Office Depot gives verified teachers two separate benefits: a 20% off coupon for one qualifying purchase, and 25% back in Bonus Rewards on qualifying purchases made online. They come from the same verification, but they follow different rules, so it helps to keep them apart before you start shopping.
Office Depot’s teacher page says verified teachers get extra Rewards at Office Depot OfficeMax, which is how the company now presents itself. If you type officemax.com into your browser, you land on the Office Depot OfficeMax Official Online Store, so there’s one teacher program for both names. The same page lists the things teachers actually shop for here, like bulletin board sets, classroom decorations, flash cards and teacher planners.
How To Get The Office Depot Teacher Discount
- Create an Office Depot Rewards account, since the benefits start when you create an account and verify your teacher credentials.
- Verify through ID.me. You’ll be asked for a teaching license number or other documentation, and the page says it typically takes a few minutes, with extra time if a manual review is needed.
- Watch your inbox for the coupon email, which typically arrives within 24 to 48 hours of a successful verification. If it doesn’t show up, check the spam or junk folder for both the ID.me confirmation and the Office Depot coupon email.
- When you shop online, stay logged into your verified account, because the 25% Bonus Rewards offer is applied automatically only when you are.
Two Offers, Two Sets Of Rules
The coupon is the 20% off one. It covers a qualifying regular or sale price purchase, and the terms say it’s valid at officedepot.com or in store, which makes it the one to use if you’d rather walk the aisles. It’s for a single purchase, so save it for the big haul instead of spending it on a pack of pens. It also carries an expiration date in its terms, so look at the date on your own coupon email.
The Bonus Rewards offer is the better deal for a big restock. The page calls it the Teacher/Military Exclusive Offer: 25% back in Bonus Rewards on qualifying purchases, valid only at officedepot.com. Members receive 25% back rather than 2% back on qualifying purchases. The catch is a cap, because Rewards are limited to $100 per member per week. That means the offer pays out best when you spread a big classroom order across more than one week. The offer window has its own end date too, so check it before you plan a large order around it.
What’s Excluded
The two offers don’t exclude quite the same things, so check which one you’re using before you fill the cart. The coupon excludes purchases made in Office Depot or OfficeMax clearance or closing stores, sale-priced case paper, gift and prepaid cards, technology, consumer electronics, accessories and software, JanSport products, performance protection plans, postage and mailing or shipping services, ink and toner, electronic labelers and labeling accessories, appliances, and subscription services. It also leaves out services, including off-site shredding, tech, furniture, marketing, administrative and third party services.
The Bonus Rewards offer has its own list: all ink and toner, electronic labelers and labeling accessories, computers, tablets, e-readers, monitors, projectors, TVs, postage, gift and prepaid cards, performance protection plans, Secure Shredding and storage services, and tech services and all third party services.
On stacking, the page is specific about Bonus Rewards only. It can’t be combined with the VIP Member 5% program benefit, or with other Bonus Rewards offers on the same or similar products and services. We didn’t find a rule on that page about using the coupon and Bonus Rewards on the same order, so check at checkout rather than assuming.
OfficeMax, Your Local Store And Print Jobs
OfficeMax is the same program. The coupon works in store, but the 25% back is online only, so a trip to the store gets you the coupon and not the Bonus Rewards. Office Depot’s Yakima store page, for example, lists Office Depot & OfficeMax stores together, and we didn’t find a separate local teacher program there, so the online verification is the way in.
If you run a lot of copies for your classroom, Office Depot’s site links to Printing Terms & Conditions, but the teacher page doesn’t say whether the coupon applies to print jobs. We couldn’t confirm it either way, so ask at the print counter before you hand over a big file.
One more perk is worth knowing about: teachers also get access to a Classroom Wish List, so parents, friends and family can help stock your classroom with the things you need.
Q&A
Is it 20% off or 25% back?
Both. Verified teachers get a coupon for 20% off one qualifying purchase, and a separate 25% back in Bonus Rewards on qualifying online purchases. They’re two different offers with different exclusions.
Is there a limit on the 25% back?
Yes. Rewards are limited to $100 per member per week.
Does it work at OfficeMax?
Yes, in the sense that Office Depot OfficeMax runs one teacher program. The 20% coupon is valid at officedepot.com or in store, and the Bonus Rewards offer is valid only at officedepot.com.
Can I use it on ink and toner?
No. Ink and toner are excluded from both offers.
Can I use it on a laptop or tablet?
Not for either offer. The coupon excludes technology and consumer electronics, and the Bonus Rewards offer excludes computers, tablets, e-readers, monitors, projectors and TVs.
My coupon email never arrived. What now?
The page says it typically arrives within 24 to 48 hours of successful verification, and to check your spam or junk folder for both the ID.me confirmation and the coupon email.
Do I have to be logged in?
For the Bonus Rewards offer, yes. The page says you must be logged into your verified online account for it to be applied automatically.
More Information:
Everything above comes from Office Depot’s own teacher rewards page, as it loaded when we checked. Terms and expiration dates change, so confirm at checkout. If you’re stocking a classroom from more than one place, our office supply teacher discounts roundup compares the options, and you can see what Target and Michaels offer for classroom supplies, or browse our back to school teacher discounts.
