Some of my favorite cash rewards credit cards now offer cash back on a rotating quarterly schedule.
Since we’re winding down 3rd quarter, it’s time to do our planning to maximize your cash rewards for fourth quarter (and holiday spending!) to make sure we’re carrying the right cards and know where to use them.
Happy Free Money Friday!
Chase Freedom. My Chase Freedom card was collecting dust for awhile, but over the summer it was my first choice card because of the 5% on gas, airlines, and hotels. It looks like I’ll be keeping it out for the fall, especially for groceries! The 4th quarter Chase Freedom 5% categories are:
Discover More. With 3rd quarter winding down, so will the 5% on grocery stores from Discover More. Although, this will be a great one for holiday shopping with the inclusion of department stores and clothing stores for 4th quarter. The 4th quarter Discover More 5% categories are:
Gas Purchases. With the new schedules, the next question is where to charge gas now? Since none of the rotating cards are offering 5% on gas this quarter, I’ll go back to using our TrueEarnings Card from Costco and American Express for gas at 3% (4% for businesses).
Target Purchases. Target just announced they will be giving a new Target 5% discount when you use the Target credit card. So I’ll put that one in my rotation too!
Debit Card Purchases. If you use a debit card, you can get the PerkStreet 5% Cash Back Bonus during the holidays.
Everything Else. The rest of our purchases will fall to our Schwab credit card or Fidelity Credit Card for 2% cash back.
Here’s how I take advantage of the rotating cash back programs, and keep them straight!
All of the 5% cash rewards cards I’m using this month are also running sign up bonus offers. So it’s a good time to get them if you don’t have them already; if you apply now, you should be able to get them in time for the 4th quarter 5% cash back:
