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There are a lot of reasons why you might not be working on a credit card welcome bonus right now. Maybe you’re trying to get below 5/24, or you’re just busy with other things at the moment.
Whatever the reason, you should still try to take advantage of credit card bonus categories. Which is why we’ve decided to compile the best bonus category options on a quarterly basis.
While some cards have permanent bonus categories, others change from time to time which has been especially true this year. We hope this guide will make choosing the best card to make a purchase just a little bit easier for you.
Speaking of making things a little easier for you, we put together a master “cheat sheet” that has the best credit cards per spending category for you. You can download it by clicking here or on the button below.
In This Article
Groceries
For the fourth quarter of 2020, there are quite a few options to earn increased points on groceries. Many issuers are offering increased bonuses on grocery purchases as many people are staying at home rather than traveling.
The best cards offering bonus points on grocery purchases are below.
- American Express Gold Card – 4X Membership Rewards at U.S. Supermarkets
- Citi Premier Card – 3X ThankYou Points at Supermarkets
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card – 6X Hilton Honors points at U.S. Supermarkets
- Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card – 5% cash back at Whole Foods
- Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex – 5% cash back at Walmart
Many of the limited-time elevated offers expired at the end of September. For October through December 2020, most of the best cards for grocery purchases reflect the best standard offers out there. The exception is the Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex which will earn 5% cash back (issued as Ultimate Rewards) at Walmart this quarter.
American Express Gold Card
10xT Thoughts: A great card for category spenders who want more rewards for their spend! Currently offering 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 in the first 6 months.
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Chase Freedom Unlimited
$200 cash bonus after $500 spend in 3 months. Earn 1.5% back on all purchases.
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Flights
Traveling may be the farthest thing on your mind right now, but if you are planning to fly anywhere soon you should be sure to earn the most points possible on any cash tickets you’re purchasing.
The best cards offering bonus points for flights in October through December 2020 are below.
- The Platinum Card from American Express – 5X Membership Rewards on flights booked via Amex Travel or directly with an airline
- Citi Prestige Card – 5X ThankYou Points
- Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex – 5% cash back/5X Ultimate Rewards via the Chase travel portal
Although both the Amex Platinum and the Citi Prestige Card earn 5X points on flights, the Amex Platinum is a better option because it also provides trip delay insurance.
The Platinum Card from American Express
Earn 75,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first 6 months. Terms apply.
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Chase Freedom Unlimited
$200 cash bonus after $500 spend in 3 months. Earn 1.5% back on all purchases.
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Hotels
While there are exceptions, you’ll want to focus on earning transferable points when booking hotels in most cases. Here are your best options with Amex, Chase, and Citi:
- The Platinum Card from American Express – 5X Membership Rewards on prepaid hotels booked via Amex Travel
- Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex – 5%/5X Ultimate Rewards via the Chase travel portal
- Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card – 3X Ultimate Rewards
- Citi Prestige – 3X ThankYou Points on hotels, 4th night free
If you’re looking to pay cash for your hotel stay, the Citi prestige should be on your radar. Twice a year you can get your 4th night free on a paid hotel stay booked through ThankYou.com.
Another option to earn 5X points is the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card. You’ll earn 5X points on hotels booked through the Altitude Reserve Center with your card, but there are no transfer partners with U.S. Bank.
If you’re staying at a chain hotel, you may get some bigger benefits booking with the hotel’s co-branded credit card. The Hilton Aspire Card will earn 14X Hilton points at Hilton properties while the World of Hyatt Credit Card will earn 4X Hyatt points at Hyatt properties.
The Platinum Card from American Express
Earn 75,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first 6 months. Terms apply.
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Chase Freedom Unlimited
$200 cash bonus after $500 spend in 3 months. Earn 1.5% back on all purchases.
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Chase Ink Business Preferred SM Credit Card
100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after you spend $15,000 in 3 months
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Cruises
For cruisers, you’ll want to book using a card that earns point bonuses on cruises. Co-branded cruise cards aren’t typically the best options. Instead, use a card that earns a flexible currency.
- American Express Green Card – 3X Membership Rewards
- Citi Prestige – 3X ThankYou Points
- Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex – 5% cash back/5X Ultimate Rewards via the Chase travel portal
- Chase Ink Preferred – 3X Ultimate Rewards
Rental Cars
When renting a car, you should consider more than just the total amount of points you’re getting. Some cards offer rental car insurance when you book with them, but they may not offer the most points.
- Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex– 5% cash back/5X Ultimate Rewards via the Chase travel portal
- Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card – 3X Ultimate Rewards points
- American Express Green Card – 3X Membership Rewards Points
- U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card – 5X points via the Altitude Reserve Center
Restaurants
Dining is a very popular bonus category across many cards. When there’s a competitive bonus category, the bonus points available can be pretty high.
- Citi Prestige – 5X ThankYou points
- American Express Gold Card – 4X Membership Rewards
- Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex– 3% cash back/3X Ultimate Rewards
- American Express Green Card – 3X Membership Rewards
- Marriott Bonvoy Business Card – 10X Marriott Bonvoy points through October 31, 2020
Rideshare
Rideshares can be tricky. Some banks consider rideshares as travel while others don’t. Other cards have bonuses for specific rideshare companies.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve – 10X Ultimate Rewards on Lyft, 3X on others
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card – 5X Ultimate Rewards on Lyft, 2X on others
- American Express Green Card – 3X Membership Rewards
Chase Sapphire Reserve
50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after you spend $4,000 spend in 3 months
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Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after you spend $4,000 spend in 3 months
Learn moreFood Delivery
For food delivery, some cards offer unique credits in addition to bonus points. Balancing your earnings and credits to offset the costs is the best way to save and earn.
