Quicken Classic at Office Depot - Good Price?

REJones

FWIW: It appears that Office Depot is offering Quicken Classic Deluxe for $35.99…

https://www.officedepot.com/a/search/?q=Quicken%20Classic%20Deluxe&cmsearch=quicken%7Ckeyword%20matches%7Cquicken%20classic%20deluxe&predict=true

jl747

At that price of $39.99 it seems like it might be for New Subscribers only.

I can not see anything on the web page that says so but to be safe you need to ask. (note maybe I missed it)

Here is a link to a comparison of the two Deluxe versions. The other is $59.99.

https://www.officedepot.com/catalog/compareAction.do?skus=2858000,6156277

REJones

For the Quicken box on the left, the reduced price is $35.99, and I think you're correct that it's actually for New Subscribers. If you look closely at the Quicken box on the right for $59.99, there's a label on its lower right indicating it's for "New Subscribers Only". Most likely, Office Depot mixed up the two boxes. 😊

Jon

I don't think it's a mistake, there's been similar pricing recently at some other online retailers like Newegg where the renewal for existing subscribers is on sale but the new subscriber version is not.

$35.99 for a Deluxe renewal seems like a pretty competitive price right now. There were slightly better deals a couple weeks ago for Black Friday but those seem to be over now.

Boatnmaniac

I did not see anything in the ad stating this is for new subscribers only. That's a pretty good indication that it is an offer for all (including current) subscribers.

Also, $35.99 is a 40% discount from the $59.99 price. It is not uncommon for retailers to offer 30%-40% discounts for current subscribers and I've seen a few other posts in the last couple of weeks about similar retail sale prices that were or are now available.

One thing I did notice is that the ad on the left with the $35.99 price appears to be just for the activation code. Which is fine because Quicken can be downloaded for free from Quicken.com and all that is needed is the activation code.

The other ad on the right is for a full download product. It has a different sku so maybe it is from some other retailer? It's hard to tell because many online sites now sell not only their own products but also have listings for products from other retailers. Walmart.com and NewEgg.com are great examples of this kind of marketing strategy.

MHSwizzleStick

If the promo code is still valid, it is $5 cheaper at NewEgg:

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7942855/black-friday-sale-on-renewal-codes-at-newegg

Chris_QPW

This matches the price Newegg has for it. BTW if you want to see something very ironic:

Note there isn't anything stopping a new user from using the first one above. The "block" is that whenever you see "New Subscribers" you can use that activation code to extend the subscription, but not the other way around. The only reason this happened is because they discounted the "original", but not the Starter. Note that even if there is CD in that package the very first thing it is going to do is just download the new version and install that.

And for what it is worth, you just missed a promotion where Newegg had even more off. I got Premier for $44.83 including tax or just over $40 without tax.

Jon

@MHSwizzleStick The promo codes are no longer there at Newegg; that's why I said they missed out on a slightly better deal.

REJones

Wish I could jump on this low price now for future renewal use, but I'm pretty sure I can't use it. I just renewed my trusty Quicken yesterday with a code/box I bought last year, and my new expiration is May 2025. How long is this Office Depot's Quicken activation code good for?

Greg_the_Geek

Note: Activation codes are good for one year after purchase.

https://www.quicken.com/support/quicken-subscription-membership-faqs

retird

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20400695#Comment_20400695

My understanding is that the activation code is good for 2 years from the date the activation code is produced by Quicken. So if it sets on the shelf at the store for months then that has to be considered. Quicken can look up the activation code production date for you as I understand. Google activation code expiration date here in the Community. Lots of posts about it….

Jon

@REJones Quicken subscription codes usually go on sale around this time every year, so I expect you'll be able to find similar deals next November/December. No need to push your luck by buying one now & holding it a year.

REJones

Thanks to all - I agree and will keep my fingers crossed for a good $$ deal around this time next yr.

Greg_the_Geek

@retird, I quoted the information directly from the Quicken Subscription Membership FAQ on the Quicken support website. Maybe you know something that Quicken doesn't know?

smayer97

Something to differentiate regarding how long codes are good for….Is it

1. how long a code is good for before Quicken rejects it as valid when used?
2. how long Quicken will honour a code once purchased?
3. how long your quicken subscription is valid after applying the code?

These are all different things and the discussion needs to be clear as to which one is being discussed.

