Yesterday, I wrote about how Krispy Kreme is offering anyone who has been vaccinated a free Original Glaze donut every day in 2021. You just have to show your vaccination card as proof. Obviously, a donut a day is unhealthy but just because they’re offering it, doesn’t mean you have to eat a donut a day. Think of it as the occasional (free) treat when you feel like it. But it’s a brilliant publicity stunt.
A much healthier and smarter publicity stunt around getting vaccinated comes from Staples (and Office Depot see below).
According to CBS: “Staples is offering free lamination of COVID-19 vaccination cards for customers’ safekeeping after they receive their second dose of the vaccine.” The offer is valid at Staples stores nationwide now through April 3, 2021. You just need to use coupon code ‘81450’ in-store.
April 3rd seems way too early for this offer to expire since the majority of Americans won’t be fully vaccinated but I suppose their strategy is to just get the word out early. (UPDATED: Staples just extended to May 1!)
One thing is for sure, the vaccination cards, which show your name, the dates you were vaccinated and which brand of vaccine you received, are really flimsy so it is a good idea to have it laminated once you’re fully vaccinated.
You don’t want to lose the card but know that if you do, you can get it replaced. But it will be a hassle. Health experts recommend going back to the place you got the shot(s) or to your state’s Department of Health office since they keep records of all vaccinations. Both will obviously take time so it’s smart to protect your card.
You should also take a photo of your card with your phone to have as a backup but remember: Don’t share it on social media.
Since these cards are so flimsy, they’re really easy to forge, which is why the travel industry is scrambling to create an electronic verification system or “vaccine passport” in the form of an app to show as proof of your vaccination but nothing is universal yet.
Amesh Adalja, M.D., FIDSA, an infectious disease specialist and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, told ABC News: “What these little cards have the potential to do is to make something like international travel easier by avoiding requirements for quarantine or testing.”
According to NBC News senior medical correspondent Dr. John Torres, “Americans who get COVID-19 vaccinations receive a vaccine record card from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but it’s not intended to be used as a “vaccine passport.” The card is too easy to forge so it’s not enough to prove that someone is fully vaccinated, especially for international travel. For now, the CDC vaccine cards are the best we have.”
No matter what, you don’t want to lose your CDC vaccination card because for now, they could be your ticket to travel, depending on the destination and method of transportation, like a cruise ship.
Office Depot Offering Free Lamination
Office Depot has joined the free publicity party and they one upped Staples by offering the free service through July 25, 2021. Just use coupon code: 52516714.
Warning: Some people say not to laminate them in case you need to get a booster shot but by then I’m sure they will either give you a new card or everything will be electronic.
The offer of free lamination at Staples made me curious. There are always stories on the internet about this and that and I tend towards skepticism and like to check things out. I did an internet search and found several news sources that were reporting the story (most were from local news outlets). What I DIDN’T find was anything from Staples. You would think this would be a great PR gimmick for them – but nothing on their web site and nothing popped up on an internet search. My guess is that maybe some local Staples may have made that offer, then someone there picked up on it and sent out the information and these news outlets took it as a Nation-wide offer. Sorry, I tend to look at anything on the internet and take it with a grain (no, make that a salt-lick) of salt.
Agreed! I thought it was weird too but I kept digging to make sure it was true. I saw on their official Twitter handle that they replied to someone with the coupon code. See here https://twitter.com/StaplesStores/status/1374719919145685000
Agree that 4/3 is too early. I get my 2nd shot on the 6th.
FYI – they just extended it to May
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/the-cdc-cards-are-currently-the-only-way-to-prove-youve-received-a-covid-vaccine-so-staples-is-laminating-them-for-free/ar-BB1eXP2l?ocid=uxbndlbing
Thanks! Just updated the post
And what happens when your covid vaccine boosters cannot be added to the card because it’s laminated.
I’m waiting for the CDC to answer but they must’ve approved the promotion
Office Depot will laminate also, and the offer is good till July 25, 2021
Office Depot will laminate also and good till July 25, 2019
I bought a package of simple 4×3 ID tag holders with ziploc tops. Transparent and waterproof, but easy to retrieve if the card requires another entry or a travel official wants to hold the original.
We went to Staples in Vista this morning to have 3 cards laminated. Mine and my mother-in-law’s were fine. On my wife’s card after lamination, the information on her second dose was there but all of her first dose information on the front was blank and the date of her anticipated second dose on the back was blank. The people at Staples determined that the missing info had been entered using erasable ink. The heat of the lamination process washed out the erasable ink and left no image. Fortunately, my wife had made a paper copy of the card (not erasable ink) and Staples was able to laminate that. No idea how many cards were filled out at Cal State San Marcos using erasable ink or how many of those people will want their cads laminated. BTW, the ink in question was light blue and looked thin, almost like a water color.
NOT a great idea. These cards are designed for spots to add when booster shots come out.
Better to out in sealable bag until we get further along and see if boosters are going to be needed or required.
Just an fyi, birth certificates cannot be accepted for passports if they are laminated. If for some reason they decided that the vaccination cards are void if laminated, many people could be stuck.
Staples in Savannah GA wouldn’t honor the coupon. ? But it was only a little more than a dollar to have it laminated, so it seemed worth the splurge.
Surprising. I would Tweet Staples to find out what’s up
I’d wait to laminate card. When one gets a booster shot in the fall they will need to write on card.
What do you think?
Here in California, some have found that after lamination, the ink used to write the dates and such is lost in the heat sealing process. As others have pointed out, if laminated, your card cannot be updated for booster shots, etc. Better to have Staples make a color copy of your card, and then laminate the color copy.
There are no firm studies on Immunity, as it typically takes 3 years of research before a shot is released not 3 months. Early studies it appears to be 6 months same as the Flu vaccine. You will need to get a shot every year or more frequently to really have immunity. The cards seem more for mental health.