account idle for 18 months can be shut down by Staples, which wipes out its balance. Staples has to give 30 days' notice before it makes points worth less.

Ink and toner run through the whole program. Members can bring empty cartridges to a store or mail them in with printed labels. Each cartridge earns points, starting at 100, up to a monthly limit that shows on the member's dashboard. Points for cartridges sent in by mail can take up to 60 business days to post. Staples still takes cartridges past the limit but pays no points on them. On October 7, 2026, a banner on staples.com promoted 40% back in points on all ink and toner.

Staples Plus is the paid layer, at $49 a year with automatic renewal. It includes Easy Rewards and raises the ink rates to 20 points per $1 on ink and toner, which is 10% back. Plus members also get 400 points for each recycled cartridge, for up to 20 cartridges a month. Other perks include an 8-ream case of Staples copy paper for $37.99 online, up to three a month, plus free delivery and business pricing on staples.com. Each Plus member also names five Custom Picks that Staples prices against rivals such as Amazon, Office Depot and Walmart. Points cannot pay the fee, and a member who cancels within 30 days gets a full refund.

The base return is 0.5%. A Plus member who recycles 20 cartridges in a month earns 8,000 points, or $40, which is close to the $49 yearly fee in a single month. Under the 18-month activity window, a member who shops only at back-to-school time each year keeps the balance alive.