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Current Credit Card Bonus Categories: Discover, Chase Freedom, Citi Dividend
Several popular cards feature bonus categories that rotate every quarter. Here are their rewards calendars.
Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This may influence which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.
Both Chase and Discover offer credit cards with 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in spending per quarter in bonus categories that change each quarter and 1% back on all other purchases. To get the bonus cash back, you have to opt in, or "activate," the category each quarter.
A Citi credit card with similar terms — the Citi Dividend Card — is no longer available to new applicants. It pays 5% in rotating bonus categories that you activate and 1% on other purchases. There's no quarterly spending limit, but the total cash amount of cash back you can earn in a year is capped at $300.
Previous years are listed below the current categories, so you can see what's been offered in the past ... and what might be again?
Cards that earn bonus rewards in these categories include the Discover it® Cash Back and the Discover it® Student Cash Back.
Discover bonus rewards categories for 2021
Q1 (Jan. 1–March 31)
• Grocery stores*.
• CVS.
• Walgreens.
*The grocery stores category includes Walmart Grocery Pickup & Delivery, but not grocery purchases inside Walmart or at other superstores such as Target or wholesale clubs.
Q2 (April 1–June 30)
• Gas stations.
• Wholesale clubs.
• Select streaming services.
Q3: Dining; entertainment; travel (airfare, cruises, car rentals, hotels, travel agencies); gas, rideshare and transit
Q4: Holiday shopping (including superstores, department stores, electronics stores, Costco.com and Amazon.com)
2019 credit card bonus categories
DISCOVER CARDS 2019 BONUS CATEGORIES
Q1: Grocery stores
Q2: Gas stations; Uber and Lyft
Q3: Restaurants; PayPal
Q4: Amazon.com; Target (in-store and online); Walmart.com
Chase Freedom® 2019 BONUS CATEGORIES
Q1: Gas stations; tolls; drugstores
Q2: Home improvement stores; grocery stores
Q3: Gas stations; select streaming services
Q4: Department stores; PayPal and Chase Pay
Citi® Dividend Card 2019 BONUS CATEGORIES
Q1: Gas stations; Home Depot
Q2: Drugstores; fitness clubs
Q3: Airlines and car rentals
Q4: Best Buy and department stores
ABOC CARDS 2019 BONUS CATEGORIES
Q1: Dining; groceries; pharmacy
Q2: Home improvement (including warehouse and wholesale clubs)
Q3: Travel purchases (airfare, cruises, car rentals, hotels, travel agencies)
Q4: Automotive purchases (including services, repairs and parts)
2018 credit card bonus categories
DISCOVER CARDS 2018 BONUS CATEGORIES
Q1: Gas stations and wholesale clubs
Q2: Grocery stores
Q3: Restaurants
Q4: Amazon.com and wholesale clubs
Chase Freedom® 2018 BONUS CATEGORIES
Q1: Gas stations; internet, cable and phone service; and purchases via Chase Pay, Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay.
Q2: Grocery stores, PayPal, Chase Pay
Q3: Gas stations, Lyft, Walgreens
Q4: Department stores, wholesale clubs, Chase Pay
Citi® Dividend Card 2018 BONUS CATEGORIES
Q1: Gas stations, car rentals.
Q2: Home Depot, home furniture stores
Q3: Airlines, movies
Q4: Best Buy, department stores
2017 credit card bonus categories
Discover cards 2017 bonus categories
Q1: Gas stations, ground transportation, wholesale clubs
Q2: Home improvement stores, wholesale clubs
Q3: Restaurants
Q4: Amazon.com, Target
Chase Freedom® 2017 bonus categories
Q1: Gas stations, local commuter transportation
Q2: Grocery stores, drugstores
Q3: Restaurants, movie theaters
Q4: Walmart, department stores
CITI® DIVIDEND CARD 2017 BONUS CATEGORIES
Q1: Home Depot, home furniture stores
Q2: Drugstores, fitness clubs
Q3: Airlines, Hilton hotels
Q4: Best Buy, department stores
2016 credit card bonus categories
Discover cards 2016 bonus categories
Q1: Gas, ground transportation
Q2: Restaurants, movies
Q3: Home improvement stores, Amazon.com
Q4: Amazon.com, department stores, Sam's Club
Chase Freedom® 2016 bonus categories
Q1: Gas stations, local commuter transportation
Q2: Grocery stores, wholesale clubs
Q3: Restaurants, wholesale clubs
Q4: Department stores, wholesale clubs
CITI® DIVIDEND CARD 2016 BONUS CATEGORIES
Q1: Home Depot, home furniture stores
Q2: Drugstores, fitness clubs
Q3: Car rentals, Hilton hotels
Q4: Best Buy, department stores
2015 credit card bonus categories
Discover cards 2015 bonus categories
Q1: Gas, ground transportation
Q2: Restaurants, movies
Q3: Home improvement stores, department stores, Amazon.com
Q4: Amazon.com, department stores, clothing stores
Chase Freedom® 2015 bonus categories
Q1: Grocery stores, movie theaters, Starbucks
Q2: Restaurants, Bed Bath & Beyond, H&M, Overstock.com
Q3: Gas stations, Kohl's
Q4: Amazon.com, Audible.com, Diapers.com, Zappos.com
(Note: In a special promotion offered in 2015 only, the $1,500 quarterly limit on spending eligible for bonus rewards was reset on Nov. 23, meaning that Chase Freedom® cardholders got a "fresh" $1,500 to spend for bonus cash back. Further, from Nov. 23 to Dec. 31 of that year, Amazon.com spending earned 10% cash back, rather than 5%.)
CITI® DIVIDEND CARD 2015 BONUS CATEGORIES
Q1: Macy's, home furniture stores
Q2: Home Depot, home and garden stores
Q3: Airlines, Hilton hotels
Q4: Best Buy, department stores
2014 credit card bonus categories
Discover cards 2014 bonus categories
Q1: Restaurants, movies
Q2: Home improvement stores, furniture stores, Bed Bath & Beyond
Q3: Gas stations
Q4: Online shopping, department stores
Chase Freedom® 2014 bonus categories
Q1: Grocery stores, movie theaters, Starbucks
Q2: Restaurants, Lowe's
Q3: Gas stations, Kohl's
Q4: Amazon.com, Zappos.com, select department stores
CITI® DIVIDEND CARD 2014 BONUS CATEGORIES
Q1: Macy's, drugstores, fitness clubs
Q2: Home Depot, home furniture stores, home and garden
Q3: Car rentals, Hilton hotels, theme parks, movie theaters
