Can you I use Gift/Reward Card to pay my bills

[nick__45]

I am getting a $1000 Reward Card from Sears for points I gather during the last 7 years. Can I use it to pay my bills on the Sears Card account? I called and the store cashiers didn't know. I have no use for a gift card, which is the greatest scam ever. It promotes wasteful spending much worse than a credit card because people figure that the money is already gone and don't pinch themselves before purchasing with gift cards.

[LittleMsMom]

As far as I can tell from their website, your rewards can only be applied to NEW online or instore purchases.

Is there anything you purchased recently on your Credit Card that you could return and rebuy it using the "Rewards"?

[nick__45]

Not at Sears. I haven't shopped at Sears in ages. I guess I could buy that saw I wanted it and started doing woodworking to save money. I originally want to use it to get a complete tool set but we have so much tools at work that I can rent the bay from for $4.5 and use to lift for safety. Therefore, I think it is cheaper to do car work at work in A/C or heated garage and not be bothered by bugs and mosquitoes as well as being safe.

The only thing I could see myself using the gift card is for tires but I just got tires from Costco and prefer those over Sears. Maybe alignment work but I don't even know if the mechanics at Sears actually do the work or just charge and not touch anything. The last 2 alignments I got there didn't seem to prevent my tires from wearing out unevently. As I said before, I haven't bought things at Sears and that is because Sears isn't the store that offer quality services.

[disneysteve]

I am getting a $1000 Reward Card from Sears for points I gather during the last 7 years

Not at Sears. I haven't shopped at Sears in ages.

I'm confused. You've earned $1,000 in rewards on your Sears card but you haven't shopped there "in ages." How is that possible? With a 1% reward rate, you would have needed to spend $100,000 unless there were bonuses or special promotions along the way.

The only department store I know of that lets you use a gift card to pay your credit card bill is Kohl's. With Sears, you could use it at Sears auto so you could get your auto service done there until you use up the credit. Another option is to sell the gift card. It might be easier if you can get them to split it up into smaller denominations as it might be tough to sell a $1,000 card. See if the store will let you swap it for 10 $100 cards or 4 $250 cards and then sell those on ebay. Gift cards sell extremely well, usually for very close to face value.

[disneysteve]

I haven't bought things at Sears and that is because Sears isn't the store that offer quality services.

Why do you even have a Sears card if you don't shop there and don't like the quality of their merchandise?

[bjl584]

I work for Sears part time. Kmart actually, but they are both the same company. Sears doesn't offer points with their credit card. The only points that you can earn at Sears or Kmart is through their Shop Your Way Rewards Program. You earn 1% on your loyalty card for every dollar that you spend. However, that program is only redeemable in the store at the register. As points accrue, you can redeem them as cash toward your purchase. But, the points expire after 1 year, and for you to have $1000, you would have had to spend $100,000 at Sears and Kmart in the past year. Something isn't adding up here.

[nick__45]

I'm confused. You've earned $1,000 in rewards on your Sears card but you haven't shopped there "in ages." How is that possible? With a 1% reward rate, you would have needed to spend $100,000 unless there were bonuses or special promotions along the way.

The only department store I know of that lets you use a gift card to pay your credit card bill is Kohl's. With Sears, you could use it at Sears auto so you could get your auto service done there until you use up the credit. Another option is to sell the gift card. It might be easier if you can get them to split it up into smaller denominations as it might be tough to sell a $1,000 card. See if the store will let you swap it for 10 $100 cards or 4 $250 cards and then sell those on ebay. Gift cards sell extremely well, usually for very close to face value.

I have a Master Card issued via Sears. The last 3 years they gave me 3% cash back on most purchase for only $25 annual membership fee. This is my main card and it is a regular credit card just happened to be issued by Sears and not the Sears store card. I got it 8 years ago because once in awhile the card gave an additional 25%. But I stopped shopping at Sears probably 5 years ago and only buy a few tools there and get my wheel alignment twice. I normally spend $2.5-4k each month because I use it for business travel, paying for gas, hotel, dinners. I don't consider it a reward card like my colleagues who use Marriott Reward Card and get free weekend just about once a month due to the amount of hotel stay they do. But the last 3 years I did spend a lot due to travel. I probably spent $120k on that card the last 3 years but 1/2 of it was for business. Without business expenses, I put probably $2k on it and that is high but gas isn't cheap and $400 a month is spent on gas as well as everything else is put on the card.

I am looking into Marriott card now that my business expense will include a lot of hotel and I am in position to take holiday and could use free hotel (I almost threw up when I paid for my own hotel earlier this month and we stayed at a 1.5 star hotel for 100 dollars a night.

[nick__45]

I work for Sears part time. Kmart actually, but they are both the same company. Sears doesn't offer points with their credit card. The only points that you can earn at Sears or Kmart is through their Shop Your Way Rewards Program. You earn 1% on your loyalty card for every dollar that you spend. However, that program is only redeemable in the store at the register. As points accrue, you can redeem them as cash toward your purchase. But, the points expire after 1 year, and for you to have $1000, you would have had to spend $100,000 at Sears and Kmart in the past year. Something isn't adding up here.

