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Don’t Forget! New 5% Cash Back Categories This Quarter With These Cards

  • Million Mile Secrets

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    Update:   One or more card offers in this post are no longer available.  Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.

    This page includes information about the Discover products that are not currently available on Million Mile Secrets and may be out of date. 

    It’s a new quarter which means new 5% cash back bonus categories with cards like the Chase Freedom, Discover it® Cash Back, and more!

    If you haven’t already, be sure to activate these bonuses to earn extra cash back and points on your everyday spending.

    Remember to Activate Your 1st Quarter Category Bonuses to Earn Extra Cash Back While You Travel!

    I’ll remind you of this quarter’s categories and how to register for these bonuses!

    Earn More This Quarter From These Cards!

    1.   Chase Freedom

    Link:   Chase Freedom

    Link:   My Review of the Chase Freedom

    Link:   Activate the Chase Freedom Bonus

    Through March 31, 2016, you’ll earn 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points (5% cash back) on up to $1,500 in spending at gas stations and on commuter transportation (including taxis, subways, local commuter buses, and trains) with the Chase Freedom card.

    You must activate the bonus by March 14, 2016.

    Earn 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards Points (5% Cash Back) When You Fill up With the Chase Freedom!

    This is my favorite no-annual-fee card because you can easily earn lots of Chase Ultimate Rewards points or cash back in categories most folks spend a lot in anyway!

    You can currently 15,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points ($150 in cash back) when you sign-up for the Chase Freedom card and spend $500 on purchases in the 1st 3 months of opening your account.

    And if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Ink Bold (no longer available), or the Chase Ink Plus, you can transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to airline and hotel partners like United Airlines and Hyatt for Big Travel!

    Here’s my full review of the Chase Freedom card.

    2.   Discover it Cash Back

    Link:   Discover it Cash Back

    You’ll also save this quarter at gas stations and on ground transportation (which includes commuter trains and buses, taxis, Uber, rental cars, and more) with the Discover it Cash Back card.

    And because the Discover Cash Back card has no foreign transaction fees, it’s ideal for your Uber rides while outside the US.

    You’ll earn 5% cash back in these categories on up to $1,500 in spending from when you activate the bonus until March 31, 2016.

    With the Discover it Card, You’ll Earn 5% Back This Quarter on Gas and Ground Transportation – Even Rental Cars!

    Keep in mind, you will NOT earn the extra 5% back if you book ground transportation (like rental cars or train tickets) through travel agencies or 3rd party sites like Orbitz.

    Don’t forget, new Discover it cardholders (or folks who previously registered) can have their cash back doubled at the end of their 1st 12 billing cycles.  So you can effectively earn 10% cash back on rotating bonus categories!  That’s a great deal!

    3.   Citi Dividend

    Link:   Citi Dividend 2016 Calendar

    Link:   Activate the Citi Dividend Bonus

    The Citi Dividend card is no longer open to new applicants.  But if you’re an existing cardholders, you can earn 5% cash back at Home Depot and home furnishing stores through March 31, 2016.

    Need to Get Organized or Freshen up Your Space for the New Year? Earn 5% Cash Back at Stores Like Ikea and Home Depot With the Citi Dividend

    You can earn a total of $300 cash back each year with the Citi Dividend card.  Whether you make the most of 1 category or spread your earnings throughout the year is up to you!

    4.   US Bank Cash+

    Link:   US Bank Cash+

    Link:   US Bank Cash+ Categories

    Each quarter with the US Bank Cash+ card, you can choose new bonus spending categories.

    You can pick two 5% cash back categories and one 2% cash back category (gas stations, groceries, or restaurants).

    Earn Bonus Cash Back From a Wide Selection of Categories – You Choose!

    There are a lot of 5% cash back categories!  Here are a few ideas, but check the merchant examples for more details:

    If you don’t pick your categories, you’ll only earn 1% cash back on all spending until next quarter!  So don’t forget!

    Don’t Want to Fuss With Categories?

    Some cards have terrific cash back bonuses all the time at stores where you can pick up a variety of items!

    For example:

    Places Like Supermarkets Carry a Wide Variety of Items – Not Just Groceries!

    Or consider cards which offer bonus miles, points, or cash back on all spending, like:

    The information for the Discover it  Miles card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer

    Bottom Line

    It’s a brand new year, so it’s time to start earning 5% cash back in new bonus categories for Chase Freedom, Discover it Cash Back, US Bank Cash+, and Citi Dividend cards.

    Remember, you have to activate the new bonus categories to earn the extra cash back!

    My favorite category this quarter is gas stations (with the Chase Freedom and Discover it Cash Back).  It’s easy to make the most of the bonus when you’d be buying gas and other items anyway!

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)