MILES&POINTS: Office Depot rumors = No more $500 gift cards?

This past weekend, users on FlyerTalk and other bloggers reported that an Office Depot memo is circulating that all stores are to pull all their variable gift cards from their store shelves. Supposedly the date for the cards to be pulled is today, February 4th. Various users have reported that they have been starting to need manager overrides for purchasing $500 gift cards at Office Depot, and some people are reporting that they are seeing stores completely remove all the $500 gift cards from their shelves. The rumor is that the gift cards are being pulled because of the costs associated with their upkeep. Regardless of the reason, this is bad news for all miles enthusiasts.

For those of you who are not familiar with the relevancy of losing $500 gift cards, take a quick read at my post about how you can get 5x points on all your purchases via Office Depot.

Back last November, Office Depot already pulled all the Vanilla Reload cards from their shelves—a huge blow for those miles enthusiasts who have been racking up miles via their Chase Ink cards. And now with $500 gift cards disappearing, it looks like it’s starting to get even harder to rack up miles for cheap.

Miles enthusiasts, what have been your experience at your local Office Depot starting today? Are you having success finding $500 gift cards?