The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is uphending Americans’ lives and changing how we spend our money. As a result of stay-at-home orders and health concerns, consumers have been canceling vacations and avoiding booking future travel. While travel is in decline, grocery sales have been on the rise.
This may make a travel card you have less valuable, but card issuers are adapting their rewards programs in the meantime due to the changing environment.
Marriott is now offering most co-branded credit cards from Chase and American Express an enhanced 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on eligible grocery purchases starting tomorrow, May 1, through July 31, 2020. This is great news if you can’t earn points on hotel travel and don’t have a grocery rewards card.
New Chase Marriott Bonvoy rewards
All Chase Marriott credit card members qualify to earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points on grocery purchases on up to a maximum of $5,000 in eligible purchases. That includes both consumer and business cardholders, as well as cardholders with cards that are no longer open to new applicants.
Here are the eligible Chase cards and the rewards you’d earn on groceries outside of this promotion:
If you do not yet have the card you can go here to apply on our top 5 page. You will also Earn a 3 Free Night Award with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card or 1 Free Night Award with Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card.
Existing cardholders (these cards no longer accept new applicants):
Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Credit Card (previously 1X)
Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Plus Business Credit Card (previously 2X)
Marriott Bonvoy™ Credit Card (previously 1X)
Marriott Bonvoy™ Business Credit Card (previously 1X)
The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card from J.P. Morgan (previously 2X)
Chase classifies eligible grocery purchases as transactions made at supermarkets, merchants that offer a full service grocery line of merchandise, including a deli and bakery, as well as smaller grocery stores.
Exclusions include warehouse clubs, discount stores, smaller merchants and more. Learn more about how Chase classifies bonus category purchases.
New Amex Marriott Bonvoy card rewards
All consumer Amex Marriott credit card members qualify to earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points at U.S. supermarkets on up to a maximum of $7,500 in eligible purchases. This includes new and existing cardholders, plus consumers with cards that are no longer open to new applicants.
Here are the eligible Amex cards and the rewards you’d earn on groceries outside of this promotion:
New and existing cardholders:
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card (previously 2X)
Existing cardholders (since this card no longer accepts new applicants):
Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card (previously 2X)
Take note, Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card holders are excluded from this promotion.
Amex classifies eligible grocery purchases as transactions made at U.S. supermarkets that offer a wide variety of food and household products such as meat, fresh produce, dairy, canned and packaged goods, household cleaners, pharmacy products and pet supplies.
Exclusions include superstores, warehouse clubs, convenience stores, specialty stores and more. Learn more about how Amex classifies bonus category purchases.
While we have a handful of options when it comes to food delivery services DoorDash is normally our favorite. Chase cardholders may find an even better reason to use DoorDash over UberEats, Postmates and Grubhub. They are allowing you to link your Chase Freedom or Sapphire card to enjoy free delivery for at least three months.
In partnership with DoorDash, Chase has launched a new promotion offering select cardholders discounts on DashPass, DoorDash’s unlimited delivery program.
DashPass normally costs $9.99 per month. It provides customers with lower service fees and free delivery on all orders of $12+, saving members an average of $4 to $5 off every order.
Sapphire Reserve and Sapphire Preferred cardholders will get two free years of DashPass, while other cardholders, like those with the Chase Freedom and Freedom Unlimited, are being offered three free months of membership.
To activate the offer, just visit DoorDash or download the DoorDash app. You’ll be able to register for the deal by adding your eligible Chase card to the DoorDash app and clicking to activate the offer any time before Dec. 31, 2021. Just remember, your DashPass subscription will renew at the full $9.99 monthly price after the offer runs out, so be sure to set a reminder for yourself in case you want to cancel.
In my case I have a Chase Freedom Card so it gave me three free months but if you have a Sapphire card you will get two years of this freebie from Chase and DoorDash! If you use the Cash App for 15% off of DoorDash this is actually stackable with Cash App’s debit card boost for 15 percent off. You do not have to use your Chase Cards for orders to get the free delivery just for the signing up for this offer.
Holiday season starts basically when the fourth quarter begins on October 1st. You can now start earning 5% cash back on shopping at various places such as Target, Walmart, Amazon, Department Stores, Sending money to relatives via Paypal or buying something online and more! The best categories seem to be Paypal which is almost anything and Amazon!
