September is quickly coming to an end, and with it, and end to the 3rd quarter of 2016. Of course that means it’s time to activate your Chase Freedom Q4 2016 5% categories!
Thanks to Costco switching it’s credit card affiliation earlier this year, we already knew one of the Q4 categories would be wholesale clubs. The other two “normal” categories, though, were unknown. Usually Q4 includes Amazon.com as a category, but that isn’t the case this time around.
As you can see above, the Q4 5% categories besides wholesale clubs for 2016 are department stores and drug stores. I’m a little disappointed by these categories, as Amazon is such an easy place to shop at. You can literally buy just about anything, so it’s one of my go-to Christmas shopping sites. That’s not to say drug stores and department stores aren’t good either. It’s just a little limiting in terms of variety. I suppose you could buy gift cards for other merchants at drug stores, such as Best Buy, but that’s a hassle. And my local CVS doesn’t let you pay for gift cards with credit cards anyway.
I’ll probably still be able to maximize the $1,500 spending limit on the 5%, though. It’s relatively easy to do at wholesale clubs if you do it right. Last quarter was even easier thanks to the other bonus category, restaurants. This quarter, though, I’ll just have to stock up on necessities from drug stores and wholesale clubs, watch for sales on clothes I need from department stores, and try to get reimbursable spend at all of those categories for work! One can never have too much toilet paper and paper towels around the house right? ?
Speaking of drugstore, this week is your last week to shop at drugstore.com. They close up in just 4 days, on 9/30.
As a reminder, the Freedom earns Ultimate Rewards points, which may be redeemed for cash. Of course when you pair your Freedom card with a Sapphire Reserve or Preferred, you can also transfer your points. Transfer partners include Marriott, Hyatt, United, Korean Air, Southwest, and more!