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Earning points through lucrative credit card sign-up bonuses is the easiest way to build up a stash of points and miles. But don't rule out the points and miles you can earn through everyday spending. One way to really supercharge your points and miles earnings is by strategically using credit cards with a rotating category bonus.
This type of rewards-earning card isn't great for catch-all purchases. Instead, to maximize your earnings, you should utilize these bonus category cards along with one of the best cards for everyday spending.
Now is a great time to review this list of credit cards with a rotating bonus. That's because most categories just reset for the new quarter (and month) that started on April 1, 2025. If you've got one of these cards, it's time to put them in the front of your wallet and know when to pull them out.
Page Contents
What Are Rotating Category Bonus Credit Cards?
Credit cards with a rotating category bonus offer elevated earnings when you use your card for the current bonus category. These categories usually last only a quarter and then are updated to a new category.
You can find many different types of credit cards floating around on the market. Some cards are great for everyday spending. Other cards are geared more towards specific niches and allow you to earn more when spending there. For example, some cards earn bonus points at supermarkets, while others will earn bonus points at gas stations.
Another aspect of rotating category bonus cards is that they are generally capped each quarter. For example, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ allows you to earn 5% cash back in set bonus categories each quarter. However, cardholders are capped at earning 5% cash back on the first $1,500 in purchases each quarter. After that, you return to the normal earning rate (generally 1X).
These caps and categories vary by bank and sometimes from card to card. We'll delve into this in detail below.
Related: How Many Rewards Points or Miles Does My Credit Card Earn?
Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Chase Freedom®
The Freedom Flex is a favorite in the points and miles world for earning 5% cash back in rotating categories.
Although the card is advertised as earning cash back, if you hold a premium Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning card (such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card), you can combine your rewards earnings to turn your cashback from the Freedom Flex into Ultimate Rewards points.
- Earn 5% on up to $1,500 on combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate
- Earn 5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Earn 3% on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- Earn 3% on drugstore purchases
- Earn 1% on all other purchases
The Freedom Card is another rotating category card, but it's no longer available to new applicants. However, it is an option for product changing an existing Ultimate Rewards-earning credit card. The Freedom Card offers the same 5% rotating categories each quarter as the Freedom Flex.
- 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter.
- Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Chase Freedom 5% categories
From April 1 through June 30, 2025, cardholders can enroll to earn 4% bonus cash back (for a total of 5% cash back) at or on:
- Amazon
- Select Streaming Services
Enrollment
Make sure to enroll your card. Then, you should be able to enroll for the following quarter's offers on the 15th of the last month of the previous quarter. For example, enrollment to earn 5% from April through June 2025 opened on March 15, 2025. Enrollment goes through the quarter and ends the day before enrollment for the next quarter opens up. That means enrollment for this quarter ends on June 14, 2025.
The nice thing is that enrolling at any point in the quarter makes you eligible for the bonus categories of that quarter — even purchases you made earlier in the quarter.
Limits
Cardmembers can earn 5% back on up to $1,500 each quarter when using an eligible card at select merchants. This means you can earn a total of $75 cash back each quarter on 5% purchases — then unlimited cash back at 1% earnings.
Related: Should You Get the Chase Freedom Flex℠ Card?
Citi Custom Cash® Card
The Citi Custom Cash card is Citi's most recent addition to rotating category cards. Although it replaced the Citi® Dividend Card, it differs from its predecessor. Most importantly, the card offers bonus points based on your billing cycle rather than by quarter.
- Sign-up bonus of $200 in cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening, issued as 20,000 ThankYou® Points
- 5% cash back in your top eligible spend category on up to $500 of purchses each billing cycle
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for--the top earning category adjusts automatically each month to the eligible category in which you spend the most.
- Excellent intro APR offer on purchases and balance transfers
- No annual fee
- Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent
- 1% cash back thereafter, plus, you'll earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for – as your spending changes each billing cycle, your earn adjusts automatically when you spend in any of the eligible categories.
- Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025.
- Eligible spending categories are: Restaurants, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Select Travel, Select Transit, Select Streaming Services, Drugstores, Home Improvement Stores, Fitness Clubs and Live Entertainment.
Citi Custom Cash 5% categories
- Drugstores
- Fitness Clubs
- Gas Stations
- Grocery Stores
- Home Improvement Stores
- Live Entertainment
- Restaurants
- Select Streaming Services
- Select Transit
- Select Travel
Related: Citi Custom Cash Card Review
Enrollment
To enroll in the rotating categories for the Citi Custom Cash, you need to do…nothing! That's right. No enrollment is required. Citi will automatically take your top spending category and do all the work from there.
Limits
With the Citi Custom Cash, you can earn 5% cash back each quarter on your top eligible spend category. This 5% cash back is limited to $500 spent in your top bonus category each billing cycle.
Discover Cashback Calendar
The Discover 5% cash back calendar is updated each quarter with a new set of merchants or purchase categories that earn additional rewards for Discover it® Cash Back cardholders.
At first glance, the Discover it Cash card seems like your average cash-back card. However, it has one feature that truly sets it apart: Cashback Match. Discover will match all the cash back you earn in the first year, including the 1% earnings and 5% categories!
If you max out the $1,500 in bonus spending each quarter, you’ll receive $75 cashback per quarter / $300 per year. With Cashback Match, Discover will double that amount, leaving you with $600 and essentially making this 10% back on your bonus category spending in the first year.
- 5% cash back at different places each quarter like gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, Amazon.com, or wholesale clubs up to the quarterly maximum each time you activate.
- Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases - automatically.
Discover it Cash 5% categories
From April 1 to June 30, cardholders will get 5% in the following categories:
- Grocery Stores
- Wholesale Clubs
Related: Discover's 5% Cash Back Calendar for 2025
Enrollment
To activate the quarterly categories for the Discover it Cash card, you can go here. Enrollment opens up one month before the offer begins for that quarter. For example, for Q2 2025 — which started on April 1, 2025 — enrollment opened on March 1, 2025.
Limits
This card works much like the Freedom Flex card. You'll get 5% cash back on quarterly rotating bonus categories on up to $1,500 per quarter.
U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card
The U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card is a lesser-known card, but it can be a great addition to your cash-back strategy. In some aspects, this is one of the better rotating category cards due to the higher quarterly limit. You'll receive 5% cash back on your first $2,000 in combined eligible purchases — instead of the more typical $1,500.
- Earn a $200 bonus after spending $1,000 in eligible net purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
- 5% cash back on your first $2,000 in eligible net purchases each quarter on the two categories you choose, 5% cash back on prepaid air, hotel and car reservations booked directly in the Rewards Travel Center, 2% cash back on one everyday category (like gas or groceries), 1% cash back on all other eligible net purchases
- No annual fee
- 5% cash back on your first $2,000 in eligible net purchases each quarter on the two categories you choose
- 5% cash back on prepaid air, hotel and car reservations booked directly in the Rewards Travel Center
- 2% cash back on one everyday category (like gas or groceries)
- 1% cash back on all other eligible net purchases
U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa 5% categories
- Cell Phone Providers
- Department Stores
- Electronics Stores
- Fast Food
- Furniture Stores
- Ground Transportation
- Gyms/Fitness Centers
- Home Utilities
- Movie Theaters
- Select clothing Stores
- Sporting goods Stores
- TV, internet & Streaming Services
Related: U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card 5% Category Choices for This Quarter
Enrollment
Enroll in the U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa categories by visiting your account here and navigating to the “Choose Your Categories” option. Alternatively, you can call 1-800-285-8585 to activate your categories. You can enroll up to 45 days before the start of the upcoming quarter. Enrollment ends five days before the end of the current quarter (June 25, 2025).
Limits
5% cash back on your first $2,000 in combined eligible purchases each quarter on two categories you choose.
