Best Bonus Categories for July-September 2020 - 10xTravel

There are a lot of reasons why you might not be working on a credit card sign up bonus right now. Maybe you’re trying to get below 5/24, or you’re letting your credit report cool off a little bit before opening some new cards.

Whatever the reason, if you’re not working on a sign-up bonus, you should still try to take advantage of credit card bonus categories. That’s why we’ve decided to compile the best bonus category options on a monthly 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 on the button below.

In This Article

Groceries
Flights
Hotels
Cruises
Rental Cars
Restaurants
Rideshare
Food Delivery
Mobile Pay
Gas Stations
Entertainment
Streaming Services
Quarterly Bonus Categories (July-September)

Groceries

For August 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.

Chase Sapphire Reserve – 5X Ultimate Rewards points on Instacart (up to $3,000)
American Express Gold Card – 4X Membership Rewards at US Supermarkets up to $25,000 spend per year, 1x thereafter
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card – 3x Ultimate Rewards points on Instacart (up to $3,000)
Citi Premier Card – 3X ThankYou Points at Supermarkets starting August 23rd

The Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred are also offering up to $50 in statement credits toward an Instacart Express membership (yearly or monthly).

Chase Sapphire Reserve

50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after you spend $4,000 spend in 3 months

American Express Gold Card

10xT Thoughts: A great card for category spenders who want more rewards for their spend! Currently offering 35,000 points after you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months.

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 August 2020 are below.

The Platinum Card from American Express – 5X Membership Rewards on flights booked through Amex Travel or directly with an airline
Citi Prestige Card – 5X ThankYou Points
Chase Sapphire Reserve – 3X Ultimate Rewards Points

Although both the Amex Platinum and the Citi Prestige Card earn 5X points on flights, the Amex Platinum because it provides trip delay insurance.

The Platinum Card from American Express

Earn 60,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months. Terms apply.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after you spend $4,000 spend in 3 months

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:

Platinum Card from American Express – 5X Membership Rewards on hotels booked through Amex Travel.
Chase Sapphire Reserve – 3X Ultimate Rewards on hotels
Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card – 3X Ultimate Rewards on hotels
Citi Prestige Card – 3X ThankYou Points on hotels, 4th night free

Chase Sapphire Reserve

50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after you spend $4,000 spend in 3 months

Chase Ink Business Preferred^SM Credit Card

100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after you spend $15,000 in 3 months

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 Honors American Express 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.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

Earn 150,000 Hilton points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months.

The World of Hyatt Credit Card

25,000 points after $3k spend in 3 months, another 25k points after $6k total spend in 6 months

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 Card – 3X ThankYou Points
Chase Sapphire Reserve – 3X Ultimate Rewards on hotels
Chase Ink Business Preferred – 3X Ultimate Rewards

American Express Green Card

30,000 Membership Rewards Points after you spend $2,000 in the first 3 months

Chase Sapphire Reserve

50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after you spend $4,000 spend in 3 months

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 Sapphire Reserve – 3X Ultimate Rewards points
Chase Ink Preferred – 3X Ultimate Rewards points
American Express Green Card – 3X Membership Rewards Points
Citi Premier Card – 3X ThankYou points
U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card – 5X points when booked through the Altitude Reserve Center

Chase Sapphire Reserve

50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after you spend $4,000 spend in 3 months

American Express Green Card

30,000 Membership Rewards Points after you spend $2,000 in the first 3 months

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 Card – 5X ThankYou points
American Express Gold Card – 4X Membership Rewards points
Chase Sapphire Reserve – 3X Ultimate Rewards points
American Express Green Card – 3X Membership Rewards points

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 – 5X Ultimate Rewards on Lyft, 2X on others
American Express Green Card – 3X Membership Rewards on all rideshare services
Citi Premier Card – 3X ThankYou Points on all rideshare services

Food 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 Card – 5X ThankYou Points on DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats
American Express Gold Card – 4X Membership Rewards on all food delivery services
Chase Sapphire Reserve – 3X Ultimate Rewards points
Capital One Savor Card – 4% cashback on food delivery services.