Chase Freedom: 5% Back on Paypal, Chase Pay, Dept. Stores
Earn 5% back on Paypal, Chase Pay, and department stores this quarter, up to $1,500 maximum.
Sign-up for a Chase Freedom Card and get a $200 Bonus you spend $500.
Paypal: Includes transactions made using your Chase Freedom card with PayPal for purchases or sending money. Just make your Freedom Card the default payment option in Paypal and you can maximize your rewards in no time. Keep an eye out for Paypal at checkout at retailers like walmart.com, target.com, and thousands of others. Many charities and insurances accept Paypal as well. You can even send money to friends, incurring the 2.9% fee, and it’ll be worthwhile for the 5x points earned.
Chase Pay (and Samsung): Includes purchases made using your Freedom card with your Chase Pay digital wallet during check out. This is really a terrific category given that it’s possible to use Chase Pay via Samsung Pay which can be used at almost any physical store who accepts credit cards. There are also, of course, various retailers who accept Chase Pay directly, like Starbucks, Best Buy, and Shell gas stations.
Department Stores: Includes retailers such as Macy’s, Kohl’s, Sears, Saks, Dillards, JCPenney, and dozens more. Exclusions mentioned: Walmart, Target, and Kmart (but you can get Walmart and Target with Discover below).
Discover IT Card: 5% Back at Amazon, Target, Walmart.com
Earn 5% back at Amazon.com, Target stores, Target.com, and Walmart.com this quarter, up to $1,500 maximum. Walmart store purchases are not included.
If you don’t have a Discover IT Card you can get one here with a $75 sign-up bonus.
Amazon.com purchases include those made through the Amazon.com checkout, including digital downloads, Amazon.com gift cards, Amazon Fresh orders, Amazon Local Deals and Amazon Prime subscriptions and items sold by third party merchants through Amazon.com’s marketplace. So yes you can get 5% on gift cards!
Target purchases include any purchase made online at Target.com, through the Target app, or in-store at Target. Individual merchants and stand-alone stores within physical Target locations or on Target.com may not be eligible in this category.
Walmart.com purchases include those made at Walmart.com and when shopping through the Walmart app (including Grocery Pick Up and Instore Pick Up). Purchases made in store at Walmart Stores, Walmart Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and Walmart Pay are excluded from this promotion unfortunately.
Tip: Target gift cards at Target and Target.com does not earn rewards with the REDcard, but will earn 5% with this Discover promo. I expect Target to run their annual holiday 10% off Target gift cards sale, and the Discover card will be useful for me to bring the total savings up to 15%.
If you spend a lot: With Discover you can login, then click this link to see you how far along the $1,500 limit you are.
The Chase Freedom Card since we first broke the news of this card release on our site years ago has been one of our favorite no annual fee credit cards. This is because it offers 5x points in rotating quarterly categories, for up to $1,500 of spend per quarter. While it was one of the first cards of its kind we mostly just use it to max out the 5% cashback in these categories.
5x on Holiday Shopping
Between October 1 and December 31, 2018, the Chase Freedom Card will offer 5x points on the first $1,500 of combined purchases with wholesale clubs, department stores, and on Chase Pay transactions. With Holiday shopping coming up you should get value out of being able to earn 5x points at wholesale clubs and department stores. The department stores category will be especially popular for holiday shopping.
If you don’t yet have the Chase Freedom Card you can still apply and take advantage of the fourth quarter bonus category.
Previously they offered from July 1 through September 30, 5x points for the first $1,500 of combined purchases for Lyft, Walgreens, and gas stations. Up until now, Chase has kept the 5x points category for the fourth quarter of 2018 was a secret. Maybe they were keeping it from Discover who normally gives an easier redemption for cash back than Chase.
Were happy to see the Chase Pay bonus that was available in the first two quarters of the year back for the fourth quarter. That’s a bonus category that’s easy to max out, given how many companies accept Chase Pay (including Starbucks, Uber, etc.).
5x at Walmart Hack
You can get the 5x bonus at Walmart and Walmart.com. Get the walmart app and sign up for Walmart Pay. Use Chase Pay as your default method of payment for Walmart Pay and then use Walmart Pay in the store using the Walmart app and selecting Walmart Pay, then scan the QR code at the register and it gets charged to your Chase Pay. Make sure the Freedom card is your default for Chase Pay. Walmart.com directly supports Chase Pay at checkout. Just log into your Chase Pay account. I maxed out three quarters using this trick.
