Discover released their cash back calendar for 2022. Anyone who has the Discover It Cash Back can get 5% cash back on the following categories, up to $1,500 spent each quarter ($6,000 annual limit). You do have to “activate” the bonus earnings ahead of time but it’s a simple process. Only takes a couple seconds, four times per year.
Q1 (January, February, March)
- Grocery Stores
- Fitness Clubs
- Gym Memberships
Alternative cards: Click here for our list of the best grocery credit cards. For fitness clubs and gym memberships, the next best card could be the Venmo Visa. Cash back earnings may depend on where you go, since Venmo won’t classify all gyms as eligible for 3% cash back. The best option is to use Discover It to buy an annual gym membership. Depending on where you live, that’s probably $300-500 toward the $1,500 quarterly spending limit. This is a valuable category since zero cards give 5+% cash back at clubs/gyms, and everyone should have a gym membership of some kind.
Q2 (April, May, June)
- Gas Stations
- Target
Alternative cards: Click here for our list of the best gas credit cards. At Target, people with the Target Red Card already get 5% off, although Discover can be slightly better.
Q3 (July, August, September)
- Restaurants and Dining
- PayPal
Alternative cards: Click here for our list of the best restaurant credit cards. For Paypal, any everyday card is the next best thing. There aren’t any cards which earn 5% back at Paypal year-round.
Q4 (October, November, December)
- Amazon.com
- Digital Wallets
Alternative cards: If you have Amazon Prime, the Chase Amazon card gives 5% cash back at Amazon. There are a few options overall for Amazon spend. Then for digital wallet purchases, the closest alternative is the Kroger Mastercard or U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve.
Categories in recent years
2019 & 2020
Q1 Jan-March: Grocery stores
Q2 April-June: Gas stations, Uber/Lyft
Q3 July-Sept: Restaurants, Paypal
Q4 Oct-Dec: Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Target.com
2021
Q1 Jan-March: Grocery stores, Walgreens, CVS
Q2 April-June: Gas stations, Wholesale Clubs, Streaming Services
Q3 July-Sept: Restaurants, Paypal
Q4 Oct-Dec: Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Target.com