New 1st Quarter 2015 5% Rotating Cash Rewards Credit Cards
1st quarter cash back is here and it’s back to the basics with gas and groceries! After claiming all the holiday cash back offers last quarter it’s time once again to get all the cards organized, activated and into a regular rotation.
Reevaluate Quarterly Cash Rewards
It’s our quarterly check-in to reevaluate the cards we are carrying to take advantage of the best 1st quarter 2015 cash rewards credit cards bonuses. Every quarter we reevaluate the cash back cards to make sure we get the highest cash back on each purchase including the credit cards that offer cash back on a rotating quarterly schedule.
As you switch out your cards, don’t forget to follow up on all your rewards and make sure you are earning the right cash back and maximizing all of your purchases.
We do the same swap every quarter, so you know exactly how it works: take out the old 4th Quarter 2014 5% Rotating Cash Rewards Credit Cards and maximize your cash rewards for 1st quarter 2015 to make sure you have the right cards, you are signed up for the 5% promotions, and you know where to use them.
Direct links to activate all of your 5% quarterly rewards are below!
1st Quarter 2015 5% Cash Rewards Credit Cards
Discover it. The Discover 5% cash back for 1st quarter 2015 is for gas! It’s always nice to have a gas card in the rotation that earns 5%. The 1st quarter 2015 Discover More 5% categories are:
- Gas Stations
- Ground Transportation
Discover 5% cash back is on up to $1,500 in purchases. Here’s the place to activate your 1st quarter Discover rewards. See the entire 2015 Discover Rewards Calendar.
Chase Freedom. The Chase Freedom card is featuring 5% cash back on groceries this quarter! The 1st quarter 2015 Chase Freedom 5% categories are:
- Grocery Stores (Excluding Target and Walmart)
- Movie Theaters
- Starbucks
Chase Freedom 5% cash back is on up to $1,500 in purchases. Here’s the place to activate your 1st quarter Chase Freedom rewards. See the entire 2015 Chase Freedom Rewards Calendar and the Best Way to Maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards Points.
Citi Dividend. Citi 5% cash back this quarter is on home furnishings. The 1st quarter 2015 Citi Dividend 5% categories are:
- Macys
- Home Furnishing Stores
Citi 5% cash back is on up to $300 cash back per calendar year ($6,000 in purchases). Here’s the place to activate your 1st quarter Citi Dividend rewards. See the entire 2015 Citi Dividend Rewards Calendar.
No Sign Up Needed
And as always, here are the easier cash back categories, since you don’t need to sign up:
| Category | Card | Cash Back |
|---|---|---|
| Grocery Stores* | Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | 6% cash back (up to $6,000 per year) |
| Gas* | TrueEarnings® Card from Costco and American Express or American Express Old Blue Cash Card |
3% cash back (up to $4,000 per year) 5% |
| Restaurants | Citi Thank You Premier Card | 3 ThankYou Points for every $1 |
| Target | Target credit card | 5% discount |
| Amazon | Amazon Visa or Citi Forward Card (college students only) |
3% cash back 5% cash back |
| Wireless and Office Supplies | SimplyCash® Business Card from American Express | 5% cash back |
| Internet and Cable | Chase Ink Plus | 5x rewards points |
| Costco | Fidelity Credit Card | 2% cash back |
| Travel | Barclaycard Arrival | Various |
| Charitable Donations | U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Visa® Card | 3x points |
| Choose Your Own Categories | SimplyCash® American Express or US Bank Cash Plus |
3% 5% |
| Everything Else | Gift cards purchased on American Express or Fidelity Credit Card or New Citi Double Cash or Barclaycard Arrival |
6% 2% 2% 2.2% |
*I left the categories on the grid for those currently in rotation. Readers requested that I leave them on as a backup for which card to use once they’ve exhausted their rotating rewards.
How to Get Your 5% Cash Back
Here’s my checklist for rotating cash back programs:
- Sign up for all of the new quarterly cash back programs, even if you don’t know if you’ll use that card. To sign up, just log in to your account online and select the 1st quarter 2015 5% cash back information. In order to earn the 5%, you have to enroll in each program quarterly.
- Write which categories to use each card for using a marker on the front of the card. It works really well to keep the cards straight!
