Q4 2020 5% Quarterly Categories: Activate, Offers & Suggestions (Freedom/Flex, Discover, Dividend, Cash+ & more)

It’s now possible to activate/enroll all 5% category credit cards for the fourth quarter of 2020, including the Chase Freedom, Chase Freedom Flex, Discover IT, Citi Dividend, and US Bank Cash+ and a few more. 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: October 1st – December 31, 2020. Store purchases can usually be done until the last minute. Online purchases should be given a buffer zone of a day or two.

Contents

1 Chase Freedom – PayPal & Walmart
2 Discover – Amazon, Walmart.com, Target.com
3 Citi Dividend – Best Buy & Warehouse Online
4 US Bank Cash+ – Select your Categories
5 Bank of America Cash Rewards
6 Other Cards with 5% Category

Chase Freedom – PayPal & Walmart

Activation Link / FAQ / Sample Stores & Exclusions / Our original post

Earn 5% back this quarter at PayPal and Walmart, up to $1,500 maximum.

PayPal – I love the PayPal category since you can use them almost anywhere. You can even do things like paying taxes with PayPal via PayUSATax. You can also send money to friends via PayPal for a 2.9% fee, just beware there could potentially be a cash advance issue there. (“Please note, Friends and Family or Person-to-Person (P2P) transactions made with your Chase Freedom card on PayPal may be prohibited.”)
Walmart – Walmart doesn’t typically earn a bonus multiplier on any credit card which makes it a nice category too. Includes Walmart Discount Stores, Walmart SuperCenters, Walmart Neighborhood Markets, walmart.com, Walmart branded gas stations operated by Walmart, Walmart Pay.

Tip: Click this link (login required) to check how far you are along the $1,500.

Discover – Amazon, Walmart.com, Target.com

Activation Link / Our original post

Earn 5% back this quarter at Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Target.com, up to $1,500 maximum. They added Best Buy in the middle of the quarter as well.

A lot of people always get 5% back on Amazon.com with their Amazon Prime credit card, and get 5% back at Target with their Target REDcard. The category is thus mainly useful for:

Walmart.com – doesn’t typically have a multiplier, so it’s a nice category. Remember, Chase Freedom/Flex also has Walmart available, and you might want to use that one first if you value Ultimate Rewards more than 1 penny each.
Buying Target gift cards at target.com does not get the 5% discount with REDcard. Specifically, Target has been running an annual Target gift card sale for 10% off during holiday season, and using Discover to pay for that is a good idea.
Those who don’t have REDcard and the Amazon Prime credit card, will find this category useful for Amazon purchases and Target purchases.
Best Buy can be useful for holiday shopping. This option includes both in-store and online purchases.

Activate to earn 5% Cashback Bonus at Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Target.com from 10/1/20 (or the date on which you activate 5%, whichever is later) through 12/31/20, on up to $1,500 in purchases. Amazon.com purchases include those made through the Amazon.com checkout, including digital downloads, Amazon.com gift cards, Amazon Fresh orders, Amazon Local Deals, Amazon Prime subscriptions and items sold by third party merchants through Amazon.com’s marketplace. Purchases also include those made in-store at Amazon Go, Amazon Bookstore, and Amazon 4-Star. The Amazon.com logo and the smile logo are trademarks of Amazon or its Affiliates. Walmart.com purchases include only those made at Walmart.com and when shopping through the Walmart app (including Grocery Pick Up and Instore Pick Up). Purchases made through affiliates of Walmart.com are not part of this promotion.

Tip: Login, then click this link to see you how far along the $1,500 you are.

Citi Dividend – Best Buy & Warehouse Online

Landing Page | Our Original Post

Earn 5% back at Best Buy and for online purchases at Warehouse Clubs this quarter. 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.

Best Buy – from memory, this works for both online and store purchases. Best Buy isn’t typically a bonused category, so this could be useful.
Warehouse Clubs, only valid for online purchases – useful for online purchases at places like Costco, Sam’s, BJ’s, etc. Or for buying up gift cards online to places like Costco/Sam’s/etc and then spending them in-club.

A lot of people already maxed out 2020 on supermarkets in Q1 and drugstores in Q2.

US Bank Cash+ – Select your Categories

Activation link | Our Original Post

U.S. Bank Cash+ offers 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

Our Original Post

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

ABOC – Select Retailers

Registration Link | Our Original Post

Earn 5x points on up to $1,500 in purchases at qualifying department and electronics stores, superstores, Amazon.com, and other major online retailers.