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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.
Gregory Karp is a former NerdWallet writer and an expert in personal finance and credit cards. A journalist for more than 30 years, he has been a newspaper reporter and editor, authored two personal finance books and created the "Spending Smart" syndicated newspaper column. His awards include national recognition several times from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing.
Paul Soucy Lead Assigning Editor | Credit cards, credit scoring, personal finance
Paul Soucy has led the Credit Cards content team at NerdWallet since 2015 and the Travel Rewards team since 2023. He was an editor with USA Today, The Des Moines Register and the Meredith/Better Homes and Gardens family of magazines for more than 20 years. He also built a successful freelance writing and editing practice with a focus on business and personal finance. He was editor of the USA Today Weekly International Edition for six years and received the highest award from ACES: The Society for Editing. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism and a Master of Business Administration. He lives in Des Moines, Iowa, with his wife, Sarah; his two sons; and a dog named Sam.
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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 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?
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.
Also in Q4 of 2021, holders of the Chase Freedom Flex® (but not the original Freedom card) could earn an additional 5% cash back in the eligible category where they spent the most money, on up to $1,500 in spending. Those categories: Travel (including transit); dining; home improvement stores; grocery stores (not including Target and Walmart purchases); drugstores; das stations; select live entertainment; select streaming services; fitness club. This came on top of the 5% earned on Walmart and PayPal purchases, meaning Flex cardholders could earn 5% on up to $3,000 in spending that quarter.
Citi Dividend Card 2021 bonus categories
Q1: Amazon; select streaming services.
Q2: Supermarkets; drugstores.
Q3: Gas stations; home improvement stores.
Q4: Restaurants; Best Buy.
ABOC cards 2021 bonus categories
Q1: Groceries; drugstores; health and wellness (fitness clubs, beauty and health spas, hospitals/medical providers); veterinary services.
Q2: Home improvement (including gardening stores and home furnishings); warehouse clubs; Costco.com; Walmart.com; Target.com.
Q3: Dining (including restaurants and fast food); travel (airlines, rental cars, hotels, timeshares, cruises and travel agencies); transportation (gas, tolls, mass transit, taxis and ridesharing services); entertainment (including movie theaters, tourist attractions and theme parks).
Q4: Dining (including restaurants and fast food); food delivery services (including DoorDash and Grubhub); groceries; liquor stores; Amazon.com.
2020 credit card bonus categories
Click to view
Discover cards 2020 bonus categories
Q1: Grocery stores; CVS and Walgreens.
Q2: Gas stations; Uber and Lyft; wholesale clubs; Home Depot (June only).
Q3: Restaurants; PayPal.
Q4: Amazon.com; Target.com; Walmart.com; Best Buy (Nov. 25 to Dec. 31 only).
Chase 2020 bonus categories
Q1: Gas stations; select streaming services; internet, cable and phone services.
Q2: Dining; groceries; gas, rideshare and transit.
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
Click to view
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
Click to view
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
Click to view
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
Click to view
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
Click to view
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
Click to view
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.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.
Rewards rate
2%
Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases
Cashback
Intro offer
$200
Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.
Rewards rate
1.5%-5%
Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
Cashback
Intro offer
Up to $300
Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of card being reviewed (such as cash back, travel or balance transfer) and the card's rates, fees, rewards and other features.
Rewards rate
1%-10%
Earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), plus 1% on all other purchases. Earn 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases. Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Earn 10% cash back on purchases made through Uber & Uber Eats, plus complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through 11/14/2024. Terms apply.
Cashback
Intro offer
$200
Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
Whether you want to pay less interest or earn more rewards, the right card's out there. Just answer a few questions and we'll narrow the search for you.
