Do Office Supply Stores Earn an Office-Supply Rewards Bonus?

By Bryce Casson, Founder · Cardocrat · Updated July 2026
The short answer: Yes, on cards with an office-supply category, which is mostly a business-card bonus. Standalone office supply stores, Staples, Office Depot, and OfficeMax, code as office supplies, so everything you buy there, not just paper and pens, earns the elevated rate. The catch is office supplies bought at a superstore or warehouse club code to the host store, not as office supplies.

This guide explains what earns the office-supply bonus and where it applies.

What earns the office-supply bonus

On a card with an office-supply bonus, standalone office supply retailers like Staples, Office Depot, and OfficeMax code as office-supply stores, so your entire purchase there earns the elevated rate, whether it is paper and ink or electronics and gift cards they happen to sell. Because the coding is based on the store, the bonus is generous inside these retailers.

Mostly a business-card category

Office supplies is primarily a business-card category, since businesses spend heavily there, so it shows up most on business cards. If you run even a small business or side hustle, an office-supply bonus can be a quietly high earner, and these stores are also where people buy gift cards, though that is a separate calculation.

Where it does not apply

The same office supplies bought at a superstore like Walmart or Target, or at a warehouse club, code to that host store, not as office supplies, so you would not earn the office-supply bonus there. As always, it is the merchant code, not the product, that decides, the same reason a purchase can miss a bonus.

The bottom line
  • Standalone office supply stores code as office supplies.
  • Staples, Office Depot, and OfficeMax qualify.
  • The category is mostly on business cards.
  • The whole store purchase earns the bonus, not just supplies.
  • Office supplies at a superstore code to the host.

Frequently asked questions

Do office supply stores earn a rewards bonus?
Yes, on cards with an office-supply category, mostly business cards. Standalone stores like Staples and Office Depot code as office supplies, so the whole purchase earns the bonus.
Is office supplies a personal or business card category?
Mostly business. Office supplies is a common bonus category on small-business cards, since businesses spend heavily there, and less common on personal cards.
Do office supplies at Walmart earn the office-supply bonus?
No. Office supplies bought at a superstore or warehouse club code to that host store, not as office supplies, so the office-supply bonus does not apply.

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Bryce Casson

Written by Bryce Casson, Founder of Cardocrat. About the author and how we rank cards.