In addition to the points, the Citi Prestige gets $5 back on all Postmates orders over $25. Meanwhile, the Amex Gold Card has an up to $10 per month credit that you can use with Grubhub and Seamless. The Sapphire Reserve currently provides a DoorDash DashPass membership which includes free delivery from participating restaurants

Mobile 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.

Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa

$150 after $500 spend in the first 3 months

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.

Chase Sapphire Reserve – 5X Ultimate Rewards points (up to $1,500)
Chase Sapphire Preferred – 3x Ultimate Rewards points (up to $1,500)
Citi Premier Card – 3X ThankYou Points
Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card – 3X points
Blue Cash Preferred Credit Card from American Express – 3% cashback

Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express

$250 statement credit after $1,000 spend in the first 3 months

Entertainment

Entertainment can be a broad category, but there are a few cards available this month that specify all entertainment as a bonus category.

Citi Premier Card – 2X ThankYou points until August 22nd
Capital One Savor Rewards Card – 4% cashback, 8% on Vivid Seats
Capital One SavorOne Rewards Card – 3% cashback

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.

Chase Sapphire Reserve – 10X Ultimate Rewards points (up to $1,500)
Chase Sapphire Preferred – 5x Ultimate Rewards points (up to $1,500)
Blue Cash Preferred from American Express – 6% cashback on all streaming services
U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card – 5% back
Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card – 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.

Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card

20,000 bonus points after $1,000 spend in 3 months

The Platinum Card from American Express

Earn 60,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months. Terms apply.

Quarterly Bonus Categories (July-September)

Some of our favorite cards include bonus categories that change quarterly. Below are two of our favorite cards and their quarterly bonuses for July through September.

Chase Freedom – 5%/5X at Amazon and Whole Foods (up to $1,500
Discover It Cash Back Credit Card – 5% at restaurants and PayPal (up to $1,500)

Chase Freedom

$200 cash bonus after $500 spend in 3 months

Learn more by visiting our
credit cards page.

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 80,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months and 2x points on dining and travel, this card truly cannot be beat!

10xTravel 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.

About the Author

Travis became addicted to travel after his first international trip to Nicaragua in 2016. He wanted to travel more but didn’t want to pay for it. He found points and miles, and hasn’t paid cash for a trip since. A self-proclaimed adventurer and beach-bum, Travis is often found at remote island destinations and beaches with scuba gear in tow. If you don’t spot him on a beach, look for somewhere with good wine or a...

Learn More About Travis

5 Responses to “Best Bonus Categories for July-September 2020”

Jon August 17, 2020

Discover has 5% cash back on restaurants this quarter.e. Chase Freedom has 5% black @ Amazon and Whole Foods.

Reply

Tara August 17, 2020

Great summary! Does Marriott 10X restaurant and gas station worth mentioning?

Reply

Bryce Conway August 17, 2020

Yes, making revisions now. Thanks!

Reply

Renee September 1, 2020

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!

Reply

Bryce Conway September 1, 2020

There is, simply click the link to download it and you will see both.

Reply

Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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The American Express Green Card isn’t one of the

The American Express Green Card isn’t one of the most talked-about cards available, but it does offer decent perks for the reasonable $150 annual fee. If you’re not ready for an ultra-premium card, the Amex Green card may be a good choice. 💳

Here are some benefits & perks for why it deserves your attention. Interested in learning more? Click the link in our bio or copy and paste below for our full evaluation!

https://10xtravel.com/complete-guide-to-amex-green-benefits-and-perks/

Southwest unveiled a short-term promotion that’s

Southwest unveiled a short-term promotion that’s allowing anyone who books a cash ticket by Thursday (9.24) for travel on or before November 15th to earn a coveted Companion Pass that’s valid for the first two months of 2021.

What does this mean? Well, essentially, it means that for every flight you purchase with cash or points, that a plus one can fly with you for free - they just have to pay government taxes and fees which start at $5.60/ one way.
This can make already affordable travel, like Southwest’s $99/one way flights to Hawaii even more attainable.

Will you be taking advantage of this promo? Let us know in the comments! Want to learn more about the Southwest Companion Pass? Click the link in our bio for the deets!

