There could be many reasons why you might not be working on earning a credit card welcome bonus right now. Maybe you’re trying to get your recently opened card count below 5/24 or you’re letting your credit report cool off a little bit before opening new cards.

Whatever the reason, you still want to take advantage of travel credit card bonus categories. That’s why we’ve compiled the best bonus category options currently available in the market on a quarterly basis for cards you might have in your wallet.

While some cards have permanent bonus categories, others change every few months. We hope this guide will make choosing the best card for your everyday purchases just a little bit easier.

Groceries

For the first quarter of 2023, there are quite a few options to earn points at elevated rates on supermarket purchases. You can earn tons of rewards to make the rising cost of groceries sting less.

The following cards offer bonus points or high cashback rates on grocery purchases:

• Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card: 5% cash back at Whole Foods
• Amex EveryDay Credit Card: 2X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on the first $6,000 spent per year, then 1X thereafter
• American Express® Gold Card (see rates and fees): 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on the first $25,000 spent per year, then 1X thereafter
• Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express (see rates & fees): 6% cash back on groceries on the first $6,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets per year, then 1% thereafter
• Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (see rates and fees): 6% cash back on groceries on the first $6,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets per year, then 1% thereafter
• Chase Freedom (not available to new applicants) and Chase Freedom Flex: 5% cash back/5X Ultimate Rewards points at grocery stores and Target (on up to $1,500 in combined purchases per quarter)
• Citi Custom Cash Card: 5% cash back on the first $500 in your top category spend each month, 1% cash back thereafter
• Citi Premier Card: 3X ThankYou Points at supermarkets
• Discover it® Cash Back Credit Card: 5% cash back at grocery stores (on up to $1,500 in combined purchases per quarter)

A fan-favorite American Express® Gold Card is still one of the best cards to earn flexible rewards on grocery purchases in the United States. The Citi Premier Card earns bonus points on supermarkets all over the world, so consider this card when shopping overseas.

The Citi Custom Cash Card offers the opportunity to earn up to 5% cash back on your first $500 spent at grocery stores, so long as it’s your top category of the month. Given groceries are often one of the biggest line items in a family’s budget, it can be easy to maximize the grocery store category with this card every month.

The Chase Freedom (Visa) and the Chase Freedom Flex’s (Mastercard) returning quarterly bonus is for 5% cash back or 5X points at grocery stores. Notably, the bonus category includes purchases made at Target but excludes purchases made at Walmart.

Keep in mind that the original Freedom Card is not accepting new applications, but you can downgrade your Chase Sapphire Reserve® or your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to either Freedom card.

The Discover it Card also features grocery stores as one of its bonus categories this quarter. However, it excludes both Target and Walmart purchases from the bonus earnings.

Flights

Travel is back in full swing, which means you might be thinking of booking a flight in the near future. Whenever you’re not redeeming credit-card rewards for airfare, make sure to earn the most points possible on any cash tickets you’re purchasing.

The best cards offering bonus points for flights purchased in January through March 2023 include:

• American Express® Gold Card: 3X Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines and with Amex Travel
• American Express Green Card (see rates and fees): 3X Membership Rewards points on travel
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Card: 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
• Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex: 5% cash back/5X Ultimate Rewards via the Ultimate Rewards travel portal
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 5X Ultimate Rewards points on airfare purchased through Ultimate Rewards Travel portal and 2X on all other travel purchases
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: 5X Ultimate Rewards points on airfare purchased through Ultimate Rewards Travel portal and 3X on all other travel purchases (after the first $300 spent on travel per year)
• Citi Premier Card: 3X ThankYou Points on airline purchases
• Citi Prestige Card (not available to new applicants): 5X ThankYou Points on airline purchases
• The Platinum Card® from American Express (see rates and fees): 5X Membership Rewards on flights booked directly with an airline or via Amex Travel
• U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card: 4X points on travel

Nothing has changed in this spending category in a while. Although both the Amex Platinum and the Citi Prestige Card earn 5X points on flights, the Amex Platinum is a preferred option here because it provides trip delay insurance.

The Amex Gold and the Amex Green could be good choices here as well as they earn 4X and 3X Membership Rewards points on airfare, respectively.

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card is a bit of an underdog, but it still should be on your radar. Unlike its big brother, the U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card, it earns 4X points on all travel regardless if it’s booked through a travel portal or not. Keep in mind, the U.S. Bank doesn’t have any transfer partners, so you’ll be limited to redeeming points directly through their travel portal.

Both of the Chase Sapphire cards, both Chase Freedom cards as well as the Capital One Venture X Rewards Card offer travelers 5X points per dollar spent on airfare booked via their respective travel portals. However, keep in mind that booking directly with an airline might save you some headache down the road.

The Citi Premier Card awards 3X ThankYou Points per dollar spent on airfare but doesn’t provide any travel protections, such as trip cancellation or interruption insurance, trip delay, baggage delay or baggage loss.