Citi® Dividend Card
Just like the Freedom Card, this is another card that is no longer open to new applicants. Unfortunately, you can't product change to this card either. For those of you still holding onto the Citi® Dividend Card, here's what you need to know about its rotating category bonuses.
- Earn 5% cash back in rotating categories every quarter (enrolment is mandatory each quarter)
- Earn 1% on all other eligible purchases
- *The card has an annual reward cap of $300
Citi Dividend 5% categories
From April 1 through June 30, 2025, cardholders will earn 5% cash back at or on:
- Eligible Citi Travel Purchases
- Grocery Stores
Related: Citi® Dividend Card 5% Cash Back Activation and Eligible Categories
Enrollment
You'll need to enroll each quarter to be eligible for the 5% bonus. To enroll your Citi Dividend, go here. Registration begins on the 15th of the last month of the previous quarter. This means enrolling for Q2 of 2025 opened on March 15, 2025.
Limits
The Citi Dividend limits cash back earnings to $300 per year. That's not just the cap on the 5% earnings but a total cap on cash-back earnings for the year. Thus, any 1% cash back you earn on the card counts toward this cap. But, unlike other rotating category cards, you can max out the spend all in one quarter if you'd like.
Huntington Voice Rewards Credit Card℠
While virtually unheard of in the points and miles world, the Huntington Voice Rewards Credit Card℠ card is essentially a mix of the cards discussed above. This card is issued by Huntington National Bank and gives you 3X points per dollar spent in a category of your choosing. There are 10 different categories to choose from, and you can change your chosen category each quarter.
With Huntington National Bank, each point is worth 1¢. Earning 3X points is essentially a 3% cash back card in your chosen category.
Huntington Voice Rewards 3X categories
Here are the categories that can earn 3X points with the Huntington Voice Rewards card:
- Auto Parts and Service Stores
- Department, Apparel, and Sporting Goods Stores
- Discount & Warehouse Stores
- Electronics, Computer, and Camera Stores
- Gas Stations
- Grocery Stores
- Home Improvement Stores
- Restaurants
- Travel and Entertainment
- Utilities & Office Supply Stores
Enrollment
You must enroll your card in the select category to be eligible for bonus earnings. To do so, sign in to your account and select your category here.
After the first 30 days from account opening, you can change your 3X Rewards category up until 11:59 p.m. EST on the last day of the current quarter. Changes will only take effect once the next quarter begins. You do not have to change your categories if you don't want to. If you choose to keep the same category, then you do not need to do anything.
The start dates of each quarter are as follows:
- 1st quarter: January 1st
- 2nd quarter: April 1st
- 3rd quarter: July 1st
- 4th quarter: October 1st
Limits
Cardholders of the Huntington Voice Rewards can earn 3X points per dollar spent on the first $2,000 spent in the relevant category each quarter.
Final Thoughts
Cards featuring rotating bonus categories present an easy way to supercharge your points and miles earning capabilities. Ultimately, this helps you to form a rewards strategy that maximizes your return on spending.
Each card offers its own unique benefits and has its pros and cons. Both the Freedom Flex and Freedom Card — as well the Discover it® Cash Back card — offer huge value by giving you returns that can be as high as 10% on every dollar spent in bonus categories.
If we had to choose a “best in class” rotating bonus category credit card, we’d give the grand prize to the Freedom Flex card. That's because you can combine points earned on the Freedom Flex card with Ultimate Rewards points from cards like the Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve. Then, you can redeem them through the Chase Travel Portal or transfer them to travel partners, providing both flexibility and the potential for huge returns.
- Earn 5% on up to $1,500 on combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate
- Earn 5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Earn 3% on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- Earn 3% on drugstore purchases
- Earn 1% on all other purchases
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
It is always great to have more flexibility. While it is more difficult to find outsized value it is still worthwhile to plan ahead.
The BoA cash rewards card is also a 3% back on category of your choosing. I believe you can change categories once a month (or maybe billing cycle).