If you want to travel more while spending less - y

If you want to travel more while spending less - you’ve found the right place! We at 10xTravel are a team of avid travelers whose single mission is to help people turn their travel goals into realities. We started in 2014 as a tiny travel blog and have since grown to become a major player in the travel space.

SWIPE for a quick overview of three things you need to do to get started. From there, click the link in our bio to enroll in our free course. Everything you’ll see discussed on this page builds off of this foundational knowledge and is 100% worth it to help you get started with points and miles!

Have questions? Feel free to ask away below!

Today, let’s talk about credit card denials. 💳

This is one of the most brought up topics in the 10xTravel Insiders Facebook Group. It’s a situation that everyone experiences if they’ve been in this hobby long enough, and eventually, realizes is a normal part of the process. Until you reach that point, it’s understandable to have a few questions. So, let’s dive into some common reasons for credit card denials!

Common reasons why you may get denied for a card:

-Your credit score

-Too many recent applications

-Too much/too little credit

-Your listed income isn’t high enough
�What to do if you get rejected:
The first step you should take is to call the bank’s reconsideration line where you can talk to a human rep. Make sure you understand why your application was rejected (banks are required by law to give you a specific reason in your denial email/letter) and then do your best to appeal the decision. This process doesn’t always work, but if there’s a welcome bonus on the line, it’s worth spending a few minutes on the phone trying to salvage the application.

If the call doesn’t work, that’s ok. Each bank has its own set of rules and requirements, some of which are pretty strict during these unprecedented times. Hold off 3-6 months before reapplying. Unless there’s a specific mistake you made with your application, you can use this time working to improve your credit score and fix the specific reasons why you were declined. Chances are, you might just need to slow down the new card sign-ups.

This can be a great opportunity to consider other cards as well. We have a full list of our favorites at 10xTravel.com and you can reach out to us in the comments or DMs as well. You might not be scoring a Celebration Dinner at Caesars, but you could still be earning extra points back on purchases you’re already making!

Again, credit card denials aren’t the end of the world. Over time, the denials will hurt less, and eventually, you’ll know you’re doing it right when you feel absolutely nothing at all when it happens.

Read more here -> https://10xtravel.com/the-most-common-credit-mistake

Looking to get away this fall? ✈️ Southwest

Looking to get away this fall? ✈️

Southwest is offering 20% off flights when you book using Rapid Rewards points and use promo SAVE20NOW by Thursday.

We found flights in the 2k point range for short-distance domestic, 6k for cross-country, and 8k for international flights. While not part of the sale, select flights to Hawaii are showing up as lower-than-usual points as well, with flights starting at $99 one way from LAX, SFO, and SJO.

As a reminder, just because you can travel, doesn’t necessarily mean that you should. Please follow health officials’ guidance and research with local travel restrictions before booking your next destination vacation.

It’s time to redeem your Hyatt points for an alm

It’s time to redeem your Hyatt points for an almost all-inclusive getaway! ✈️🚗

Right now, Hyatt is offering a buy one night get one night free deal at their Austin and Arizona resort & spas, and a B2G1 deal at their Berkshires location. Nightly rates often run $950+ for two people, but with this deal, it’s only 65,000 Hyatt points!

This deal, of course, gets even better if you’re planning on staying by October 8th. That’s because the Miraval offer stacks with the current World of Hyatt promotion that offers a 15% rebate on award stays for all members or a 25% rebate on award stays for World of Hyatt credit cardholders. If you have the credit card, your stay will be a more moderate 48,750 points for two nights which is an incredible deal.

So what’s included? Stays at these wellness resorts include all meals, unlimited non-alcoholic smoothies/drinks, some complementary activities, $175/pp per paid night resort credit available for additional activities, alcohol, and spa services, along with complimentary airport transfers. Miraval resorts are no-tip properties, so you can leave your cash at home.

If you’ve never stayed at one of these resorts before, you’re in for a treat. Miraval properties focus on leaving the cell phone put away and fully relaxing with limited interruptions. In fact, technology is so minimal at these properties, you’ll find more books than televisions, and there are even no-cellphone zones as to not disturb other guests.

Here, daily activities include guided meditation, archery, nature walks, hatchet throwing, horseback riding, and more.

Interested in learning more? SWIPE to view how you can book this deal!