Do this now: register for Q3 2016 cash back bonuses

Registration is now open for cards offering rotating cash back bonus categories in the third quarter of 2016. Here's the rundown:

• Chase Freedom. Earn 5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent at restaurants and wholesale clubs, on up to $1,500 in combined purchases across all bonused merchants. This will be my go-to card for restaurant purchases starting July 1.
• Citi Dividend. Earn 5% cash back at Hilton's portfolio of brands and on car rentals, up to a maximum of $300 in total cash back per calendar year on all bonused and unbonused purchases. I already earned all $300 in Citi Dividend cash back in the second quarter at drug stores, so I won't be using this card for the rest of the year.
• Discover it (log into Discover first). Earn 5% cash back at home improvement stores and Amazon.com, on up to $1,500 in combined purchases across all bonused merchants. Home Depot sells $200 PIN-enabled Visa prepaid debit cards, so while it's not a huge money maker I will probably buy $1,400 worth of prepaid debit cards and purchase Amazon gift credit with the remaining $58.35 in bonused spend.
• US Bank Cash+. Earn 5% cash back on up to $2,000 in purchases in two categories of your choice, and unlimited 2% cash back in one category of your choice. Here are the choices for the third quarter of 2016:

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Unless you're planning a big cell phone or electronics purchase, as usual the strongest play here is to select "Charity" as your 5% cash back category and make $2,000 in Kiva loans during the third quarter, earning $100 in cash back, minus any defaults on the loans you select. There's no reason to pay attention to the 2% cash back categories, unless for some reason you don't have a card that earns 2% or more in cash back everywhere.

Do this now: register for 2016 second quarter cash back bonuses

Second quarter registration is now open for credit cards earning quarterly rotating bonuses, and it's shaping up to be a pretty lucrative quarter.

Chase Freedom

Between April 1 and June 30, 2016, Chase Freedom cards earn 5 non-flexible Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent at grocery stores (excluding Walmart and Target store locations) and wholesale clubs, on up to $1,500 in purchases during the quarter.

I have 2 Chase Freedom cards and will be maximizing this offer in the first few days of April by making a few trips to a local grocery store which sells prepaid debit cards.

Activate your bonus earning here, and remember to activate the bonus on each Chase Freedom card you carry.

Citi Dividend

After a dry year last year, the Citi Dividend has finally come back with a strong 5% cash back offer in the second quarter of 2016: drug stores.

The maximum amount of cash back you can earn with a Citi Dividend cash back is $300 per year. Unlike the other 5% cash back cards, however, you aren't limited to earning $75 in bonus cash back per quarter; you can earn all $300 in a single quarter at a 5% cash back merchant.

That means spending $6,000 at drug stores in the second quarter of 2016 will earn you $300 in cash back, and you can put the card back in your sock drawer for another year (or request a product change to a more lucrative credit card for ongoing spend, like the Citi Double Cash).

You should be able to register for your second quarter cash back here, or through your Citi online account.

Discover it/More

The Discover it (formerly the Discover More) offers 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent at "restaurants and movies" in the second quarter of 2016. If you activated the double cash back offer in time, or are a new cardholder, you'll earn another 5% cash back at the end of your 12 month enrollment period.

Discover only bonuses purchases made after you enroll in the cashback bonus offer, so be sure to enroll immediately to make sure all your restaurant purchases in the second quarter are properly bonused.

Log into your Discover account and click here to register.

US Bank Cash+

The Cash+ is unique in that it lets you choose which categories you'd like to earn 5% cash back in, on up to $2,000 in purchases per quarter. Unfortunately, they're rarely very interesting from a manufactured spend perspective. Here are the 5% cash back options for the second quarter of 2016:

• Select Clothing Stores
• Cell Phones
• Electronics Stores
• Car Rentals
• Gyms/Fitness Centers
• Bookstores
• Fast Food
• Charity
• Sporting Goods Stores
• Department Stores
• Furniture Stores
• Movie Theaters
  

If you don't mind floating the cash, the best move as usual is to select "Charity" and make $2,000 in Kiva loans. You'll make $100 in cash back (minus any defaults and currency risks on your loans) and then let your Cash+ keep your Citi Dividend card company in the sock drawer.

You can select your one 2% cash back category and two 5% cash back categories here.

Do this now: register for Discover it Q1 2016 cashback bonus

Registration is now open (log into your Discover account first) for the Discover it cashback bonus categories of "Gas & Ground Transportation" for the first calendar quarter of 2016.

You'll earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in purchases in the bonus categories, and if you registered in time for the Discover it double cash promotion you'll earn the same amount again after the end of your promotional period.

