Ultimate Rewards Mall September 2013 Deals: 15X for Kohl’s + 20 Percent Kohl’s Cash

The Ultimate Rewards Mall September 2013 bonuses are available and as usual the highest bonuses are for merchants such as Proactiv Solution (30X), The Wall Street Journal (20X), Snapfish (15X), etc. But you can increase the bonus you earn for some of the online stores by first purchasing a gift card with your Ink Bold or Ink Plus to earn 5X, then going through the UR Mall. As always, be sure to check prices, since you may find a cheaper price elsewhere. And you may find that getting 5X points on Amazon and a lower price is better. You may also find better points offers through other online malls, but be careful: sometimes points don't post and it can be a pain to get it corrected. This is why if I typically go through the Ultimate Rewards Mall, even if the bonus isn't quite as high—generally points post quickly.

To get the full bonus below, you must have an Ink Bold or Ink Plus card and use this card to buy the store's gift card at an office supply store, such as Office Depot, OfficeMax or Staples, then click through using the Ultimate Rewards Mall and pay with the gift card. I'd highly recommend that you put at least a small amount of the purchase on your Ink Bold or Ink Plus credit card, to maximize your chance of earning points even for the part of the purchase using the gift card. And note that there is a small risk of not getting the points, so before you buy a huge amount this way, you may want to do a trial run early in April with a smaller amount.

1. 15X Points for Kohl's

15X: 5X from Freedom 5X + 10X Ultimate Rewards Mall

Get 15X Ultimate Rewards points after you Activate the Q3 5X Bonus on Your Chase Freedom, then going through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Mall for your Freedom card for a further 10X. There's a Kohl's Cash offer through 11:59pm CDT today, September 2, that earns you $10 Kohl's Cash for every $50 spent. It is redeemable 9/3-9/15, so if you take advantage of this offer, don't forget to use your Kohl's Cash during that time frame.

2. 10X Points for JC Penney

10X: 5X from JC Penney gift card + 5X Ultimate Rewards Mall

Get 10X Ultimate Rewards points by purchasing JC Penney gift cards at OfficeMax or Staples with your Ink card for 5X points, then going through the Ultimate Rewards Mall for a further 5X. 

3. 10X Points for Sephora

10X: 5X from Sephora gift card + 5X Ultimate Rewards Mall

Get 10X Ultimate Rewards points by purchasing Sephora gift cards at OfficeMax, Staples or Office Depot with your Ink card for 5X points, then going through the Ultimate Rewards Mall for a further 5X. While I don't buy anything at Sephora, if you or your significant other does, getting 10X points is so much better than buying it in-store.

4. 9X Points for Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Macy's, Home Depot

9X: 5X from Nordstrom, Macy's or Home Depot gift card + 4X Ultimate Rewards Mall

Get 9X Ultimate Rewards points by purchasing Nordstrom, Macy's or Home Depot gift cards with your Ink card for 5X points, then going through the Ultimate Rewards Mall for a further 4X.

Where to buy the gift cards:

Bloomingdale's: Staples, Office Depot

Nordstrom: OfficeMax, Staples

Macy's: Staples, Office Depot

Home Depot: OfficeMax, Staples

5. 8X Points for Gap, Banana Republic, Lowe's

Get 8X points total if you first buy gift cards for 5X using your Ink card, then go through the Ultimate Rewards Mall for a further 3X. Note that you can use Gap gift cards at any of the Gap group brands, including Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta.

Where to buy the gift cards:

Gap and Banana Republic: Staples, Office Depot

Lowe's: OfficeMax, Staples

6. 7X for Marriott

Marriott only offers 2X points in the Ultimate Rewards Mall, but if you can manage to find Marriott gift cards at Staples, you could get 7X points total. I'll note that at least at the Staples stores near me, I can't find Marriott gift cards, but you may be luckier.

Plan to take advantage of any of these Ultimate Rewards Mall offers? Others you think should be included?