Bottom line: No matter what home improvement project you're planning, your card rewards can cut your costs, be it with store cards, sign - up bonuses or cash
back bonus categories.
The 5 % cash
back bonus categories can be extremely lucrative if you can put them to good use.
The only caveat is that cardholders must keep track of the changing cash
back bonus categories, and activate them online every three months in order to make the most of the card.
Look for cash
back bonus categories that best match your spending habits, such as choosing a card that offers bonus rewards for gas purchases if you spend a lot of time on the road.
The Discover it ® cards are hugely popular for its quarterly rotating cash
back bonus categories that can help cardholders earn tons of rewards in useful purchase categories.
With 2 - 3 % cash -
back bonus categories, you'll easily make a return on the card.
Stay up to date with Knowzy's «Discover Cash
Back Bonus Categories.»
For those who spend a lot in a common category, cash
back bonus categories can be extremely lucrative, but be careful not to overspend just for the rewards.
Every quarter, the 5 % cash
back bonus categories change and you have to remember to opt - in each time they do so in order to earn rewards at that rate (you'll get a reminder from Chase).
Full calendar and more details on Discover's bonus category program are on Knowzy's 5 % Cash
Back Bonus Categories for Discover More Card.
The only caveat is that cardholders must keep track of the changing cash
back bonus categories, and activate them online every three months in order to make the most of the card.
In that way, you can stack the 5 % cash
back bonus category, on top of the instant 10 % discount, for a total savings of 14.5 %.
The Discover it card's 5 percent cash
back bonus category also is restaurants through September, but with Discover's CashMatch program, that 5 percent turns into 10 percent at the end of the year for first - year cardholders.
Not exact matches
The Ink Business CashSM has a really strong sign - up
bonus right now and good cash
back rates in common business spending
categories (office supply stores, internet, cable, phone, gas, restaurants).
If you don't want to worry about remembering what your
bonus categories are, the Spark Cash is a great card - you get 2 % cash
back on everything.
While the Chase Freedom does offer opportunities to earn cash
back, you have to remember to activate these
bonus categories each quarter.
The cash -
back cards generally pay
back a percentage of the amount you have spent on daily purchases, cash
back on specific
categories or
bonus amount for spending a specific amount within a certain period.
Cardholders earn 5 % cash
back on up to $ 1,500 in purchases each quarter when they activate set
bonus categories.
The Citi ® Double Cash Card — 18 month BT offer is one of the best rewards cards on the market, partly because it's so simple: straight cash
back — no points, no
bonus categories to keep track of.
It's always smart to earn 5 % cash
back on your purchases, even if you are limited to $ 1,500 in combined purchases in select
bonus categories each quarter that you activate.
Finally, there are cash
back cards with a flat rate of return, and those with rotating
bonus categories.
Earn 5 % cash
back on up to $ 1,500 in combined purchases in
bonus categories each quarter you activate and Unlimited 1 % cash
back on all other purchases *
The most common
categories for
bonus cash
back, which can earn cash
back at rates from 2 % to more than 5 %, are listed below:
Tons of other perks are available as well, including
bonus -
category cash
back of 3 % on gas and 2 % at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (on the first $ 2,500 quarterly in combined
bonus category purchases), a 0 % intro APR offer, and your FICO ® Score for free.
And on the other, new cardholders also enjoy best - in - class rewards, including Discover's Cashback Match ™ for every dollar spent in their first year, up to 5 % cash
back ($ 1,500 quarterly spending cap) in
bonus categories you activate, and 1 % on all other purchases.
This card earns 5 % cash -
back on
bonus categories that rotate quarterly.
Each quarter, you are able to earn 5 % cash -
back on up to $ 1,500 in combined purchases in the current
bonus categories.
The Ink Business Cash ℠ Credit Card is a no annual fee cash
back card, with lower caps on its special
bonus categories, that makes more sense for smaller businesses.
Cardholders get 5 % cash
back on up to $ 1,500 in combined purchases in
bonus categories each quarter you activate.
Many cash
back cards offer
bonus points in general shopping
categories, like groceries, department stores, and gas.
Bonuses are relatively rare in the world of cash
back cards, so if you're looking to earn cash
back and you don't want to have to worry about rotating cash
back categories, take a look at the Chase Freedom Unlimited ® card.
Instead of offering a fixed rate on all purchases, the Chase Freedom ® card gives 5 % cash
back on up to $ 1,500 in combined purchases in
bonus categories each quarter.
Earn 5 % cash
back on up to $ 1,500 in combined purchases in
bonus categories each quarter you activate (each time you activate).
For a straight cash rewards credit card, it's one of the best available when it comes to getting cash
back for all your purchases (not just the ones in
bonus categories).
For 5 %
Bonus Categories: Discover It is another card that offers up to 5 % cash back in rotating c
Categories: Discover It is another card that offers up to 5 % cash
back in rotating
categoriescategories.
This is how it works: Every quarter (every 3 months), there are
bonus categories that will earn 5 % cash
back, while all other purchases earn 1 %.
It has the same spend
bonus categories as the Ink Plus, except you get cash
back instead of UR points.
Supplements for these platters are divided into two
categories: «
Bonus Features,» which are new and also appear on the current DVD, and «Classic DVD
Bonus Features,» which is stuff that in some cases dates all the way
back to the Deluxe Edition LaserDisc of Toy Story but has become, in these latest reissues, exclusive - to - Blu - ray.
The Discover it ® - 18 Month Balance Transfer Offer combines a lengthy 0 % period on balance transfers with 5 % cash -
back rewards on rotating
bonus categories (on up to $ 1,500 in spending per quarter) and 1 %
back on all other spending.
Rewards: 5 % cash
back (up to $ 1,500 in combined purchases) for
bonus categories each month.
Earn 5 % cash
back on up to $ 1,500 in combined purchases in
bonus categories each quarter you activate (each time you activate).
Therefore, if you spend well over that in the
bonus categories, you'd benefit more from a fixed 2 % cash
back credit card.
However, at times in the past the Blue Cash cards have been offered with sign - up
bonuses as high as $ 250 with just a $ 1,000 spending requirement plus the possibility of earning 10 % cash
back on up to $ 2,000 in spending in
categories like restaurants, wireless phone, and Amazon.
The Chase Freedom ® provides 5 % cash
back on up to $ 1,500 in combined purchases in
bonus categories each quarter you activate.
That effectively translates to a 2 % cash -
back rate with no
bonus categories to worry about.
This card might work for me, if the
categories for the
bonus cash
back are something I would be able to use.
We prefer the Sallie Mae credit card as an option, as it offers spending on more
categories and the same cash
back bonus on Amazon.
The Chase Freedom ® gives users 5 %
back on
categories that rotate throughout the year — all spending that doesn't fall under a
bonus category earns just 1 %
back.
Beyond these special
categories, the default case is that you will earn cash
back at a rate of.25 % on your first $ 3,000 in purchases, and up to 1 % in cashback
bonuses after you spend above that amount.
That's because the Chase Freedom ® has a $ 0 annual fee and can earn 5 % cash
back on up to $ 1,500 in combined purchases in
bonus categories each quarter you activate.