It’s the 15th of the 3rd month of the quarter so it’s time to activate bonus categories for card that have quarterly bonuses for next quarter. All of these cards offer bonus points or cash back on up to $2000 in purchases during the quarter.
US Bank Cash+
If you’re not already getting 5x Ultimate Rewards points by using a Chase Ink card (and even if you are!) you may want to switch the card you’re using for payment for TV/Internet/Streaming Services and Cell Phones. You must register your card before September 25th to get the bonus cash-back in the categories you select. As a reminder, you choose two 5% categories and one 2% category. To register, click on the link in the email you received from US Bank or visit this link. I’m choosing Home Utilities (as usual) and Gyms (as usual).
Discover Card
Discover has already given us the full calendar for 2020. For Q3 the categories are:
This is a great category for me as I eat out a lot.
Don’t forget that Discover added Home Depot for the month of June as a 5% category and Home Depot sells gift cards, although the one near me does not sell the variable load Visas.
Chase Freedom
Q3’s Chase Freedom categories are Amazon and Whole Foods. With so many people ordering online, this will no doubt be a popular category. You can redeem the Ultimate Rewards (UR) points earned through these purchases in several ways. As a statement credit they’re worth one cent apiece. You can use them to book travel through the Chase portal, also for one cent apiece. Where their value really shines is if you have either the Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) or Chase Sapphire Reserve. Though these cards carry annual fees ($95 for CSP, $450 for CSR) you can combine the UR points earned on the Freedom with those earned on your other UR-earning card and transfer them to several airlines and hotel groups. Or you can book through the Chase travel portal for 1.25 cents apiece if you have the CSP or 1.5 cents each if you have the CSR. I have the CSR and my friends and I booked a lovely ocean-front condo on the Sunshine Coast of Australia using UR points at 1.5 cents each. It was a fantastic way to top off our trip Down Under.
To register you can go to this link to look at the calendar, then click on the Activate Now button as seen above.
In the end
Always register for the bonus categories even if you don’t think you’re going to use them. You’ll never know when they might come in handy!
2B Traveling 
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