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Update 10/1/21: These bonus categories are live from today.
There are several credit cards that offer 5% cashback in rotating categories each quarter. All of them can now be activated for Q4 2021 (October 1 to December 31), so here are their links and how to maximize them for gift card purchases in case you wouldn’t meet their respective spending limits through organic spend.
Cards, Categories, Limits & Activation Links
Chase Freedom / Freedom Flex
- Walmart
- PayPal
- 5% cashback on up to $1,500 spend in combined purchases of this quarter’s categories
- Eligible retailers & exclusions
- Activation link
Spending $1,500 at Walmart and PayPal will be incredibly easy. At Walmart you could buy three $500 Visa gift cards, while many sites and apps selling gift cards accept PayPal including PayPal Digital Gifts, Bitmo, Fluz and more.
Discover It
- Amazon.com
- Walmart.com
- Target.com
- 5% cashback on up to $1,500 in purchases
- Activation link
Note that unlike the Chase Freedom and Freedom Flex option for Walmart which is valid both online and in-store, Discover’s 5% offering is only valid for online purchases from Walmart.com. The same goes for Target – in-store purchases aren’t eligible, only those made online.
It shouldn’t be hard to max out the 5% category for Discover It cards on gift cards during Q4. Amazon always runs a bunch of gift card deals during the holidays, as do Walmart and Target to a lesser extent. Target also offers a 10% discount on their own gift cards during the holidays, so keep an eye out for when that offer comes up in a couple of months.
Citi Dividend
- Restaurants
- Best Buy
- Total annual (calendar year) cash back is limited to $300 and includes additional cash back earned in connection with this offer (i.e. $6,000 total spend).
- Activation link
As noted above, the Citi Dividend card is somewhat unique with its 5% earning ability as you can max out the $6,000 of bonused spend in a single quarter if you want. With previous quarters including grocery stores, drugstores and gas stations, many people will have maxed out their cards already.
If you haven’t, Best Buy will be your best option when it comes to gift card purchases as they’ll be running gift card deals from October to December. If nothing else, getting 5% back on Best Buy gift cards themselves will be profitable for some resellers.
US Bank Cash+
- Choose two of the following:
- Home Utilities
- Electronics Stores
- Sporting Goods Stores
- Ground Transportation
- TV, Internet & Streaming
- Department Stores
- Select Clothing Stores
- Gyms/Fitness Centers
- Furniture Stores
- Cell Phones
- Fast Food
- Movie Theaters
- 5% cashback on your first $2,000 in combined net purchases in your chosen 5% categories
- Activation link
The US Bank Cash+ categories don’t rotate each quarter, although you do get to change/maintain your selection of two categories. It’s a shame that grocery stores, drugstores, etc. aren’t eligible categories, but there are a few gift card options.
The electronics stores category presumably includes Best Buy. That means you can buy gift cards for Best Buy, Amazon and many other third party brands, plus Best Buy sometimes offers discounted gift card deals. Some department stores and clothing stores also have third party gift card racks.
Should also note that for Freedom Flex PayPal spend, you can connect your card to PayPal Key and use that literally anywhere that accepts MasterCard and get the 5%.
Freedom category is worded oddly. It says Paypal at Walmart, but you’re take is that you’d get it at Walmart or when using Paypal.
There are two separate ways to earn 5% – Walmart or PayPal. The wording where it refers to ‘PayPal at Walmart’ is just clarifying that if you pay with PayPal at Walmart, you’d still only earn 5% rather than earning it twice due to both of them being 5% categories.