This is a terrific offer if you have access to PIN-enabled prepaid debit cards at gas stations or convenience stores coded as gas stations, but if you don't have access to those at home (or while on the road), you still might consider using the bonus category to add value to any transportation passes or rail cards you plan to use throughout the year. And of course, 5-10% cash back on gas purchases isn't terrible either.

However you plan to use it, be sure to log into your Discover account and register now, before you forget.

Do this now: register for Discover it and US Bank Cash+ bonus categories

Registration is open for the Discover it and US Bank Cash+ bonus categories for the fourth quarter of 2015.

Discover it

Sign into your Discover account and click here to register to earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in purchases made at "Amazon.com, Department Stores, and Clothing Stores" from October 1 to December 31, 2015.

Since I'm enrolled in the recent offer from Discover to double my cash back at the end of the 12-month promotion period, I'll be earning an effective 10% cash back on the $200 PIN-enabled Visa gift cards I plan to buy from Sears next month.

If you're involved in reselling, the offer is potentially even more lucrative, since you can make purchases at Sears through Discover's shopping portal for an easy double-dip.

US Bank Cash+

Click here and enter your card details to select your 2% (unlimited) and 5% (on up to $2,000 in purchases) cash back categories for any US Bank Cash+ cards you carry.

The 5% cash back categories for 2015 are not too exciting, but you can still make an easy $100 in cash back on up to $2,000 in Kiva loans each quarter.

Conclusion

Registration for the fourth quarter Citi Dividend Platinum Select bonus categories of "Best Buy and department stores," and the Chase Freedom bonus categories of "Amazon.com and more" opens September 15, 2015.

As always, be sure to register now, before you forget.

Do this now: activate third-quarter bonus categories

Is everybody else as excited as I am about the beginning of the third quarter, just a few short days away? Here are the cash back bonus categories and activation links for the quarter beginning July 1 and ending September 30, 2015.

• Chase Freedom. 5 non-flexible Ultimate Rewards point per dollar spent at gas stations. If you have gas stations that sell PIN-enabled prepaid debit cards or PayPal My Cash cards, this one takes care of itself. Otherwise, you can either buy actual gasoline, or see what other gift cards your local gas stations carry. Make sure you activate your third-quarter bonus earning for each Chase Freedom card you hold.
• Discover it. 5% cash back at "Home Improvement Stores, Department Stores, and Amazon.com," doubled to 10% if you call to enroll in the current double cash promotion. Ordinarily I load my Bluebird card with $200 Visa prepaid debit cards purchased at Staples with Ink Plus; in July, I'll instead load Bluebird with $1,500 in prepaid debit cards purchased at Home Depot or Sears.
• Citi Dividend Platinum Select. Earn 5% cash back on airline purchases and at any hotel in the Hilton portfolio. I won't personally be taking advantage of this offer.
• US Bank Cash+. Select one of gas stations, grocery stores, or restaurants where you'll earn unlimited 2% cash back, and two additional categories where you'll earn 5% cash back on up to $2,000 in spend during the quarter. Charity remains a 5% cash back category, so if you have recently taken out a large negative-interest-rate loan, low-risk, short-duration Kiva loans continue to be an option. Cash+ registration takes a few days to become effective, so don't delay.

Do this now: Discover it double cash promotion

Via Doctor of Credit, Discover is currently offering a potentially lucrative promotion: for the 12 complete billing cycles after registering, they will double all the cash back you earn with your Discover it card. The cash back will be deposited in the 13th billing cycle after registration.

There are a few nuances here: if you're an existing cardholder, you have to call to register for the promotion — registration isn't available online. However, by all accounts Discover's phone representatives are happy to register anyone who calls; my phone call took about 4 minutes, beginning to end.

Additionally, registration doesn't take effect immediately: since the promotion is based on 12 complete billing cycles, you only start earning double cash back on the first day of your next billing cycle after registration. In my case, that's June 3, but if you have a statement closing date later in the month you might not be able to maximize the rest of this quarter's "Restaurants and Movies" rotating 5% cash back category (Doctor of Credit helpfully suggests asking Discover to change your statement closing date in this case).

Doubled cash back earning — 10% cash back in bonus categories — might make a few otherwise-boring deals worth pursuing. In the third quarter of 2015, for instance, department stores are a bonus category. 5% cash back on $200 Visa gift cards from Sears is a good deal, but 10% cash back on Visa gift cards is a great deal (netting $13.75 per card). You can also do whatever it is people do with Sears gift cards.

If gas stations return in the first quarter of 2016, PIN-enabled Visa prepaid cards will be a great option, and hopefully the always-popular restaurant bonus category will return next year as well.

One thing that's unclear is whether cash back earned through Discover's lucrative shopping portal will also be doubled. I believe it likely will be, but regardless of what Discover's phone representatives say, there's no way to know for sure until 13 months from now!