Hotels

Although there are exceptions, we recommend focusing on earning transferable points when booking hotels. Here are your best options with Amex, Capital One, Chase and Citi:

• American Express Green Card: 3X Membership Rewards points on travel
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Card: 10X miles on hotels booked through Capital One Travel
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: 5X miles on hotels booked through Capital One Travel
• Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex: 5% cash back/5X Ultimate Rewards on hotels booked via the Ultimate Rewards travel portal
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 5X Ultimate Rewards points on travel purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards or 2X points on all other travel
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: 10X Ultimate Rewards points on hotels booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards portal (after the first $300 spent on travel per year) or 3X points on all other travel
• Citi Premier Card: 3X ThankYou Points on hotel purchases
• Citi Prestige Card: 3X ThankYou Points on hotel purchases
• Ink Business Preferred® credit card: 3X Ultimate Rewards on travel
  The Platinum Card® from American Express: 5X Membership Rewards on prepaid hotels booked via Amex Travel

If you’re looking to pay cash for your hotel stay, consider using the Citi Prestige Card (not available to new applicants). You can get your fourth night free on a paid hotel stay booked through Citi ThankYou Rewards up to two times per year.

The Citi Premier Card holders receive a $100 annual statement credit per calendar year after booking a single stay totaling at least $500 through the ThankYou Rewards portal.

Those who have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card can save $50 per membership year when booking a hotel stay through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal.

The Platinum Card from American Express cardmembers receive a $200 hotel credit toward a property participating in the Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection booked via Amex Travel (no enrollment required, but terms apply).

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® might entice you with 10X points per dollar spent on hotels booked through their respective travel portals. However, it’s worth remembering that chain hotels don’t honor elite status benefits on portal bookings, and you likely won’t earn credit for the stay, either.

Same idea applies to portal bookings made with the Freedom Unlimited, the Freedom Flex card and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. You’ll earn 5X points on these hotel bookings, but your elite status won’t be recognized.

You also can earn 5X points on hotel stays with 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. In general, you should prioritize the Capital One Venture X Rewards Card or one of either the Chase Freedom Unlimited or the Chase Freedom Flex over the Altitude Reserve.

Cruises

Setting sails? Use a card that earns bonus rewards in the travel category. Co-branded cruise cards aren’t typically the best options. Instead, use a credit card that earns a boatload of flexible points and offers trip insurance in case you miss the boat.

• American Express Green Card: 3X Membership Rewards points on travel
• Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex: 5% cash back/5X Ultimate Rewards on purchases made in the Ultimate Rewards travel portal
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 5X Ultimate Rewards points on travel purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards or 2X points on travel
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: 3X Ultimate Rewards on travel
• Citi Prestige Card: 3X ThankYou Points on cruise lines
• Ink Business Preferred® credit card: 3X Ultimate Rewards on travel
• U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card: 4X points per dollar spent on travel

Rental Cars

When renting a car, you should consider more than just the total number of points you’d earn. Some cards offer rental car insurance when you book with them, but they may not offer the most points.

For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® provide primary insurance coverage while many of its peers offer either secondary coverage or no coverage at all.

• American Express Green Card: 3X Membership Rewards points on travel
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Card: 10X miles on car rentals booked through Capital One Travel and on Turo
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: 5X miles on car rentals booked through Capital One Travel and on Turo
• Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex: 5% cash back/5X Ultimate Rewards via the Chase travel portal
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 5X Ultimate Rewards points on travel purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards or 2X points on travel
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: 10X Ultimate Rewards points on car rentals reserved through Chase Ultimate Rewards or 3X points on travel
• Ink Business Preferred® credit card: 3X points on travel
• U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card: 4X points on travel
• U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card: 5X points on car rentals booked via the Altitude Rewards Center

Restaurants

Dining, including delivery and takeout, is one of the most popular travel credit card bonus categories. The extra points add up quickly whether you grab a hot beverage at a neighborhood coffee shop in the morning, go out with coworkers for lunch or wine and dine in the evening.

• American Express Gold® Card: 4X Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide
• American Express Green Card: 3X Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide
• Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card: 4% cash back on dining
• Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex: 3% cash back/3X Ultimate Rewards at restaurants
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 3X Ultimate Rewards points on dining
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: 10X Ultimate Rewards points on prepaid reservations with Chase Dining and 3X points on all other dining purchases
• Citi Custom Cash Card: 5% back on the first $500 in your top category spend each month, 1% cash back thereafter
• Citi Premier Card: 3X ThankYou Points at restaurants
• Citi Prestige Card: 5X ThankYou Points at restaurants
• Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi: 3% cash back at restaurants

Ride-Hailing Services

Ride-booking can be tricky. Some banks code these services as travel while others don’t. For extra rewards, look for cards that have partnerships with specific ride-hailing companies.