Huge Discounts on Gas
Also Chase Pay allows you to pay at a Shell gas pump and you can link your Fuel Rewards card/discount to it so you can still redeem your discounts. No scan required, you’ll just use the phone app to activate the pump. I use this to reduce the risk of card skimming at gas stations and also have electronic receipts. Learn more about how to save tons on Shell gas purchases here.
Chase Freedom normally tells us the 5x points category way ahead of the third quarter but just like everything this year, it had to be done differently. It was kept a secret until this week where it was revealed that it will be what everyone wants the most… Gas cash-back!
Between July 1 and September 30, the Chase Freedom will offer 5x points on Lyft, Walgreens, and gas stations. The extra cash back is maxed out at up to a $1,500 spend or $75 in rewards. That’s quite a bit when it comes to saving at the pricey pump right now at almost $3 a gallon.
You may take it a step further and use Shell with a bigger bonus when you pay with Chase Pay. If you are not a fan of Shell gas stations then just make sure it’s not a warehouse club or grocery store where you fill up to get the 5%. It has to be an actual gas station retailer.
Another favorite on the list is Lyft. We normally take Uber because of the ShopYourWay giving $2 cash back on each ride but Lyft gives Delta Skymiles and Jetblue points so with the 5% cash back we will start using Lyft again. If you are new to the ride-sharing company here are some promos to sign-up with Lyft.
Walgreens is another favorite. We get so many things at Walgreens when we are in New York City, Denver, and Dallas. Walgreens normally has the cheapest RedBull and it makes a great drink mixer. Registration for this category will open on June 15.
Discover IT Card is normally offering the exact same category at five percent cash back but this time they are doing Restaurants. Take out both cards for the Summer road trip and use the Discover IT for dining and to gas up the car use the Chase Freedom.
$200 Bonus for New Accounts
If you’re new to the Chase Freedom Card you can get a $200 Bonus by applying here. You’ll get a $150 bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
Chase Freedom Card waited until the last minute this coming quarter to announce their 5% back categories and it was worth the wait. They included not only grocery store purchases but also Paypal and Chase Pay. The Chase Pay will continue from the first quarter where we got to get 5% back at purchases at retail stores such as Best Buy and gas stations such as Shell with a bigger bonus.
5% Back on Paypal, Grocery Stores, & Chase Pay
Earn 5% back on Paypal, grocery stores, and Chase Pay during the months of April, May, and June, up to $1,500 maximum. All of these are useful categories:
Paypal. This includes regular online Paypal payments as well as in-store app payments with Paypal. It even includes if you use the Send Money feature in Paypal. If you owe a friend money for concert tickets or for dinner now is the time to send it and get 5% back.
Grocery Stores. Includes all regular grocery stores such as Whole Foods, H-E-B, Kroger, Albertsons and more. It does not include purchases made at Walmart, Target, discount stores, or warehouse clubs. You could double up on your cash back by signing up for Ibotta here.
Chase Pay. You can use Chase Pay at select merchants online and in-store. While it’s not as good as last quarter with mobile wallets like Samsung Pay and Apple Pay there are a few options such as Walmart and Potbelly sandwiches that take the payment option.
Discover IT Card is also offering the grocery stores category for the second quarter.
$150 Bonus for New Accounts
If you’re new to the Chase Freedom Card you can get a $150 Bonus by applying here. You’ll get a $150 bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
The Chase Freedom Card since we first broke the news of this card release on our site years ago has been one of our favorite no annual fee credit cards. This is because it offers 5x points in rotating quarterly categories, for up to $1,500 of spend per quarter. While it was one of the first cards of its kind we mostly just use it to max out the 5% cashback in these categories.
Chase Freedom normally tells us the 5x points category way ahead of the third quarter but just like everything this year, it had to be done differently. It was kept a secret until this week where it was revealed that it will be what everyone wants the most… Gas cash-back!
Chase Freedom Card waited until the last minute this coming quarter to announce their 5% back categories and it was worth the wait. They included not only grocery store purchases but also Paypal and Chase Pay. The Chase Pay will continue from the first quarter where we got to get 5% back at purchases at retail stores such as Best Buy and gas stations such as