There is
a cap on the bonus categories of $ 50,000 in combined purchases.
On the bright side,
the cap on the bonus category is very high.
Not exact matches
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.
The
bonus categories and points are the same, but the maximums
on the special
categories are different: the Ink Plus
category cap is twice that of the Ink Business Cash ℠ Credit Card.
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.
Because of the $ 1,500 spending
cap on 5 %
bonus categories, projects which exceed $ 3,000 will be better off being charged to the Farmers ® Rewards Visa ® card.
You can find other cards that offer higher rewards rates but you'll usually have to watch for rotating
categories (that usually have
caps on the
bonus reward) or you'll have to pay an annual fee to offset higher rewards rates.
However, if your spending is high enough, and you spend more than $ 1,500 per quarter
on those
bonus categories you will start to lose value again due to the
capped bonus spending.
There's no
cap on the number of points you can earn, and thanks to the card's
bonus categories, you'll be earning points quickly.
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.
The
bonus categories and points are the same, but the maximums
on the special
categories are different: the Ink Plus
category cap is twice that of the Ink Business Cash ℠ Credit Card.
And if you're a Big Spender who maxes out the 5X
category bonus at Office Supply stores
on the Ink Bold, you could apply for this card which has a $ 50,000
cap for 5X purchases at Office Supply stores.
The following featured chart contains all the available information
on Discover's
bonus categories, including when to sign up and spending
caps.
Our take: A good card to use for everyday errands, the Bank of America Cash Rewards card offers a generous 3 percent spending
bonus on gas purchases and a respectable 2 percent
bonus on groceries; however, there is a strict $ 2,500
cap on combined purchases in these
categories each quarter.
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.
Tracking
bonus categories — While
bonus category cards offer a generous rewards rate, keep in mind that there is a
cap on the amount of
bonus rewards you can earn, and cardholders are required to activate the
bonus category each quarter.
There is, however, a $ 1,500
cap on purchases in
bonus categories each quarter that makes this card less valuable.
Firstly,
capping the
bonus category spending at $ 1,000 per quarter allows for maximum rewards for somebody who spends no more than $ 333 per month
on gas and restaurants.
While you'll only get maximum of three points per dollar spent with the Preferred card, there are more
bonus categories and the
cap on spending is much higher.
Our take: A good card to use for everyday errands, the Bank of America Cash Rewards card offers a generous 3 percent spending
bonus on gas purchases and a respectable 2 percent
bonus on groceries; however, there is a strict $ 2,500
cap on combined purchases in these
categories each quarter.
Like other Bank of America cards, these two have a quarterly
cap on the 2 percent and 3 percent
bonus categories, but the AARP and Amazon cards have no
caps.
For instance, Discover it ® - Cashback Match ™ has a $ 1,500
cap on their
bonus spending
categories.
The reason I have never felt any urgency in signing up for an Ink Bold or Plus card, despite their lucrative
bonus categories, is that those
bonus categories are
capped at $ 50,000 in spend per cardmember year, or a little over $ 4,000 per month
on average.
Though some Ultimate Rewards cards — such as the Chase Freedom card — may enforce a
cap on the number of points you can earn
on bonus categories, there are no overall limits to the number of Ultimate Rewards points that you can earn in a year or over the lifetime of your Ultimate Rewards membership.
PNC card if you want: Simplicity, a higher
cap on bonuses or
bonuses focused in a couple of
categories
PNC card if you want: Simplicity, a higher
cap on bonuses or a
bonus focused in a couple of
categories
Or, let's say you maximized the 5 percent
bonus on the Discover it card by spending $ 500
on its
bonus categories each month to reach the $ 1,500 quarterly
cap, while spending an additional $ 825 per month
on other purchases ($ 1,325 total monthly spend).
There is, however, a $ 1,500
cap on purchases in
bonus categories each quarter that makes this card less valuable.
The Chase Freedom pays generous cash back
on purchases within the quarterly
bonus categories, up to the
capped amount.
Rewards for gas purchases
on credit cards usually fall into one of the following
categories: quarterly
bonuses, a flat - rate with
caps or a flat - rate without
caps.
Overall, the 5X is nice but the
cap on 2,500 points earned means you can only spend up to $ 500, so this is not a terrific promotion, although if you already had plans to make purchases in the eligible
categories it's not a bad
bonus.
You'll also earn 1 percent back
on all your other purchases (and
on anything in the
bonus categories after you hit the spending
cap).
You'll also earn 1 percent back
on your other purchases and
on any
bonus category purchases over the quarterly
cap.
There's no
cap on the number of points you can earn, and thanks to the card's generous description of
bonus categories, you'll be earning points in no time.
So not only do you need to remember yet another temporary
bonus category, but this one has a
cap on it, so you've got to keep track of exactly how much you've already spent in the
category lest you go over and end up with the dreaded 1x multiplier, which is also known as the «I completely wasted that spend I'm so stupid» multiplier.
On the downside, the
bonus categories are
capped at $ 1,000 of spending per quarter.
That's an amazing
category bonus for any cashback card, especially since there's not
cap on the amount of cash you can earn.
The
bonus caps on these
categories apply per card member year, not calendar year, so be sure to keep track of your account anniversary date.
It also has a higher spending
cap, allowing cardholders to earn
bonus rewards
on up to $ 150,000 of combined
category purchases each anniversary year.
When you pair this with the
bonus points offered
on several
categories, including gas station and travel expenses, you stand to gain enough value in the first few years of ownership to easily offset the annual fee, especially since the
cap is set so high for each
bonus category.
Tracking
bonus categories — While
bonus category cards offer a generous rewards rate, keep in mind that there is a
cap on the amount of
bonus rewards you can earn, and cardholders are required to activate the
bonus category each quarter.
(Note: After you exceed the annual $ 6,000
cap on grocery purchases, the
bonus rate for that
category drops to 1.5:1.)
When it comes to rewards cards for grocery shopping, the American Express EveryDay Preferred card's rate of 3 percent
on U.S. supermarket purchases — with an annual
cap of $ 6,000 — ranks near the top of the list, even without factoring in the opportunity to score
bonus points
on the
category.
However, if your spending is high enough, and you spend more than $ 1,500 per quarter
on those
bonus categories you will start to lose value again due to the
capped bonus spending.
Chase Freedom ® cardholders earn 5 % back in rotating
bonus categories they activate each quarter (
capped at $ 1,500 in combined
bonus purchases quarterly) and unlimited 1 % back
on all other purchases.
Earn 3 %
on grocery / gas / pre-authorized after the three month Welcome
Bonus period with a spending
cap of $ 15,000 per
category
Notably, the card pays 5 %
bonus cash back (
capped on $ 1,500 of
bonus category spending each quarter) in rotating
categories you activate, and 1 %
on all other purchases.
On either card, all other spending — including spending in
bonus categories above the annual
cap — earns 1 point per dollar.
While cash back
categories can be particularly lucrative for those who spend a lot in common
categories, many cards will have
caps on the amount of purchases that will qualify for
bonus cash back.