Correct, you can choose the category on that card. You don’t have to change it if you don’t want to–it can be the same category all year, so it’s not quite the same as the cards where the categories do change throughout the year. However, this is a very good card for daily spending in the chosen category, I agree!
I find it frustrating when multiple cards have the same categories during the same quarter (e.g., Chase Freedom and DiscoverIt are both 5% on groceries this quarter)? Is there some advantage on their end?
I highly doubt Chase and Discover are coordinating anything.
I have freedom and Discover cards. So I can make good use of these categories.
I miss the Discover Card 5% cash back quarter on online purchases that they had for a couple of years.
@Howie Yes, Meijer is a grocery store for Freedom and Discover and it is listed as a grocery on the Visa Supplier locator but one could argue it’s also a mass merchant like a Target or Walmart. Fred Meyer is like a Meijer, but it’s NOT listed as a grocery store here:
https://creditcards.chase.com/freedom/merchants
Another tip, don’t wait until the last moment to max out your category spend. Example, I tried to buy Costco GC’s a week before the quarter end, only to be told two days later they were out of stock due to demand (everyone waited until the last minute too) and it would ship 2 weeks later.
They draw you in with the 5% with the expectation that most people are way too lazy to max these out. Now, on the hand, if you spend just a little time – you get a lot out of it
My husband also likes the just pay cash for everything and not worry about points and miles. I just can’t. I use coupons when I shop and therefore, why not use “coupons” when I shop for flights, etc? I have the time to worry about it all so we can get more for less and have those trips we want with our kids.
I just recently got the Freedom card, I didn’t even know 2 of these cards you mentioned in the article existed! New cc goals!!!! I like these kind of cards a lot! Thank you for such a concise explanation.
Alright I gotta remember to actually activate these.
@Crawford says: “I have friends who insist they just don’t want “to fool with” operating within a points or miles collecting world. While I respect their choices, I continue to shake my head because from my point of view it can’t be that hard to know when to move your Freedom credit card to the front of your wallet and to remember the reasons for doing that.”
I value simplicity, which is what they’re opting for here. But, I also value the rewards from work, which is what you’re opting for here.
Great info, thanks.
Thanks for picking up Huntington card, been wondering about it.
Thank you for the reminders!
Have Chase Freedom and have to agree, that when the category is right (like gas, phone, groceries) its well worth it.
I am hoping they will bring the 5% for hotel stays and airlines purchases back!
2x freedoms, 1 FU, and 1 CSR. I’m quite content with my system!
Does Meijer count as a grocery store for Discover card?
Why would you think it doesn’t?
Thank you for reminding me about the Freedom quarterly changes.
Love maxing out the quartely bonus on Discover. Adds up nicely.
I have friends who insist they just don’t want “to fool with” operating within a points or miles collecting world. While I respect their choices, I continue to shake my head because from my point of view it can’t be that hard to know when to move your Freedom credit card to the front of your wallet and to remember the reasons for doing that.
Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! I plan on filling up my freezer this quarter!
If this works (use the portal and then pay with paypal), that’d be pretty brilliant. Any good merchant combos?
Wow I didn’t know there were other cards with rotating bonuses other than the Freedom card.
Great post!
5% cash back is better than miles
I’ll take 5 Ultimate Rewards/dollar which I can then use with my Sapphire Reserve — getting an effective 7.5% cash back towards a travel expense! Thanks, Freedom!
Thanks for the synopsis on the quarterly bonuses! I have two of the above mentioned cards.
I’ve always found this model somewhat confusing, tbh.
Thanks for the summary. I wasn’t aware of US Bank and Huntington Voice. Looks like I have to jump on that US Bank card.
Using the Chase Freedom this quarter at a store that you can also access through the Chase shopping portal lets you stack UR points. Although the discover card sounds great, I don’t spend enough that I could max out the bonus categories for multiple cards so I have to focus on one or two types of points.