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The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Guides
Maximize your seasonal spending with these 5 credit cards
Madison Blancaflor is the managing editor for TPG's content operations team. She focuses on helping TPG's broader editorial team bring news, features and advice to readers. She has nearly six years of experience covering the credit cards and travel industries.
Emily Thompson specializes in beginner content as a credit cards editor. She taps into her prior experience as a high school English teacher to help others demystify credit scores and unlock experiences that credit card rewards can make possible.
also contributed to this story
December 3, 2024 • 8 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
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Quick summary
The article reviews several credit cards that can help offset the cost of holiday decorations by offering rewards on seasonal purchases.
Highlighted options include cards with flexible category selection, rotating bonus categories, and flat-rate rewards for purchases at various merchants.
Some cards allow you to change your bonus category monthly, while others offer consistent rewards regardless of where you shop.
Using online shopping portals in combination with the right card can further increase your rewards during the holiday season.
What to consider
Certain cards have quarterly or annual caps on bonus rewards, so it's important to track your spending to maximize benefits.
Some cards require activation of rotating categories or enrollment in special programs to access higher reward rates.
Not all offers mentioned may still be available, as the article notes that some have expired.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed comparison of which card types best fit different holiday shopping habits and how to combine them with shopping portals for optimal value.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
December is one of my favorite months of the year. I love the cooler temperatures and the holiday season. When I was growing up, Dec. 1 was a mini-holiday at my house because it was the day we put up Christmas decorations. Festivities involved multiple trips to the attic to bring down the boxes of evergreen decorations and a trip to Target for a few new items.
Now that I’m older, I realize that decorating my own apartment for the holidays can be expensive. Throw pillows, blankets, Christmas lights and seasonal trinkets can cost a pretty penny. And don’t get me started on the cost of buying and decorating a Christmas tree.
Luckily, there are credit cards out there to help me earn rewards while I feed my holiday decor obsession. Here are my top picks.
Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards credit card
Annual fee: None
Welcome offer: Earn a $200 cash bonus after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
How to maximize your seasonal spending: With the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card, you’ll earn 6% cash back (for the first year, then 3%) on the category of your choice, 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, and 1% cash back on everything else. There is a $2,500 quarterly cap on combined category spending each quarter; then earn 1%. One of the spending categories is home improvement and furnishings, a category that includes florists, antique stores, hardware shops — the list goes on.
You can earn 6% back (3% after the first year) when you buy those seasonal throw pillows and blankets, add festive wreaths and flower arrangements from your local florist, grab new lawn ornaments from Lowe’s, or all of the above. You can also boost your earnings if you’re eligible for Bank of America’s Preferred Rewards® program, earning as much as 5.25% back on your holiday decor purchases, though the Preferred Rewards bonus is not applied to the 3% first-year bonus.
Once the season is over and your decorations go back into storage, you can get continued value from your card by changing your category every month to fit your spending habits throughout the rest of the year — making this one of the most flexible cash-back cards on the market.
Welcome offer: Earn a $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
THE POINTS GUY
How to maximize your seasonal spending: The Chase Freedom Flex® earns 5% on rotating categories each quarter (with a $1,500 cap on 5% spending each quarter you activate). The fourth-quarter categories for 2024 include purchases through PayPal, which is one of the easiest quarterly categories to max out since you can buy many seasonal purchases and use PayPal as your payment method.
You can also pair your Chase Freedom Flex with a Chase Ultimate Rewards points-earning card, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, to convert your cash-back earnings into transferable points. Those points can be redeemed through the Chase Travel℠ portal or transferred to a Chase travel partner for even more value.
Welcome offer: Earn a $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
How to maximize your seasonal spending: The hase Freedom Unlimited® earns 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% on dining and drugstore purchases as well as 1.5% cash back on all purchases. This means you can use it on purchases that wouldn’t ordinarily earn bonus rewards — like at your local holiday festival or your online order of a customized gift — and earn a respectable rewards rate on those purchases.
Like the Chase Freedom Flex, you can also pair your Chase Freedom Unlimited with Chase Ultimate Rewards cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, to convert your cash-back earnings into transferable points. Those points can then be redeemed through Chase Travel or transferred to a Chase travel partner for outsize value.
Welcome offer:Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
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How to maximize your seasonal spending: With the Capital One Venture Rewards Card, you’ll get unlimited 2 miles per dollar spent on every purchase, including any seasonal decor your heart desires. Some other cards have restricted categories, but you’ll earn 2 miles per dollar spent with the Venture no matter what you buy or where you shop.
You may not get the best return with the Venture (compared to cards that offer 5% or 3% on specific categories), but you don’t have to worry about activating quarterly or monthly categories. If you buy your seasonal decorations from a number of shops that may not fall under a specific category, the Venture is a good choice.
Welcome offer: Earn $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening.
THE POINTS GUY
How to maximize your seasonal spending: If you know you’ll be spending in a lot of different places and want to make sure you get some good cash back rewards, the Citi Double Cash® Card is an excellent choice. With it, you’ll earn an unlimited 2% back on all purchases (1% when you buy and 1% when you pay), so you can feel great about your earning potential no matter what you’re buying this season.
Aside from the extra two seconds it takes to click through the link, a shopping portal costs nothing. It’s another easy way to maximize your purchases, on top of using the right card.
Whether you go all-out with seasonal decor (like my family) or only plan to add a few holiday touches around the house, maximizing your purchases with the right card or cards is important. Luckily, plenty of credit cards help you rack up rewards on decor purchases.
But it's best to choose a card that provides value year-round. If you take advantage of the right shopping portal and credit card matchup, you could even get a jump-start on your 2024 travel fund with the rewards from your holiday shopping.
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
