5% Calendar for Q2 2022
With many credit cards in your wallet, keeping track of the best earning rates for each category is vital. Besides limited time promotions, earning 5% is usually as good as it gets. There are several credit cards out there that offer 5% on quarterly rotating categories. So let’s take a look at the 5% Calendar for Q2 2022, which kicked off today. But before we see where you can earn 5% back, let’s see how the earning works on each credit card.
Cards with 5% Rotating Categories
| Card | How 5x Works | Activate | |
| Chase Freedom Flex | 5X Ultimate Rewards points on $1,500 per quarter | Activate | LEARN MORE |
| Chase Freedom | 5X Ultimate Rewards points on $1,500 per quarter | Activate | No longer available |
| Discover it | 5% cashback on $1,500 per quarter | Activate | LEARN MORE |
| Citi Dividend | 5% on up to $6,000 spend for the whole year, can be earned in any quarter | N/A | No longer available |
| US Bank Cash+ | 5% cashback on $2,000 per quarter | Activate | LEARN MORE |
| Vantage West Card | 5% on $1,500 per quarter | N/A | LEARN MORE |
5% Categories
Here are the categories where you can earn 5% with each one of these cards.
- Chase Freedom & Freedom Flex
- Amazon
- Select Streaming Services
- Read more here.
- Discover It
- Gas Stations
- Target
- Read more here.
- Citi Dividend
- Drugstores
- Grocery Stores
- Read more here.
- US Bank Cash+ lets you choose 2 of the following categories:
- 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
- Vantage West Visa Card lets you choose 1 of the following 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
The ABOC Platinum card no longer offers 5% categories.
Maximizing 5% Categories for Q2 2022
Chase Freedom and the new Freedom Flex have Amazon as a 5% bonus category this quarter which is a good option for those who don’t have an Amazon credit card. Streaming services are usually not a popular category since they are not a huge expense that will help you maximize the quarterly spend, and you then have to switch your payments once the three months are up.
The Discover it card has Gas Stations and Target as 5% categories. Gas is getting very expensive, so anything helps. For Target you can always get 5% off if you have the Target RedCard.
Citi Dividend has the best categories this quarter with Grocery Stores and Drugstores. Those are usually merchants that carry a wide variety of gift cards, so you should be able to maximize your spending easily this quarter.
Then we have the US Bank Cash+ card and Vantage West Visa Card that let you choose two and one category respectively from a list of options. This gives you flexibility to choose a category that works best for you.
Guru’s Wrap-up
Some good categories are included, such Grocery Stores, Amazon, Gas and more. Let me know what cards you have and how you plan on tackling this quarter’s 5% categories.
If you don’t have these cards, there are also some good welcome bonuses available. You can get $200 and 5% on groceries for one year when you apply for the Chase Freedom Flex card. U.S. Bank Cash+ is offering a $200 bonus when you spend $500 in eligible purchases within the first 90 days. Discover it currently has an increased $100 bonus and double cash back for the first year. Chase Freedom and Citi Dividend are no longer available for applications.
