It’s now possible to activate/enroll all 5% category credit cards for the third quarter of 2021, including the Chase Freedom, Chase Freedom Flex, Discover IT, Citi Dividend, US Bank Cash+ and a few others. In this post we’ll provide the activation link for each card and links to track your spend, along with strategies to help increase spend in these categories.
Dates: July 1st – September 30, 2021. Store purchases can usually be done until the last minute. Online purchases should be given a buffer zone of a day or two.
Contents
Chase Freedom – Grocery, Streaming
Activation Link / FAQ / Sample Stores & Exclusions / Our original post
With your Freedom and Freedom Flex cards, earn 5% back this quarter on up to $1,500 in spend at Grocery Stores and Select Streaming Services.
- Grocery Stores
- Grocery stores are always a favorite and easy-to-use category. You can buy gift cards at many grocery stores as well, such as Visa or Amazon. Or buy a gift card to the grocery store itself to spend down slowly.
- See long list of sample Grocery Stores that would qualify at this link. It includes all the regulars like Safeway, Kroger, Meijer, Whole Foods and lots more.
- Not included in this category: wholesale clubs, Walmart, Target and other discount stores.
- Readers point out that if you signed up for the Freedom card with the 5x Grocery earning rate on up to $12,000, that will stack and give you 9x per dollar on up to $1,500 in spend during Q3.
- Select Streaming Services
- Only subscription services paid for with the following select merchants will qualify for this offer: Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, Netflix, Sling, Vudu, Fubo TV, Apple Music, SiriusXM, Pandora, Spotify and YouTube TV.
Tip: Click this link (login required) to check how far you are along the $1,500.
Discover – Restaurants, PayPal
Activation Link / Our original post
With your Discover card, earn 5% back this quarter on up to $1,500 in purchases at Restaurants and PayPal.
- PayPal – This is easily my favorite category since there are tons of major retailers that accept PayPal, such as Walmart, Target, Best Buy and more. You can also use it for tax payments via PayUSATax, charity donations, P2P payments and more.
- Restaurants – Useful category as well, though restaurants is often a bonuses category on other cards too.
Activate to earn 5% Cashback Bonus at Restaurants and PayPal from 7/1/21 (or the date on which you activate 5%, whichever is later) through 9/30/21, on up to $1,500 in purchases. Restaurant purchases include only those made at merchants classified as full-service restaurants, cafes, cafeterias and fast food locations. PayPal qualifying purchases are those made through the PayPal wallet online, when you send money to Friends and Family via PayPal using your Discover Card, and point-of-sale transactions using PayPal Here. Payments made through the Xoom transfer service are not eligible for 5%. Any restaurant purchase made using PayPal will only be awarded a total of 5% Cashback Bonus. PayPal, the PayPal logo are trademarks of PayPal or its Affiliates. Listed merchants are in no way sponsoring or affiliated with this program.
Citi Dividend – Gas, Home Improvement
Landing Page | Our Original Post
With your Dividend card, earn 5% back this quarter at Gas Stations and Home Improvement Stores. Citi is different than the other cards in that you have a $6,000 annual cap rather than a $1,500 quarterly cap. Thus, you can get 5% back on up to $6,000 in this quarter, you can save the entire amount for a different quarter, or you can use part up each quarter. A lot of people may have already maxed this out in Q2 2021 on grocery stores and drugstores.
- Gas Stations – some convenience stores like 7-Eleven might qualify. All regular pumped gas should qualify. (“Qualifying gas station purchases excludes gasoline purchases at warehouse clubs, discount stores, convenience stores or other merchants that do not use the gas station merchant category code.”)
- Home Improvement Stores – useful summer category. Should include Lowe’s, Home Depot, and the like. (“Qualifying home improvement store purchases include home supply warehouse stores, lumber and building materials stores, paint and wallpaper stores, hardware stores, nurseries – lawn and garden supply stores and paints, varnishes and supplies stores. Excludes florists and florists’ supply stores; nursery stock; wholesale construction stores; and glass stores.”)
US Bank Cash+/Elan – Select your Categories
Activation link | Merchant List | Our Original Post
U.S. Bank Cash+ and Elan Max offer 5% cash back in two categories, up to $2,000 combined total per quarter. Keep in mind that Car Rentals was recently replaced with TV, Internet, and Streaming Services.
Here are the current options:
- TV, Internet, and Streaming Services
- Home utilities
- Select clothing stores
- Cell phone providers
- Electronic Stores
- Gyms/Fitness
- Fast food
- Ground Transportation
- Sporting goods
- Department Stores
- Furniture Stores
- Movie theaters
Tip: Login here, then scroll down and click on the red “View Your Cash+ History” button.
Bank of America Cash Rewards
The Cash Rewards card from Bank of America offers 3% back on one selected category, up to $2,500 per quarter. If you don’t select anything it defaults to gas. Once you selected a category for one quarter, that remains your category in the future unless you change it. Each calendar month you can change it if you’d like, but you’re always limited to $2,500 for the entire quarter.
