5% Calendar for Q4 2021

With many credit cards in your wallet, keeping track of the best earning rates for each category is vital. 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 Q4 2021, as many consumers gear up for their holiday spending. 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

5% Categories

Here are the categories where you can earn 5% with each one of these cards.

• Chase Freedom & Freedom Flex
  • PayPal
  • Walmart
• Discover It
  • Amazon.com
  • Walmart.com
  • Target.com
• Citi Dividend
  • Best Buy
  • Restaurants
• 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 n longer offers 5% categories.

Maximizing 5% Categories for Q4 2021

Chase Freedom and the new Freedom Flex has PayPal as a 5% bonus category this quarter which is a great option as always. Now with PayPal Key it gets even easier as you can use your cards even on websites or apps where PayPal is not accepted, or where debit purchases have a lower fee. Walmart is another popular retailer where many people already shop.

The Discover it card also has Walmart as a 5% category, but online only. In addition there’s also Amazon.com and Target.com. Amazon is always popular. Target on the other hand, not as much as you can already get 5% off with a Target REDcard and free shipping.

Citi Dividend has something different with Best Buy and restaurants. Not very valuable, but hopefully you are already maximizing your cashback for the year.

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 PayPal, Amazon, Walmart 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.