Current Credit Card Bonus Categories: Discover, Chase Freedom, Citi Dividend, ABOC
Several popular cards feature bonus categories that rotate every quarter. Here are their rewards calendars.
Cards with rotating bonus categories come with some of the highest credit card rewards rates available.
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.
Rewards cards from ABOC, the Amalgamated Bank of Chicago, added a similar structure in 2019. They earn 5 points per dollar on up to $1,500 in combined spending per quarter in rotating bonus categories. All other spending earns 1 point per dollar. You don't have to activate the categories each quarter; you just have to enroll once at ABOCRewards.com.
Previous years are listed below the current categories, so you can see what's been offered in the past ... and what might be again?
Current Discover bonus categories
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 (July 1 – Sept. 30) | • Restaurants. • PayPal. |
Q4 (Oct. 1 – Dec. 31) | • Amazon.com. • Target.com. • Walmart.com. |
Current Chase bonus categories
These bonus categories apply to the Chase Freedom® and the Chase Freedom Flex℠ (introduced in September 2020).
Chase Freedom® and Chase Freedom Flex℠ bonus rewards categories for 2021 | |
|---|---|
Q1 (Jan. 1 - March 31) | • Wholesale clubs. • Select streaming services. • Internet, cable and phone services. |
Q2 (April 1 - June 30) | • Gas stations. • Home improvement stores. |
Q3 (July 1 – Sept. 30) | TBD (In 2020: Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market.) |
Q4 (Oct. 1 – Dec. 31) | TBD (In 2020: Walmart; PayPal.) |
Current Citi Dividend bonus categories
Citi® Dividend Card bonus rewards categories for 2021 | |
|---|---|
Q1 (Jan. 1 - March 31) | • Amazon. • Select streaming services. |
Q2 (April 1 - June 30) | • Supermarkets. • Drugstores. |
Q3 (July 1 – Sept. 30) | TBD (In 2020: home improvement stores; streaming services.) |
Q4 (Oct. 1 – Dec. 31) | TBD (In 2020: Best Buy; online purchases from warehouse clubs.) |
Current ABOC bonus categories
These bonus categories apply to the ABOC Platinum Rewards Mastercard® Credit Card and the ABOC Union Strong Mastercard® Credit Card.
ABOC bonus rewards categories for 2021 | |
|---|---|
Q1 (Jan. 1 – March 31) | • Groceries. • Drugstores. • Health and wellness: fitness clubs, beauty and health spas, and hospitals and medical providers. • Veterinary services. |
Q2 (April 1 – June 30) | • Home improvement (including gardening stores and home furnishings). • Warehouse clubs. • Costco.com. • Walmart.com. • Target.com. |
Q3 (July 1 – Sept. 30) | • 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 (Oct. 1 – Dec. 31) | • Dining (including restaurants and fast food). • Food delivery services (including DoorDash and Grubhub). • Groceries. • Liquor stores. • Amazon.com. |
» MORE: About the ABOC rewards program
Categories from previous years
2020 credit card bonus categories
2019 credit card bonus categories
2018 credit card bonus categories
2017 credit card bonus categories
2016 credit card bonus categories
2015 credit card bonus categories
2014 credit card bonus categories