- Citi Prestige – 5X ThankYou Points on DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats
- American Express Gold Card – 4X Membership Rewards
- Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex – 3% cash back/3X Ultimate Rewards
- Capital One Savor Card – 4% cashback
- Marriott Bonvoy Business Card – 10X Marriott Bonvoy points through October 31, 2020
Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card
Earn 100,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months. Terms apply.
Learn moreUnfortunately, the Citi Prestige no longer gets $5 back on all Postmates orders over $25. Earning 5X points is still a good bonus rate for food delivery, even without the discount.
Meanwhile, the Amex Gold Card has a $10 per month credit that you can use with Grubhub and Seamless. The Chase Sapphire Reserve currently provides a DoorDash DashPass membership which includes free delivery from participating restaurants.
Gas Stations
You might not be commuting as much right now if you’re working from home, but you should still try to get as many points possible when filling up the tank.
- Citi Premier – 3X ThankYou Points
- Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card – 3X points
- American Express Blue Cash Preferred Credit Card – 3% cash back
- Marriott Bonvoy Business Card – 10X Marriott Bonvoy points through October 31, 2020
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
$300 statement credit after $3,000 spend in the first 3 months
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Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card
Earn 100,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months. Terms apply.
Learn moreMobile Pay
Mobile pay is becoming increasingly popular every day, especially as we want to reduce contact as much as possible. As the popularity of mobile pay services increases, so does its popularity as a bonus category.
- U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve – 3X on Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, LG Pay
- Apple Card – 3% on Apple Pay transactions at Uber, UberEats, T-Mobile, Exxon, Mobil, Nike, Walgreens, and 2% back on all other Apple Pay transactions
- Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa Card – 1.8% cashback on mobile payments for the first year with your card
Although the Apple Card and Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa Card are technically two of best options for mobile pay, we don’t generally recommend them. Many cards will earn bonus points on their respective categories even if you pay with mobile pay. So if you’re dining out, look to use the best restaurant card instead of an Apple Card or the Cash Wise Visa.
U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve
50,000 points after $4,500 spend in the first 90 days
Learn more by visiting ourcredit cards page.
Entertainment
Entertainment can be a broad category, but there are a few cards available this month that specify all entertainment as a bonus category.
- Capital One Savor Rewards Card – 4% cash back, 8% on Vivid Seats
- Capital One SavorOne Rewards Card – 3% cash back
Streaming Services
For many people, streaming services have replaced traditional cable and satellite TV. Although it may be a hassle to change all your billing information, using one of the following cards will get you the most back on streaming services this month.
- Blue Cash Preferred – 6% cash back
- U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card – 5% cash back
- Wells Fargo Propel – 3X points
Although it isn’t a bonus category, The Platinum Card from American Express currently offers $20 per month in streaming credits through the end of 2020. You’ll only earn one point per dollar spent, but you’ll be able to save on many of your favorite streaming services.
Quarterly Bonus Categories (October through December 2020)
Some of our favorite cards include bonus categories that change quarterly. Below are two of our favorite cards and their quarterly bonuses for October through December.
- Chase Freedom – 5% cash back/5X at Walmart and Paypal (up to $1,500)
- Chase Freedom Flex– 5% cash back/5X at Walmart and Paypal (up to $1,500)
- Discover It Cash Back Credit Card – 5% at Amazon, Walmart.com, and Target.com (up to $1,500)
Keep in mind with the Discover It the 5% cash back is only through the online retailers. In store purchases at Walmart and Target will not count.
Final Thoughts
There’s a lot of great cards out there for every bonus category this month. Missing a category you’d like to see included in the future? Let us know in the comments and we’ll be sure to include it next month.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
New to the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card to start with. With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months and 2x points on dining and travel, this card truly cannot be beat!
Learn more10xTravel is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers.
Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Discover has 5% cash back on restaurants this quarter.e. Chase Freedom has 5% black @ Amazon and Whole Foods.
Great summary! Does Marriott 10X restaurant and gas station worth mentioning?
Yes, making revisions now. Thanks!
Great idea! Is there a Page 2 to the chart? I’d like to take a picture of both pages of the chart for quick reference on my phone. Thanks so much!
There is, simply click the link to download it and you will see both.
Amex business gold card is offering 4X on the two top spending categories including gas and restaurants as well.
Just a general observation. I love this chart for easy and convenient comparisons. In my possession I also have Citi Aadvantage cards (Executive, Platinum, Miles Up) and wonder why cards such as this are not included in the overall comparison picture? Is it that the list is just too long to include more “product” oriented cards from all issuers? Just curious.
Thanks. Keep up the good work.
Is there a particular spending category that they do well with that we missed?
I thought the Chase Sapphire Reserve was always the best for a car rental, but it didn’t make your list. Is the Freedom Unlimited really better?
CSR is great for the car rental coverage. Less so for the points earning.
Thanks for the update. I am currently receiving 5x on CSR for gas stations. I forget when this offer ends.
I see you listed the Freedom Unlimited for the 5% at walmart/groceries. I don’t think the Freedom Unlimited is eligible for the 5% on groceries. I can’t find that. I believe it is only the freedom or the flex? Unless I’m missing something?
It is, this is a recent change.