This article may be outdated
Terms, offers, links, or instructions in this article may no longer be valid. Please verify with official sources before taking action.

Some credit cards, in addition to offering 1% cash back on everyday spending, also offer different 5x cash-back categories each quarter, which is basically 1% x 5 = 5% cash back. Using the right multiple-cash-back card in the right category can help us save as much as possible. Of course, if you are a little flexible, these quarterly bonuses can even be used across all spending categories. Today, let’s summarize the credit cards with quarterly 5x cash back and their corresponding categories, as well as how to make the most of this 5x bonus.

【2019.10 Update】The fourth-quarter shopping season is finally here, so it’s time to swap cards! The 5%/5x cash-back categories for each card in Q4 are now active. It’s best to activate them first so you don’t forget later. Links and analysis below:

  • Discover it: Amazon.com, Target, and Walmart.com — crowd-pleasers that basically cover the main online and offline spending of the shopping season. If I remember correctly, some merchants that support Pay with Amazon can also trigger the 5%. (Activation link)
  • Chase Freedom: Department Store: a classic Q4 staple, perfect for holiday shopping. Of course, many department stores such as Sears and Macy's sell lots of third-party gift cards, so if you can’t spend it all, just buy some. PayPal: Discover’s 5% in Q3 just ended, and Chase is bringing this category back in Q4. A very good category — eBay, Staples, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and most other websites now support PayPal. It’s very easy to max out. If you want to spend at Amazon, you can buy Amazon gift cards at department stores. Chase Pay: there aren’t many supported merchants, but if you have a Samsung phone, this category is almost a bug. That’s because Samsung Pay can call Chase Pay, so you can use it at any physical store that accepts Samsung Pay (basically almost every store). (Activation link)
  • US Bank Cash+: choose your own categories. In Q4 you can pick Electronics Store or Department Store to meet your holiday-shopping needs. Of course, it depends on your spending habits. (Activation link)
  • Citi Dividend: Best Buy, Department Store. The theme is still holiday shopping, though I guess everyone probably already used up the full annual $600 at drugstores in Q2. (Activation link)
  • ABOC Platinum Rewards credit card: auto-related categories (including parts, maintenance, and repair services), not really connected to shopping, and pretty distinctive. Strongly recommend getting with the times next year. (Register at https://www.abocrewards.com/)

2019 Quarterly 5x Cash Back Summary

A summary of the four most common cards with quarterly multiple cash back

  • Discover it (no annual fee, $50 sign-up bonus, double cash back in the first year)
  • Chase Freedom (no annual fee, $175 sign-up bonus, quarterly 5x UR)
  • US Bank Cash+ (no annual fee, $125 sign-up bonus, quarterly 5% cash back, choose 2 categories, 2% on 1 category)
  • Citi Dividend (no annual fee, cannot apply directly, only available via product change)
  • ABOC Platinum Rewards credit card (no annual fee, $150 sign-up bonus, quarterly 5%)

Discover it

  • First quarter: Grocery Store: a crowd-pleaser. Most supermarkets also sell third-party gift cards such as Amazon, eBay, and more, plus Visa gift cards
  • Second quarter: gas, Uber, Lyft. Very thoughtful — drivers use gas, riders use Uber. You can also test whether gift cards bought inside the convenience store attached to a gas station also earn 5%
  • Third quarter: restaurants. Discover may be declined at some small restaurants, so it’s safer to bring another card. If you have a restaurant you go to often, you can consider stocking up on some gift cards in Q3 (not too many). If your Discover card was newly opened within the past year, dining effectively earns 10% cash back, so dig in! Again, Discover’s 5% must be activated before use~
  • Fourth quarter: Amazon.com, Target, and Walmart.com — crowd-pleasers that basically cover the main online and offline spending of the shopping season. If I remember correctly, some merchants that support Pay with Amazon can also trigger the 5%.
  • Quarterly 5x activation link: log in to your Discover account to activate, or sign in here: Activation link
  • Latest activation deadline: 5% cash back starts only after activation
  • 5x cash-back limit: the first $1,500 per quarter earns 5%, and the rest earns 1%
  • Cash-back posting time: after each statement is issued
  • Inquiry link: Check how much of the $1,500 limit you have used (login required)
  • Credit card intro: 【$50 bonus, double cash back】 Discover IT
  • Advantage: no annual fee. If you are a new applicant, the quarterly 5% cash back can also be doubled, which is effectively 10% quarterly cash back

