Maximizing 5% Categories for Q1 2023

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, or monthly. So let’s take a look at the 5% categories for Q2 2023. But before we see where you can earn 5% back, let’s see how the earning works on each credit card.

Cards with 5% Categories

5% Categories Q1 2023

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

• Chase Freedom & Freedom Flex
  • Grocery Stores
  • Target
  • Fitness Clubs and Gym Memberships
  • Read more here.
• Discover It
  • Grocery Stores
  • Drug Stores
  • Select Streaming Services
  • Read more here.
• Citi Custom Cash earns 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent. Eligible categories include:
  • Restaurants
  • Gas stations
  • Grocery stores
  • Select travel
  • Select transit
  • Select streaming services
  • Drugstores
  • Home improvement stores
  • Fitness clubs
  • Live entertainment.
• Citi Dividend
  • Amazon
  • Select Streaming Services
  • 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

Chase Freedom, Freedom Flex and Discover it cards all have grocery stores as a bonus category this quarter, which is always good news. Most people buy groceries, so that’s easy to use. Plus supermarket chains often sell gift cards, giving you more options to maximize your spending. The Citi Custom Cash card also has grocery stores as one of the options, so that gives another $500 per month in spending.

Drugstores are a category for Discover it and Customer Cash, and that’s another opportunity for more gift cards. Chase Freedom Cards have Target, which is not as exciting considering that you can save 5% with the Target RedCard. Citi Dividend has Amazon as a 5% category.

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. Citi Custom Cash also has more categories available for 5% cash back on up to $500 spending each billing cycle.

Guru’s Wrap-up

Some good categories are included, such Grocery Stores, Drug Stores, Amazon 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. Citi Custom Cash offers $200 in the form of 20,000 bonus ThankYou points when you spend $1,500 within 6 months. 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.