Registration is now open to activate your 5x/5% category bonus earnings on your Chase Freedom Flex℠, Chase Freedom® and Discover it® Cash Back cards. For the first quarter of 2026, the bonus categories are:

• Chase: purchases made at Norwegian Cruise Line, dining and donations to the American Heart Association
• Discover: purchases made at grocery stores, wholesale clubs and select streaming services

Chase 5x Bonus Categories

As usual, the bonus earnings rates only apply to the first $1,500 in spending in those categories. If you max out your bonus category spending for the quarter, you’ll earn 7,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.

While 7,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) points are worth $75 in cash, you can get way more value by transferring those points to any of the following cards:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred – #1 travel card for beginners
• Chase Sapphire Reserve – great for frequent travelers
• Chase Ink Business Preferred – highest Chase sign-up bonus for business customers

Once your points have been transferred to one of the above cards, the value of those points are amplified even more! If you transfer the points to Chase’s travel partners like United Airlines, Southwest or Hyatt, you can get so much more value than the original $75. For example, 7,500 Chase UR points could be enough for a one-way flight to lots of great destinations!

For more information on Chase’s flexible points program, check out The Complete Guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Key Things to Remember

• You need to activate the 5x earnings rate by March 14, 2026
• The promotion runs from January 1, 2026 to March 31, 2026
• The promotion is valid on purchases made at Norwegian Cruise Line, dining and donations to the American Heart Association
• The 5x earnings rate only applies to the first $1,500 in spending across all categories, after which the earnings rate is 1x

Freedom Flex cardholders will actually earn 7x points on dining this quarter. That’s because the Freedom Flex earns 3x points on dining all year long. So for Q1, you’ll be able to stack the “always-on” 3x points with the extra 4x points from the quarterly category bonus.

Note: As usual, there are various inclusions and exclusions for each category. The only category that might evoke some questions is dining. Merchants whose primary business is sit-down or eat-in dining, including fast food restaurants and fine dining establishments, will be included. Delivery and takeout services will also be included if they classify as a restaurant merchant. Merchants located within facilities such as sports stadiums, hotels and casinos, grocery and department stores will not be included in this category unless the merchant has set up such purchases to be classified in a restaurant category. When in doubt, it’s always best to check the Chase Merchant List to confirm everything that’s included and excluded in each category.

How to Activate

Unfortunately Chase doesn’t automatically enroll you into the bonus category earning promotion each quarter. To activate, go to the Chase Activation website and enter your last name, zip code and the last four digits of your credit card.

Alternatively you can log into your Chase account and activate from there. Chase sprinkles links in lots of different places on their website, making it very easy to activate. In just a few minutes, I found a few different places to activate my cards for the upcoming quarter.

Option 1

Option 2

You can also request to receive a reminder email from Chase prior to each quarter. Upon receipt of the email each quarter, you can activate via an easy 1-click activation button.

Discover 5% Bonus Categories

Discover also limits the bonus earnings to the first $1,500 in spending in those categories. However, unlike Chase, there’s no option to earn points instead of cash. So maxing out your bonus category spending for the quarter will earn you $75.

That money can be redeemed as a statement credit, a direct deposit to a checking account or used to purchase 3rd party gift cards. Gift cards are often available with 5% to 20% added value, depending on the merchant.

You can also donate your cash back to charity or to pay for purchases on Amazon.com or with PayPal.

Key Things to Remember

• The promotion runs from January 1, 2026 (or the date on which you activate the 5%, whichever is later) through March 31, 2026
• The promotion is valid on purchases made at grocery stores, wholesale clubs and select streaming services
• The 5% earnings rate only applies to the first $1,500 in spending across all categories, after which the earnings rate is 1%

Note: As usual, there are inclusions and exclusions to be aware of in each category. Grocery Store purchases include those made at supermarkets, bakeries and grocery delivery services. All purchases made from Walmart or Target are not eligible. A few examples of the select streaming category include Amazon Music, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Audible, DirecTV Stream, Google Play Music and Video, HBO Max, Netflix, Pandora, Paramount+, Peacock, SiriusXM, YouTube Music, YouTube Premium, and YouTube TV.  Other popular streaming services may be included. Visit the Discover Cashback Calendar page to confirm.

How to Activate

You won’t earn the 5% cash back bonus unless you activate this feature on your card each quarter. To do so, go to the Discover Online account page and click on “Log In to Activate.”

Discover also automatically emails you about 15 days prior to the start of the next quarter with a reminder. Upon receipt of the email, you can activate via an easy 1-click activation button.

Bottom Line

This quarter is shaping up to be especially rewarding for both Chase Freedom Flex and Discover cardholders.

Chase is serving up one of the easiest bonus categories in dining. Most of us grab takeout, delivery, or a night out at least a few times a month. That means bonus earnings are practically guaranteed, and you don’t even have to leave your couch to rack them up. Even better, Chase is sweetening the deal with 7x rewards on dining purchases instead of the usual 5x. The other categories are more niche, but it’s still nice to know you can earn extra rewards if you plan to cruise or donate to charity.

Discover is leaning into everyday spending with groceries, a category that’s hard to beat for broad appeal. Families should have no trouble maxing out their quarterly bonus here. Wholesale clubs can also be a goldmine, provided your club accepts Discover. And while streaming services may not add up to huge spending, earning 5x rewards while you binge your favorite shows is a nice little perk.

Pro tip: If you’re struggling to hit the quarterly maximum, don’t forget the gift card strategy. Most grocery stores sell gift cards to hundreds of other retailers, and those purchases count toward your bonus categories. Stock up now, and you’ll lock in the rewards while giving yourself flexibility to use the gift cards at a later date.

As always, happy spending and more importantly, happy strategizing for that 5x return.