Chase Freedom

  • First quarter: Gas stations. There’s not much to say about gas, and convenience stores attached to gas stations often sell lots of third-party gift cards, so you can try to see whether you can get 5x there before buying in bulk; Drugstores, with CVS and Walgreens offering lots of third-party gift cards such as Amazon and eBay. Visa gift cards are also available; Tolls — even less to say here. You can load EZpass, pay tollway fees, and more
  • Second quarter: Grocery Store: this just excludes warehouse/discount stores like Walmart, Target, and Costco. Regular supermarkets are generally included. Chinese supermarkets and local non-chain American supermarkets are usually fine too. If you really can’t spend enough on groceries, you can also buy some third-party gift cards at the supermarket — basically any gift card you want can be found there. Home Improvement Store: this should mean places like Home Depot and Lowe's that sell home goods; they usually have quite a few gift cards for sale too. If you pass by, you can pick up some — the selection is just a bit smaller than at supermarkets. 5x activation link
  • Q3: Gas stations, streaming services (includes Netflix, Hulu, Sling, Vudu, FuboTV, Apple Music, SiriusXM, Pandora, and Spotify). In my opinion, this one is still pretty hard to max out. If you subscribe to a lot of streaming services, you can concentrate those subscription payments in this quarter and prepay them. Fortunately, in Q3 only freedom has gas stations as a 5x category. Also, some convenience stores attached to gas stations may also code as 5x, so you can try buying a few small snacks first, then buy all kinds of gift cards at the gas station (usually Amazon, eBay, gas gift cards, etc.). Activation starts on June 15.
  • Q4: Department Store: a traditional Q4 staple, great for shopping. Of course, many department stores like Sears and Macy's sell a large number of third-party gift cards, so if you can’t spend it all, just buy some. PayPal: Discover’s Q3 5% just ended, and Chase brings this category back in Q4. A very good category. Right now, most websites such as eBay, Staples, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart support PayPal payments. It’s very easy to max out. If you want to spend at Amazon, you can go to a department store and buy Amazon gift cards. Chase Pay: There aren’t many supported merchants, but if you have a Samsung phone, this category is also kind of a loophole. Because Samsung Pay can invoke Chase Pay, you can swipe at any physical store that accepts Samsung Pay (basically almost all stores). Activation starts on September 15.
  • Quarterly 5x activation link: Chase Freedom official site
  • Latest activation deadline: Activate before the 14th of the last month of each quarter, and all purchases in that quarter made before activation can still earn 5x
  • 5x rewards cap: The first $1,500 in purchases each quarter earns 5x, then 1x after that
  • When rewards post: After each statement closes
  • Check usage: Link to check quarterly 5x usage (login required)
  • Card intro:[Limited-time 20,000 signup bonus] Chase Freedom
  • Advantages: No annual fee. The 5x earnings are actually UR points, and if you have a premium Chase card, those points can be transferred to airline miles and hotel points, potentially worth 1.6 cents per point. That effectively makes the quarterly 5x UR equal to 8% cash back.

US Bank Cash+

US Bank Cash+ Credit Card [5 Bonus on Signup]
  • Quarterly 5% choose-your-own categories: If you have other 5x cards, for Q1, choosing cell phone (can overpay), bookstore (back-to-school books), or fast food is pretty good (covers part of your dining spend). Of course, it depends on your spending habits
  • Quarterly 5x activation link: US Bank official site
  • Latest activation deadline: Unknown (readers who have this card are welcome to share the info)
  • 5x rewards cap: The first $2,000 in purchases each quarter earns 5x, then 1x after that
  • When rewards post: Unknown (readers who have this card are welcome to share the info)
  • Card intro: US Bank Cash+ Credit Card (no annual fee, $125 signup bonus, quarterly 5% cash back choose 2 categories, 2% choose 1 category)
  • Advantages: No annual fee. Flexible category selection, so you can play the category rotation game

Citi Dividend

  • Q1: Gas Station: 5% (you can test whether gift cards bought inside the convenience store attached to the gas station also earn 5%), Home Depot (sells a large number of third-party gift cards) (activation link)
  • Q2: Drugstore, fitness club 5%: everyone’s favorite drugstores are here. I’m guessing most people will choose to buy VGC/PayPal My Cash and similar products at drugstores to max out the full $300 for the year. Drugstores also sell a large number of third-party gift cards such as Amazon and eBay, so this is probably one of the easiest categories to spend in (activation link)
  • Q3: Airline, car rental. If you buy plane tickets, this card can still come in handy. For car rentals, this card doesn’t include insurance, so it’s still better to use a primary card or an AMEX card for rentals. But I guess everyone probably already maxed out the full $300 for the year in Q2 at drugstores. Activate before September 30.
  • Q4: None for now. Activate before December 31.
  • Quarterly 5x activation link: Citi official activation link
  • Latest activation deadline: 5% cash back starts only after activation
  • 5x rewards cap: Up to $300 cash back per year total, then 1%
  • When rewards post: After each statement closes
  • Card intro: Citi Dividend  (no longer directly open to applications, but product changes are possible)
  • Advantages: No annual fee. There’s no quarterly cap, so if a quarter has especially good 5% categories, you can use it to lock in the full $300 for the year

ABOC Platinum Credit Card

  • Q1: Dining + grocery shopping;
  • Q2: Home Improvement
  • Q3: Travel spending (including airfare, cruises, car rentals, hotels, and third-party bookings)
  • Q4: Auto-related (including parts purchases, maintenance, and repair services)
  • Quarterly 5x activation link: You must register at https://www.abocrewards.com/ (this year’s latest 5x categories)
  • Latest activation deadline: Unknown
  • 5x rewards cap: The first $1,500 each quarter can earn 5x points, then 1x after that
  • When rewards post: Unknown
  • Card intro: ABOC Platinum Rewards
  • Advantages: No annual fee. Some non-standard categories come up, which can complement your other cards

How to make the best use of these quarterly 5x categories

Average card users

For average card users, just know which categories earn 5x and carry the right card in the right quarter.

Advanced card users

Because quarterly 5x cash back is only valid in a given quarter, even if you have the cards above, you still can’t cover all of your spending for the whole year, such as gas and grocery shopping. In that case, you can use category swapping to earn 5% cash back in other categories. For example, in Q2, when Chase Freedom has 5x at grocery stores, you can buy gas gift cards and stock up for use in other quarters, which lets you earn 5x on gas in the remaining quarters. The same idea works in Q3 with Citi Dividend. Drugstores also sell gift cards from many other merchants (such as Amazon and eBay). Department stores in Q4, such as Sears, also sell many other merchants’ gift cards, and Best Buy has plenty as well. Use gift cards as a bridge and earn 5% cash back on all of your spending! For a detailed analysis, see:

MS users

  • Gas stations: 7-Eleven may have Vanilla cards, and the in-store code is also gas station
  • Drugstores (CVS, Walgreens): PayPal My Cash, various Vanilla cards
  • Sears, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy: $200 Visa gift cards with PIN

For Dividend, drugstores are the best choice because the fee is 1%.

Appendix