No expiration points unless you stopped membership like I just did this week. I claimed the reward points. But even for the 1% no annual fee, there is no expiration date on the points. Since I never buy anything at Sears, I never claimed it and was actually saving for a tool set that comes in a box. But It is not easy doing anything without a lift and my garage is not heated or A/C and isn't bugs proof. So I decided against getting personal tools since I can do the work at work for $4.5 an hour rental fee. For the record, I am not a mechanic but our company does have a garage staffed with mechanics and let employees rent bays to do work for dirt cheap. It is one of the perks and the only one I actually use.

[nick__45]

Why do you even have a Sears card if you don't shop there and don't like the quality of their merchandise?

I got it after college and it was my first card. I got it for the 25% off deal they were doing and actually saved a few times when card members could get an additional 25% off most items in the stores. I think I stopped shopping there around the time Kmart bought Sears. The tools are still great quality but clothes and other things are basically lower quality. As for tools, I only need one drill, one wrench set, and about one of the common household items so I don't have the need to go there. Sears actually don't sell clothes for people in my age group. They also don't have sales like Kohl, which give $10 gift cards away almost once a month. We buy $12 of kid clothes and only pay $2, a big saving on top of the 50%-70% already there. As for tools, Lowes has better price generally and their 10% coupons are much easier to get than Sears's coupons.

For the record, sears has great tool department but I don't need that much tools. I don't shop at the store but the Card is the best card ever. Since I have it for 8 years, there is no reason to get rid off it. The only downside to the card is that it will automatically lower the credit limit when not used frequent enough but I generally don't have that problem. The problem I have is that their reward points are borderline useless unlike Discover reward points, which can be used to paid off balance.

By the way American Express card sucks. I used it before and never saw a single point of reward after 3 months of pumping gas on it. Not a single point. I cancel it right away even though it is the only thing Costco accepts. Fortunately, BJ's will give an additional 2% for BJ's Reward member using Master card.

[maat55]

I use my chase freedom/visa card to pay my cable, cell/phone/internet and newspaper. My electric, gas and water only do checking account drafts or charge fees for credit cards.

[Frugal]

I used the $25 balance on my Rewards card to help purchase a new mower at Sears, so I am pretty sure you can use it on new purchases. We got the points by buying appliances with our Sears CC.

[LuckyRobin]

Well, can you use the gift card at Kmart (since it is owned by Sears)? Because if you can use it at Kmart you can use it to buy milk, eggs, canned goods, toilet paper, tissues, cleaners, laundry detergent, etc. All stuff you would normally buy each month but isn't available at Sears.

[CoryWM]

Walk into sears. Buy $1000 worth of gift cards. Then go to plasticjungle.com and they'll give you 830.00 in cash to paypal or 871 in amazon.com gift cards.

If they won't let you buy gift cards. I bet if you were to buy something for $1000. When you return it they probably give you a gift card.

Alternatively, tell everyone in your family/friends that you've got 1000 points to use, and you'll give them a 10% discount on whatever they want. If they use some coupons and deals etc, it could be a very good deal for them, and you'd get $900 cash.

[cypher1]

Walk into sears. Buy $1000 worth of gift cards. Then go to plasticjungle.com and they'll give you 830.00 in cash to paypal or 871 in amazon.com gift cards.

If they won't let you buy gift cards. I bet if you were to buy something for $1000. When you return it they probably give you a gift card.

Alternatively, tell everyone in your family/friends that you've got 1000 points to use, and you'll give them a 10% discount on whatever they want. If they use some coupons and deals etc, it could be a very good deal for them, and you'd get $900 cash.

To add on to that idea, why not just use for misc gift items for future birthdays/holidays. Granted I hardly shop at Sears also, but they still carry a large variety of kitchenware items, tools, electronics, media, clothes. A $1000 for credit is still a lot, but you could look at buying bigger items and sell them on CL, if you have the time. If it was me, I'd still stock up on tools, regardless of my garage.

[nick__45]

To add on to that idea, why not just use for misc gift items for future birthdays/holidays. Granted I hardly shop at Sears also, but they still carry a large variety of kitchenware items, tools, electronics, media, clothes. A $1000 for credit is still a lot, but you could look at buying bigger items and sell them on CL, if you have the time. If it was me, I'd still stock up on tools, regardless of my garage.

I don't have the time or patient to fool with selling stuffs. I don't believe in doing that as well as holding yard sale. First of all, I don't accumulate things that are junks to sell for pennies on the dollar in the first place.

The gift card is coming in the mail. I don't know if it comes in a $1000 or 4 $250 or 5 $200. I have just determined that I'll get a set of Goodyear Wrangler MT/R for my 4x4 as a cruising set. I barely drive it and it is always parked under a carport so that should last 8 years before I have to worry about the tires being old.