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Check your just for U account for a high-value coupons for a Visa gift card. You can actually turn a profit on this deal!
The Deal
Through September 28, 2019, you can get $10 off one $100+ Visa gift card by clipping the coupon in your just for U account at Safeway or other Albertsons branded grocery stores. This is a great deal, especially if you have a credit card that gives you rewards at grocery stores. These gift cards can be used like a debit card at other stores which do not give you a category reward on your credit card. Don’t wait to clip it, though, as last time I noticed that the coupon disappears from your account at some point prior to the expiration date if you don’t clip it.
Savings Breakdown
Here’s how the savings break out. Each card has an activation fee. The fee is $6.95 for the $200 card and $5.95 for the $100 card. If you bought the $200 card (which I recommend), you would have up to $200 to spend, but only have paid $196.95. That’s $3.05 profit right off the bat. I suppose you could just get the minimum $100 card and make $4.05, but $200 Visas are more valuable to me for getting money orders.
Maximize Your Rewards
Of course I can’t be satisfied with only $3.05 in profit. I’ll also use a credit card that has a rewards category at grocery stores. Normally for us, that’s the American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card with 6% cash back on up to $6000 per year in the grocery store category. Due to this cap, I try to look for other cards to occasionally mix in, since we will inevitably hit that cap well before the end of the year.
Chase Freedom Q2
Right now, Chase Freedom’s second quarter bonus category is grocery stores. Cha-ching! 5x Ultimate Rewards for us since we also have a premium Ultimate Rewards-earning card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Chase Ink Business Preferred. This is the last month in the quarter, so we have some more spending to do before we hit the $1500 limit on the Chase Freedom. I keep a spreadsheet of our 5x category spending each month so that I know if we’ve maxed it out early or need to spend up before the end of the quarter. If you’d like more information on using Chase Ultimate Rewards, check out this article.
Calculating the Savings
So now the math looks like this: $3.05 from Safeway, plus $11.82 cash back on the American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card or 985 Ultimate Rewards points on the Chase Freedom. This may vary for you depending on your rewards-earning credit card, but make sure it is one that earns a category bonus at grocery stores!
Check Your Local Store’s Brand
Be sure to clip the coupon to your just for U account and use your number or card at the register to get the discount. If you’re not sure which stores are owned by Albertsons in your area, take a look below. You can find this clickable image here if you scroll to the bottom of the page.