Do this now: register for Q2 2015 cash back bonuses

Registration is open for cards offering rotating cash back bonus categories in the second quarter of 2015. Here's the skinny:

• Chase Freedom. 5 non-flexible Ultimate Rewards points at restaurants, Bed Bath & Beyond, H&M, and overstock.com, on up to $1,500 in purchases across all bonused merchants.
• Citi Dividend Platinum Select. 5% cash back at The Home Depot and home and garden stores, up to a maximum of $300 in cash back annually.
• Discover it (log into Discover first). 5% cash back at restaurants and movies ("movie theaters, video rental stores, and online movie ticket services"), on up to $1,500 in purchases across all bonused merchants.
• US Bank Cash+. Register for 2% cash back at grocery stores, gas stations, or restaurants (I usually pick grocery stores) and 5% cash back in 2 of the available categories, on up to $2,000 in quarterly spend. Good 5% cash back options include charity, department stores, and electronics stores.

Bonus do this now

When you log into your Hilton HHonors account, you should see this banner:

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I aim to redeem HHonors points for no less than 0.37 cents each (the opportunity cost of earning them), so at that rate 1,000 points are worth about $3.67. I'll take it!

Reminder: register for first quarter cash back categories and hotel promotions

It's already January 2, so you're probably eager to knock off the easier 5% cash back categories this quarter. Before you do, be sure to register each of your cards, so you don't find yourself unpleasantly suprised when your statement closes. Here are the links to register:

• Chase Freedom. 5 non-flexible Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent, up to $1,500 per Freedom card, at grocery stores, excluding Walmart and Target stores (although I'm unsure whether that restriction will actually be enforced).
• Discover it (log in first). 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in spending at gas stations, now with no redemption thresholds.
• Citi Dividend Platinum Select. 5% cash back at Macy's and home furnishing stores.
• US Bank Cash+. 5% cash back on up to $2,000 in charitable spending, including Kiva loans, department store spending like Sears, or electronics stores like Best Buy, among other options.

And as long as you're taking care of housekeeping, be sure to visit my Hotel Promotions page to make sure you're registered for all the promotions that have been announced so far.

Breaking: Discover It has removed cash back redemption thresholds

[update 11/25/14: Twitter follower @jlazarev pointed out this morning that he was unable to redeem the $15.22 in his Discover cash back balance. It seems I overstated the change that Discover had made: they didn't remove the redemption threshold, which remains at $50, but now allow cardholders to redeem cash back in any amount over $50. This is not as good as removing the redemption threshold entirely, but is still a big improvement in the war against "orphaned" cash back.]

If you follow this blog, you know I'm fond of the Discover It (previously Discover More) cash back card, which has revolving 5% cash back categories, occasional bonuses (targeted and not-so-targeted), no foreign transaction fees, and gives access to ShopDiscover, an online shopping portals which typically has among the highest payouts for many online merchants.

The card's principle drawback has always been its cruel redemption thresholds: while a cardmember's rewards balance is denominated in "dollars" of cash back, that balance could only be redeemed for statement credits or bank account direct deposits in increments of $50. While bloggers like Frequent Miler did the Lord's work finding creative redemptions for odd-sized balances, there's no escaping the fact that cash is king, and Discover has historically made it as hard as possible for cardholders to get our hands on that crown.

Discover cash back can now be redeemed for cash in increments of 1 cent

Imagine my shock when I logged into the Discover app this evening to see that Discover is now allowing cardholders' cash back balances to be redeemed for statement credits or direct deposits in any amount. I don't know for sure when this change went into effect, but I have not seen it reported anywhere yet.

I don't want to overstate the magnitude of this change: it's long been possible to redeem Discover cash back balances for Amazon.com purchases (and Amazon "gift" credit) in any amount, so orphaned balances haven't necessarily been a problem, as long as you're content with Amazon credit in lieu of cash.

But Amazon.com credits aren't cash, while direct deposits are and statement credits are close. This is a huge improvement in the value proposition of the card, and is going to get me to direct even more of my portal shopping to ShopDiscover, which frequently has among the highest merchant payouts at face value, but whose payouts have always had to be discounted by the inconvenience and inflexibility of Discover cash back redemptions.

Quick hit: register for additional $50 cash back from Discover

I saw a number of folks on Twitter this week talking about a targeted offer for Discover cardholders to choose one merchant – in addition to the 4th quarter revolving 5% cash back categories – where they would be able to earn 5% cash back on up to $1,000 in spend between the date of registration and November 30, 2014. Unfortunately, I wasn't targeted.

Imagine my glee last night when Twitter user H. Scott shared a working link directly to the registration page for the promotion.

To select your 5% cash back merchant:

1. Log into your Discover credit card account;
2. Click on this link.

And enjoy your $50 in extra cash back (assuming you have a chance to visit Walgreens once or twice before the end of November)!