Q1 2025 5% Quarterly Categories: Activate, Offers & Suggestions (Freedom/Flex, Discover, Dividend, Cash+ & More)

It’s now possible to activate all 5% category credit cards for the first quarter of 2025, including the Chase Freedom, Chase Freedom Flex, Discover IT, Citi Dividend, US Bank Cash+ and some smaller cards. 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: January 1st – March 31, 2024. Store purchases can usually be done until the last minute while online purchases should be given a buffer zone since the charge typically posts on the shipping date.

Chase Freedom – Grocery, Fitness, Spa

Activation Link / FAQ / Our original post

With the Chase Freedom and Freedom Flex cards, activate to earn 5% back this quarter on up to $1,500 in spend at Grocery Stores (excluding Walmart & Target), Fitness Clubs & Gym Memberships
Hair, Nails, & Spa Services, and Norwegian Cruise Lines.

• Grocery Stores – A lot of people will find this category the most useful. You can also max this out by purchasing gift cards for the grocery store or any other store gift card. (E.g. buy Kroger gift cards or Apple gift cards or Amazon gift cards at Kroger stores.) Note, those who have a signup bonus offer for bonus 9x points on Grocery during their first year of card membership will be getting 14x during this quarter.
• Fitness Clubs & Gym Memberships
• Hair, Nails, & Spa Services
• Norwegian Cruise Lines

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

 

 

Discover – Restaurants, Home Improvement, Streaming

Activation Link / Our original post

With your Discover card, activate to earn 5% back this quarter on up to $1,500 in purchases at Restaurants, Home Improvement Stores, and Select Streaming Services.

• Restaurants – most will find this category the most useful.
• Home Improvement Stores – Useful for Home Depot, Lowe’s and the like, especially in March as we get closer to the spring/summer home improvement season.
• Select Streaming Services – this is a somewhat useful category, but some might find it a pain to switch them to Discover and then back to their regular card after the quarter is over. (It might be possible to load up your Apple or Google Play balances with this category; worth doing a small purchase first to ensure it’s coding properly for the 5%.)

Activate to earn 5% Cashback Bonus at Restaurants, Home Improvement Stores, and Select Streaming Services from 1/1/25 (or the date on which you activate 5%, whichever is later) through 3/31/25, on up to $1,500 in purchases.
Restaurant purchases include those made at merchants classified as full-service restaurants, cafes, cafeterias, fast-food locations, caterers, and restaurant delivery services. Restaurants located inside of or affiliated with another business, such as hotels or retail stores and establishments classified as a bakery, may not qualify.
Home Improvement Store purchases include online and in store purchases at home improvement retail stores, building supply stores (e.g. lumber, paint, and hardware stores), as well as lawn, nursery, and garden supply stores. Purchases made through third parties, such as contractors, may not qualify. Purchases from home furnishings, home appliance, and floor covering stores are not included.
Examples of Select Streaming Service purchases include Amazon Music, Amazon Prime Video, AMC+, Apple Music, Apple TV, Audible, DirecTV Stream, FUBO, Google Play Music and Video, Max, iHeartRadio, MLB.TV, Netflix, Pandora, Paramount Plus, Peacock, Showtime, SiriusXM, Sling TV, Spotify, Starz, Vudu, YouTube Music, YouTube Premium, and YouTube TV. Other popular streaming services may be included. If your subscription is bundled with another product or service or billed by a third party (such as a digital platform, a cable or satellite provider, telecommunications, internet provider, or a car manufacturer), the purchase may not be eligible in this category. Add-ons associated with Select Streaming Services may not qualify for this promotion if they are not listed, billed in a bundle, billed separately, or billed through a third party. Listed merchants are in no way sponsoring or affiliated with this program.

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

 

Citi Dividend – Amazon, Streaming

Landing Page | Our Original Post

With your Dividend card, activate to earn 5% back this quarter at Restaurants and on Citi Travel. Citi is different than the other cards in that you have a $6,000 annual cap rather than a $1,500 quarterly cap. 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.

• Amazon – those who don’t have a regular 5% Amazon card will find this useful. You can also load up your Amazon balance for future purchases.
• Select Streaming Services – same category as Discover.

U.S. Bank Cash+/Elan – Select your Categories

Activation link | Merchant List | Our Original Post

U.S. Bank Cash+ and Elan Max offer 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.

U.S. Bank Shopper – Select your Categories

Our Original Post

The U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards comes with a $95 annual fee and offers 6% cashback on your first $1,500 in combined eligible purchases each quarter with two retailers you choose. Options include Amazon, Apple, Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, Target, and many more. You must enroll each quarter for two retailers.

Bank of America Customized 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 and EV charging stations (default category)
• Online Shopping; this category also includes cable, streaming, internet, and phone plan
• 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

Nusenda FCU – ADD ME

Landing Page | Our Original Post

• Earn 5% this quarter on up to $1,500 in purchases on ADD ME

This is on top of the regular 1% for a total earn of 6% back. (apparently no longer the case)

Langley FCU – Walmart/Target, Grocery, Department

Landing Page | Our Original Post

• Langley Federal Credit Union offers 5% back each month in one selected category, on up to $100 cash back total ($2,000 spend).
• The category options at time of this writing: Target & Walmart, Groceries, Department Stores.

Vantage West [AZ] – Select your Category

the 5% program is ending on October 1st.

Landing Page | Our Original Post

Safe Credit Union [CA] – ADD ME

Landing Page | Our Original Post

Safe Credit Union Cash Rewards Visa card offers 5% this quarter on your choice of one category each quarter (with no apparent limit). This quarter the categories are:

• ADD ME