• American Express Green Card: 3X Membership Rewards on travel
• Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: 3% cash back on transit
• Chase Freedom, Chase Freedom Flex or Chase Freedom Unlimited: 5% cash back/5X Ultimate Rewards points on Lyft rides, 1% on others ride-hailing services
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 5X Ultimate Rewards points on Lyft rides and 2X on others ride-hailing services
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: 10X Ultimate Rewards points on Lyft rides and 3X on others ride-hailing services
• Ink Business Preferred® or Ink Business® Plus: 5X Ultimate Rewards points on Lyft rides and 1X on other ride-hailing services
• Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited: 5% cash back on Lyft rides and 1% on other ride-hailing services
• Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card: 3X points on transit

Although The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card don’t earn bonus points with ride-hailing services, they offer a monthly Uber Cash credit of $15 and $10, respectively (enrollment required), so don’t forget to link these cards with your Uber account.

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.

• American Express® Gold Card: 4X Membership Rewards
• Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card: 4% cash back on dining
• Capital One® SavorOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card: 3% cash back on dining
• Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex: 3% cash back/3X Ultimate Rewards points
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 3X Ultimate Rewards points on dining
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: 3X Ultimate Rewards points on dining
• Citi Premier Card: 3X ThankYou Points on DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats
• Citi Prestige Card: 5X ThankYou Points on DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats
• Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card: 3X points on ordering in and eating out

The Amex Gold Card offers a $10 monthly credit that you can use with Grubhub and a $10 monthly Uber Cash credit (enrollment required), which can be used toward Uber Eats orders as well.

The Amex Platinum Card members receive a $15 monthly Uber Cash credit and $25 in December (enrollment required). The credits with either card don’t roll over to the next month, so be sure to place an order before they expire.

Gas Stations

Although gas prices are starting to come down a little, road trips are still taking the front seat for many travelers. Gas stations will be a big category for road trippers looking to avoid the airlines’ irregular operations. Try to get as many points or as much cash back as possible when filling up the tank to offset the high cost of fuel.

• Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: 3% cash back on gas at U.S. gas stations
• Citi Custom Cash Card: 5% back on the first $500 in your top category spend each month, 1% cash back thereafter
• Citi Premier Card: 3X ThankYou Points at gas stations
• Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi: 4% cash back on gas, including at Costco (on up to the first $7,000 per year, then 1%)
• Ink Business Cash® credit card: 2% cash back/2X Ultimate Rewards at gas stations (on the first $25,000 per year)
• U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card: 4X points at gas stations
• Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card: 3X points at gas stations

Mobile Pay

Mobile pay is becoming increasingly attractive, especially now that consumers are trying to reduce physical contact at shops, restaurants and coffee shops. As the acceptance of mobile pay services increases, so does its popularity as a bonus category.

• Apple Card: 3% on Apple Pay transactions at Ace Hardware, Duane Reade, Exxon and Mobil gas stations, Nike, Panera Bread, T-Mobile, Uber, Uber Eats and Walgreens, and 2% back on all other Apple Pay transactions
• U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card: 3X points on Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, LG Pay
• Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card: 1.8% cashback on mobile payments for the first year with your card

Although the Apple Card and the Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa Card are technically two of the best options for mobile pay, we don’t generally recommend them. Many cards 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 the Apple Card or the Cash Wise Visa.

Entertainment

Entertainment can be a broad category, but there are several cards available this quarter that list entertainment as a bonus category.

• Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card: 4% cash back on entertainment
• Capital One® SavorOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card: 3% cash back on entertainment
• Citi Custom Cash Card: 5% back on the first $500 in your top category spend each month, 1% cash back thereafter

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 quarter.

• Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: 6% cash back on streaming
• Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card: 4% cash back on popular streaming services
• Capital One® SavorOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card: 3% cash back on popular streaming services
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 3X Ultimate Rewards points on select streaming services
• Citi Custom Cash Card: 5% cash back on the first $500 in your top category spend each month, 1% cash back thereafter
• Discover it® Cash Back Credit Card: 5% cash back on select streaming services (on up to $1,500 in combined purchases per quarter)
• U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card: 5% cash back on streaming as long as it’s one of your top two category choices (on the first $2,000 each quarter)
• Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card: 3X points on streaming services

Quarterly Bonus Categories (January through March 2023)

Some of our favorite rewards cards include bonus categories that change every quarter. Below are two of our favorite rotating category credit cards and their quarterly bonuses for January through March 2023.

• Chase Freedom (not available to new applicants) and Chase Freedom Flex: 5% cash back/5X Ultimate Rewards points at grocery stores, including Target but excluding Walmart, and fitness clubs and gym memberships (on up to $1,500 in combined purchases per quarter)
• Discover it® Cash Back Credit Card: 5% cash back at grocery stores, drug stores and on select streaming services (on up to $1,500 in combined purchases per quarter)

Offer activation is required for both cards, so don’t forget to click the magic “Activate” button to get the bonus rewards.

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of great cards out there for every bonus category this quarter. Missing a spending 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 quarter.