In the past, codes were valid for up to 2 years from the date they were printed and added to a new box for sale. With many of these sales being virtual, not sure if Quicken has shifted their policy. I think for the first two, Quicken is pretty good at honouring a code as long as there is proof of valid purchase. As for the third, that has not changed much… activation is good for one year from the expiry of existing membership, or the date of activation for new memberships. As an aside, Quicken has not offered 2 yeas subscriptions in a long time.

retird

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20400723#Comment_20400723

Could it be that the activated Quicken Activation code lasts 1 year and the unactivated code can be activated for use within 2 years. That's the way I read it anyway.

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7910112/when-do-quicken-activation-codes-expire-was-not-2yrs-5-15-20-1-1-22

Chris_QPW

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20400694#Comment_20400694

Personally, I have never read anywhere this is stated, but if it is stated it should be somewhere on the box. Unfortunately, I didn't think about this and have already thrown away the box from Newegg for this year.

MHSwizzleStick

I have my box. On the back, bottom right, it says "Activation code valid for 1 year after purchase."

smayer97

Vague language indeed… there is no way for them to know when the box was purchased. So, I understand this too mean my point 2., "how long Quicken will honour a code once purchased?". In other words, if you have trouble with it during activation, they will honour it will valid proof of purchase for 1 year.

My recollection may not be perfect but I know this has been discussed internally before. Likewise, how long a code within a box is supposed to be valid for… usually about to yrs, probably to account for the timing of sales of older products still around.

Chris_QPW

Vague language indeed… there is no way for them to know when the box was purchased. 

Given that we know that activation codes do expire, and that they have no way to track exactly when the box is sold, then they are doing one of two things in my opinion.

1. Setting the expiration date for one year from the time the code is created, and assuming that the "sell by date" is close enough.
2. Setting the expiration data to be one year plus some "unknown fudge factor amount" of how long they think it will take to sell it. What would that "fudge factor be"? Given that they put these out each year, my guess would be something just sort of 2-years or maybe even exactly 2-years after creating the code.

But here where the most frustrating part of dealing with Quicken Inc (and Intuit before them), this is exactly the kind of information that they will never disclose.

MHSwizzleStick

You'd think there would be a date stamp on the activation card inside the box, but not even there.

I won't be able to use the activation code till February, so I keep the sale receipt handy in case there's a problem. I haven't had a problem doing the same thing the last 4 years.

REJones

How hard can it be for an IT/digital-based company to honor an unused activation code for 1-year of use? That said, I would also be OK with the Quicken publisher not "honoring" an activation code after 4 or 5 years or so since it's creation. Regardless, these important usage vs expiration details should be clearly visible and explained in writing to the buyer on the outside of the Quicken box. On the outside of the box, it should also have a production date and the expiration terms. Inside the sealed box is the safe and proper place for the activation code. Is there something I'm missing about how to manage an activation code expiration date? The Quicken publisher has made a truly great product, but don't forget to focus on and respect your customer.

jacobs

How hard can it be for an IT/digital-based company to honor an unused activation code for 1-year of use?

I'm sure that's not the issue; they definitely could handle that. The issue, I'm fairly certain, is that they don't want customers finding a sale somewhere and buying up a bunch of codes to use for the next 3, 5, or more years. Perhaps in 5 years, the price of a Quicken subscription will be 20% higher, and they want customers paying current prices and not using codes purchased at a lower price from many years before. By making the codes good for one year, and allowing them to be applied only within 6 months of a current subscription ending, they neatly eliminate the potential forepeople to stock up on activation codes.

Now, why they don't put the expiration date on the boxes, when they are time-limiting the code found inside, is harder to justify. I would guess it's because the codes don't expire exactly a year later, and this gives them more wiggle room when retailers over-order and have older boxes remaining to sell off. It's expensive to expire boxes, require retailers to return them, destroy them, and produce more boxes. So by selling undated boxes, they can say the codes are good for a year, but they're likely good for a bit longer — but no so long that customer can safely try to accumulate several years of codes. I do find the unlabeled boxes and the risk of buying one with an expired code to be customer-unfriendly. I'd guess most customers don't run into a problem with the codes, so it mostly works out okay for all parties.

BK

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20400931#Comment_20400931

They used it print the expiration date on the box itself. But not anymore. I have an image of the 2019 box that has this printed on the box: "Enclosed activation code is valid until 12/31/2020" I cannot tell when the box was made available but based on the date stamp of my image (and looking at my purchase history in Quicken) I bought it March 2020.

Retailers frequently offer sales on Quicken - I would say quarterly if not more frequent since I have bought and seen them at different times of the year between $29-$36 for the deluxe edition. I am referring to the one without the new subscriber restrictions.