- Gas (default)
- Online Shopping
- Dining
- Travel
- Drug Stores
- Home Improvement/Furnishings
This category is especially lucrative for those who have Preferred Rewards status with Bank of America which can get you 5.25% back on one of these categories at the higher relationship level.
Lots of useful categories here. Important note: the Cash Rewards card also offers 2% back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs up to $2,500 per quarter, and that $2,500 limit combines with the Category Selection limit. After spending $2,500, you’ll earn 1% back on everything.
Other Cards with 5% Category
Update 8/24/21: The ABOC Platinum rewards card (which has been closed for new signups since April) is moving to a new rewards provider and dropping quarterly 5x categories on August 27th. At which time future purchases will earn 1 pt per dollar.
Registration Link | Our Original Post
- Earn 5x points on qualifying airline, cruise, car rental, hotel, travel agency purchases, gas, tolls, and ride share. Must have a registered account at abocrewards.com.
Nusenda FCU – Gas, Education
Landing Page | Our Original Post
- Earn 5% this quarter on gas and education expenses, up to $1,500 in purchases.
Affinity FCU – Gas, Restaurants, Hotels
Landing Page | Our Original Post
- Earn 5% this quarter on purchases at gas, restaurants, hotels and motels on up to $3,500 in purchases.
The 5x is on top of regular earn for a total of 6x or 7x, depending on the card.
Vantage West [AZ] – Select your Category
Landing Page | Our Original Post
Get 5x points on the category of your choice, up to $1,500 per quarter. Eligible categories:
- Travel
- Restaurants
- Utilities [water, cell, electric, etc.]
- In-Store Wholesale Purchases [Costco, Sam’s Club, etc.]
- Department Stores
- Hardware & Home Improvement Stores
- Charitable Organizations
- Pharmacies & Drug Stores
- Amazon.com
I’ll add a note, thanks
Does anyone know if AmazonFresh counts as grocery? It is not listed as once of the eligible merchants here: https://creditcards.chase.com/freedom-credit-cards/merchants
Confirmed multiple transactions for grocery bonus at different stores/locations!
1x base rate + 4x grocery in first yr SUB + 4x 3Q category bonus = 9x pts shopping at grocery!
Also, worth mentioning that the grocery category on Chase Freedom also includes meal kit services like Blue Apron and HelloFresh. Will definitely be making use of the Freedom card categories this quarter. My SiriusXM subscription is up for renewal so I can use it for that, and I’m sock-drawing my AMEX BCP for the quarter since the 5% from Chase is worth 7.5% on my CSR.
Do most independent restaurants take Discover these days? I remember when I used to try to use it at restaurants during these 5% quarters, I would discover (pun intended, sort of) how many restaurants did not accept Discover.
I have multiple 5.25% BofA Custom Cash Rewards cards, and always have one set to restaurants. But if I can use it for something else this quarter, like travel, it could be handy, and I’d be OK giving up the quarter perfect (plus I’d get it back if I redeem to a gift card).
Can anyone confirm if Chase 5% quarterly bonus works if purchase is made immediately after activation or if one needs to allow for a few days of gap?
Some cards such as US Bank Cash+ asks for 3 business days gap, Citi Dividend 2 biz days.
Not sure about Freedom Flex.
It’s gotta be immediate because you can actually activate it until sometime in the 3d month of the quarter and get credit for the entire quarter, or at least you used to be able to.
Also, it says this in the FAQ’s:
This quarter, the deadline for activation is September 14, 2021. So in order to earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in the bonus categories from July 1 – September 30, 2021, you need to activate by then.
Nusenda should also have 5% on air travel and hotels
Well I’ve just checked my email and got this surprise, seems M&T is getting into the 5% game as well.
Make this summer more rewarding.
Exclusive offer for XYZ
M&T Visa® Signature Credit Card ending in 1234
Take advantage of a special bonus and multiply your rewards on many of the items you buy every day.
Simply use your card between July 1, 2021 and September 30, 2021 on daily purchases like gas, groceries,
dining, food deliveries and at wholesale clubs, and get 5% cash back (up to $1,500 in spend).
Plus you’ll continue to earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
Now through September 30, 2021
This offer is now visible in the My Offers section of M&T Rewards.
Under Credit Cards in your online and mobile banking account,
click M&T Rewards Point Balance, then Redeem and navigate to My Offers on the M&T Rewards page.
I received the same email. Hopefully it’s not a one-off situation like my AARP card.
Also, if you got the Discover “Spend $25 get $5 back” Apple Pay offer, that’ll stack with restaurants nicely.
does anyone know if discover primary and authorized user have their own quarterly 1500 spend/75 bonus limits or do they combine it as one?
It’s combined. $1500 total, not each.
Do any cards have their own limits? I’m not aware of any.
If you have Freedom Flex for the 9% groceries offer, and Chase Sapphire Preferred/Reserve, groceries could be worth up to either 11.25% or 13.5% cash back for July-Sept (after transferring points to Sapphire)
9%? How was that structured? 5%+something I’m guessing?