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
By Gregory Karp 
Updated
Edited by Paul Soucy

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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.

Previous years are listed below the current categories, so you can see what's been offered in the past ... and what might be again?

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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 2024

Q1 (Jan. 1–March 31)

  • Restaurants.

  • Drugstores.

Q2 (April 1–June 30)

  • Gas stations/EV charging stations.

  • Home improvement stores.

  • Public transit.

Q3 (July 1–Sept. 30)

  • TBD (In 2023: Gas stations; digital wallets).

Q4 (Oct. 1–Dec. 31)

  • TBD (In 2023: Amazon, Target).

Discover it® Cash Back

Discover it® Student Cash Back

Chase Freedom Flex℠

Discover it® Cash Back
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Discover it® Student Cash Back
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Chase Freedom Flex
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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 2024

Q1 (Jan. 1-March 31)

  • Grocery stores.

  • Fitness clubs and gym memberships.

  • Self-care and spa services.

Q2 (April 1-June 30)

  • Select hotel bookings.

  • Restaurants.

  • Amazon.com.

Q3 (July 1-Sept. 30)

  • TBD (In 2023: Gas stations and electric vehicle charging; select live entertainment).

Q4 (Oct. 1-Dec. 31)

  • TBD (In 2023: PayPal; wholesale clubs; select charities).

Current Citi Dividend bonus categories

Citi Dividend Card bonus rewards categories for 2024

Q1 (Jan. 1 - March 31)

• Amazon. • Select streaming services.

Q2 (April 1 - June 30)

• Grocery stores. • Drugstores.

Q3 (July 1 – Sept. 30)

• TBD (In 2023: Gas stations; home improvement stores).

Q4 (Oct. 1 – Dec. 31)

• TBD (In 2023: Grocery stores).

Categories from previous years

2023 credit card bonus categories

Discover cards 2023 bonus categories

  • Q1: Grocery stores; drugstores; select streaming services.

  • Q2: Restaurants; wholesale clubs.

  • Q3: Gas stations; digital wallets.

  • Q4: Amazon.com; Target, including Target.com and the Target app.

Chase 2023 bonus categories

  • Q1: Target; grocery stores; fitness clubs and gym memberships.

  • Q2: Amazon.com; Lowe's.

  • Q3: Gas stations and electric vehicle charging; select live entertainment.

  • Q4: PayPal; wholesale clubs; select charities.

Citi Dividend Card 2023 bonus categories

  • Q1: Amazon; select streaming services.

  • Q2: Drugstores; grocery stores.

  • Q3: Gas stations; home improvement stores.

  • Q4: Grocery stores.

2022 credit card bonus categories

Discover cards 2022 bonus categories

  • Q1: Grocery stores; fitness clubs and gym memberships.

  • Q2: Gas stations; Target.

  • Q3: Restaurants; PayPal.

  • Q4: Amazon.com; digital wallets.

Chase 2022 bonus categories

  • Q1: Grocery stores; eBay.

  • Q2: Amazon.com; select streaming services.

  • Q3: Gas stations; car rentals; movie theaters; select live entertainment.

  • Q4: PayPal; Walmart.

Citi Dividend Card 2022 bonus categories

  • Q1: Amazon; select streaming services.

  • Q2: Grocery stores; drugstores.

  • Q3: Gas stations; home improvement stores.

  • Q4: Restaurants; select travel.

2021 credit card bonus categories

Discover cards 2021 bonus categories

  • Q1: Grocery stores (including Walmart Grocery Pickup & Delivery); CVS and Walgreens.

  • Q2: Gas stations; wholesale clubs; select streaming services.

  • Q3: Restaurants; PayPal.

  • Q4: Amazon.com; Target.com; Walmart.com.

Chase 2021 bonus categories

  • Q1: Wholesale clubs; select streaming services; internet, cable and phone services.

  • Q2: Gas stations; home improvement stores.

  • Q3: Grocery stores; select streaming services.

  • Q4: Walmart; PayPal.

Citi Dividend Card 2021 bonus categories

  • Q1: Amazon; select streaming services.

  • Q2: Supermarkets; drugstores.

  • Q3: Gas stations; home improvement stores.

  • Q4: Restaurants; Best Buy.

2020 credit card bonus categories

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: Grocery stores; gym memberships and fitness clubs; select streaming services.

  • Q3: Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market.

  • Q4: Walmart; PayPal.

Citi Dividend Card 2020 bonus categories

  • Q1: Fitness clubs; supermarkets.

  • Q2: Drugstores; Amazon.com.

  • Q3: Home improvement stores; streaming services.

  • Q4: Best Buy; online purchases from warehouse clubs.

ABOC cards 2020 bonus categories

  • Q1: Recurring payments (including utilities, insurance, phone/cable/internet, streaming, subscription 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

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.

  • Q4: Best Buy, department stores, toy stores.

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