Q3 2022 5% Quarterly Categories: Activate, Offers & Suggestions (Freedom/Flex, Discover, Dividend, Cash+ & more)

It’s now possible to activate/enroll all 5% category credit cards for the third quarter of 2022, including the Chase Freedom, Chase Freedom Flex, Discover IT, Citi Dividend, US Bank Cash+ and a few others. 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: July 1st – September 30, 2022. Store purchases can usually be done until the last minute while online purchases should be given a buffer zone of a day or two.

Chase Freedom – Gas, Car Rental, Entertainment

Activation Link / FAQ / Sample Stores & Exclusions / Our original post

With your Freedom and Freedom Flex cards, earn 5% back this quarter on up to $1,500 in spend at Gas Stations, Car Rental Agencies, Movie Theaters and Select Live Entertainment.

• Gas Stations – Gas is a nice category – with the high gas prices going on it might even be possible for some people to max out with that alone. List of examples. There are also some convenience stores like 7-Eleven and others which might count as gas.
  • Those who have the 5x Gas offer from a signup bonus should be eligible to get 9x total during Q3 2022. You can still signup now for a new Freedom card and get this double dip.
• Car Rental Agencies – Car rentals could be useful for summer vacation rentals. List of examples.
  • Just keep in mind that you might want to use a different card that has primary collision insurance, such as the Sapphire Reserve. Some suggest switching cards at the end of the rental as  a workaround.
• Movie Theaters – List of examples.
•  Select Live Entertainment – List of examples.

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

Discover – Restaurants, Paypal

Activation Link / Our original post

With your Discover card, earn 5% back this quarter on up to $1,500 in purchases at Restaurants and Paypal.

• Restaurants – dining is always a big category for a lot of people.
• Paypal – I find Paypal one of the easiest categories to use since they are accepted at a huge variety of online stores, including places like Walmart.com, Bestbuy.com, etc. You can even pay your taxes with Paypal for a fee and net some profit or send money to a friend and net a little.

Activate to earn 5% Cashback Bonus at Restaurants and PayPal from 7/1/22 (or the date on which you activate 5%, whichever is later) through 9/30/22, on up to $1,500 in purchases. Restaurant purchases include those made at merchants classified as full-service restaurants, cafes, cafeterias, fast-food locations, and restaurant delivery services. PayPal eligible purchases are made through the PayPal wallet online, money transfers via PayPal using your card, and point-of-sale transactions using PayPal Here. Payments made through Xoom transfer services are not eligible for 5%. Using PayPal on restaurant purchases will only earn a total of 5%. PayPal and the PayPal logo are trademarks of PayPal or its Affiliates. Listed merchants are in no way sponsoring or affiliated with this program.

Citi Dividend – Gas, Home Improvement

Landing Page | Our Original Post

With your Dividend card, earn 5% back this quarter at Gas Stations and Home Improvement Stores. Citi is different than the other cards in that you have a $6,000 annual cap rather than a $1,500 quarterly cap. Thus, 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.

• Gas Stations –  Gas is a nice category, especially with the high gas prices we have now. This category does overlap with the Chase Freedom card. There are also some convenience stores like 7-Eleven and others which might count as gas.
• Home Improvement stores – good for summer home improvements. You can also buy gift cards to other retailers at stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s.

A lot of people already maxed out their Dividend cards for the year with $6,000 in purchases last quarter at the Grocery or Drugstore category.

US 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.

Bank of America 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 (default)
• Online Shopping
• 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

ABOC – Discontinued

Since August 27, 2021, the ABOC Platinum rewards card has moved to a new rewards provider and no longer offers the quarterly 5x categories.

Nusenda FCU – Gas, Education, Hotel, Airfare

Landing Page | Our Original Post

• Earn 5% this quarter on up to $1,500 in purchases on Gas expenses, Education expenses, Hotels, and Airfare.

This is on top of the regular 1% for a total earn of 6% back.

Affinity FCU – Gas, Wholesale Clubs, Fast Food

Landing Page | Our Original Post

• Earn 5% this quarter on purchases on up to $3,500 in purchases for Gas, Wholesale Clubs, Quick Service Restaurants (Fast Food).

The 5x is on top of regular earn for a total of 6x or 7x, depending on the card.

Abound CU – Streaming, Phone, Cable, Internet

Landing page | Our Original Post

• Abound Credit Union Visa Platinum card offers 5% on up to $2,000 in purchases for Streaming, Phone, Cable, and Internet services.

Langley FCU – Gas, Dining, Summer Adventures

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 for July 2022 are: Gas, Dining, Summer Adventures

Vantage West [AZ] – Select your Category

Landing Page | Our Original Post

Get 5x points on the category of your choice, up to $1,500 per quarter. Eligible categories:

• Travel
• Restaurants
• Utilities [water, cell, electric, etc.]
• In-Store Wholesale Purchases [Costco, Sam’s Club, etc.]
• Department Stores
• Hardware & Home Improvement Stores
• Charitable Organizations
• Pharmacies & Drug Stores
• Amazon.com

Safe Credit Union [CA] – Day Care, Utilities, Drugstores, Clothing Stores, Theme Parks, Charities

Landing Page | Our Original Post

• Safe Credit Union Cash Rewards Visa card offers 5% this quarter on Day Care, Utilities, Drugstores, Clothing Stores, Theme Parks, and Charities. (Apparently with no limit.)