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 December 15, 2025
The promotion runs from October 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025
The promotion is valid on purchases made at Old Navy, Chase Travel, department stores and PayPal (December only)
The 5x earnings rate only applies to the first $1,500 in spending across all categories, after which the earnings rate is 1x

Note: As usual, there are various inclusions and exclusions for each category. For “PayPal”, payments made through the Xoom transfer service and Person-to-Person (P2P) transactions are not eligible for the bonus. In the “Old Navy” category, purchases on other Gap, Inc. brands (i.e. Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta, etc.) are not included. Supercenters, discount stores, specialty stores, and online marketplace websites do not qualify for the “department stores” category. That makes me think Target, Walmart and Amazon will not qualify. 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 October 1, 2025 (or the date on which you activate the 5%, whichever is later) through December 31, 2025
The promotion is valid on purchases made at Amazon.com and drug stores
The 5% earnings rate only applies to the first $1,500 in spending across all categories, after which the earnings rate is 1%

Note: “Amazon.com” purchases include those made through the Amazon.com checkout, like digital downloads, Amazon Fresh orders, Amazon Local Deals, Amazon Prime subscriptions, and items sold by third party merchants through the Amazon.com marketplace. This also includes purchases in-store at Amazon Go. For “drug stores”, purchases include those made at stand-alone drug stores, pharmacies, and online pharmacies. Pharmacies inside of other retail stores may not qualify. 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

As expected, both Chase and Discover rolled out their Q4 bonus categories with holiday spending in mind. However, only one of them actually delivered. Discover stuck to its tried-and-true formula, while Chase zigged in a direction that feels more limiting than useful.

Let’s start with Chase. Their category lineup this quarter feels like a big miss. Old Navy? That’s a tough sell unless you’re outfitting a small army in fleece. Department stores might work for some, but it’s still more of a niche play.

The real letdown is PayPal being restricted to December only. Last year, it was a full-quarter category and that made a huge difference. Most people start holiday shopping well before December, so this shift feels like Chase is deliberately capping our ability to maximize the easiest and most versatile 5x category. With PayPal, you can turn nearly any online purchase into a bonus-earning opportunity. To make sure you don’t miss any bonus points, remember to set your Chase Freedom or Freedom Flex card as the default card in PayPal.

On the flip side, Discover nailed it with Amazon. Millions of items, 5% back and no hoops to jump through. If you’ve got regular purchases, this is the time to stock up. Gift cards, Prime subscriptions, Amazon Fresh all count. Add in drug stores, which quietly offer access to gift cards for hundreds of other retailers, and you’ve got a solid playbook for maximizing value.

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