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Key takeaways
- Cash back cards that feature rotating bonus categories reward higher cash back rates for spending in select categories each quarter.
- Chase and Discover categories change each quarter and require activation in order to secure the higher rewards rate.
- While rotating bonus category cards don’t release their categories for the year ahead of time, you can view previous years’ categories to get a better idea of what to expect.
Cash back credit cards reward you for everyday purchases, yet they all reward you differently. Some ear flat-rate cash back on everything you buy and others offer higher rewards on certain purchases.
There’s also a third group of cash back credit cards: cards with rotating bonus categories. These cards offer a higher cash back rate (typically 5 percent) in categories that rotate on a quarterly basis.
Below, we’ll take a look at three major issuers — Chase, Discover and Citi — that offer cash back credit cards with rotating bonus categories.
Chase 2025 rotating categories
The only Chase credit card currently available for application with rotating bonus categories is the Chase Freedom Flex®*. The card offers 5 percent cash back on activated bonus category purchases each quarter (up to $1,500 in purchases, then 1 percent), 5 percent cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 percent cash back on dining and drugstore purchases, 2 percent cash back on Lyft rides and 1 percent cash back on all other purchases.
Note, the issuer announces categories one quarter at a time. Here’s what the Chase Freedom Flex 2025 bonus categories look like so far, compared to its 2024 offerings.
| Chase 2024 categories | Chase 2025 categories | |
|---|---|---|
| Q1: January to March |
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| Q2: April to June |
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| Q3: July to September |
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| Q4: October to December |
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Discover 2025 rotating categories
The Discover it® Cash Back and Discover it® Student Cash Back offer 5 percent cash back (after activation) on up to $1,500 in rotating category purchases each quarter (then 1 percent back), plus 1 percent on all other purchases.
Both include Discover’s first-year Cashback Match welcome offer. For example, if you earn $200 in cash back by the end of your first year of card membership, Discover will award you an additional $200, for a total of $400 in cash back earnings.
Discover releases categories one quarter at a time. Here’s a look at the 2025 Discover cash back calendar so far, along with 2024 bonus categories for comparison.
| Quarter | Discover 2024 categories | Discover 2025 categories |
|---|---|---|
| Q1: January to March |
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| Q2: April to June |
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| Q3: July to September | ||
| Q4: October to December |
Citi Custom Cash® Card* categories
Citi no longer offers cash back cards with rotating categories on a quarterly basis.
These days, the card most similar is the Citi Custom Cash® Card. Custom Cash offers 5 percent cash back in your top eligible spending category each billing cycle (on up to $500 each billing cycle, then 1 percent), plus 1 percent back on all other purchases. This means you could earn $25 back per billing cycle, $75 per quarter and $300 per year.
Categories that qualify for 5 percent back include:
The bottom line
So, should you get a 5 percent rotating bonus category card? If you’re willing to track bonus categories and make sure you use the card for the right purchases up to the spending cap, this type of credit card can yield lucrative rewards.
If you don’t want to worry about activating categories, you can consider the Citi Custom Cash card instead of one of the Chase or Discover options.
Furthermore, the rotating category cash back cards currently available don’t charge annual fees, so there’s no pressure for you to spend enough to justify the card’s cost.
Before you make the decision to apply, consider reading through our list of the best cash back credit cards. You just might find another option that better suits your spending style and needs.
*Information about the Chase Freedom Flex® and Citi Custom Cash® Card has been collected independently by Bankrate. Card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.
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