Rapid Travel Chai

Citi has announced the 2015 quarterly 5% cash back categories for its Dividend cards:

Q1: Macy’s and Home Furnishing Stores

Q2: The Home Depot and Home & Garden Stores

Q3: Hilton and Airlines

Q4: Best Buy and Department Stores

Registration for each is required, opens 15 days before the quarter starts, and takes 2 business days to take effect. Retroactive credit is not awarded.

Cash back on each card account is capped at $300 per year and is awarded by a check in the mail upon online request. If done solely in a 5% category that requires $6,000 spend.

Particularly useful is that the entire $300 can be earned in one category if preferred. 2014’s first quarter was drug stores and that was easy for many to meet.

2015’s categories do not have delicious ones like drug stores or grocery stores. Methinks Department Stores will be the best 2015 opportunity, see The FrequentMiler for ongoing coverage of Sears, in particular.

I don’t favor the airlines one because the Dividend card does not come with trip delay insurance. Other Citi cards have this with very generous terms, effective November 23, 2014. Many Chase cards also have trip delay with less favorable terms.

Don’t have a Dividend card? The usual route to this card is downgrading from an annual fee card like Citi’s AA or Hilton cards. Even the no annual fee Hilton card can be converted to a Dividend. You can have multiple Dividend cards and get multiple $300/year. I currently have 3 accounts. See my Citi Downgrade Cards for $300 Cashback a Year for more.

Dividend may be phased out in favor of the Double Cash card. The Citi website has removed the pages for Dividend applications. If prior patterns hold, this card will linger a bit for conversions and then go away entirely except for legacy cardholders.