Yep. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt, @wasCB14. I've participated in several threads about this topic, so anyone that cares can read more comments at the links below. While rewards can be high, they are greatly limited or complicated by spending caps, remembering to activate categories, MCC codes that may not apply, or categories that are not organic spend which means a quarter where I've not earning anything "extra." And this is not to even mention having to carry multiple cards, manage multiple card accounts and remembering which card to pull out in which "quarter." (Hint: When I go to the grocery store or buy gas, I don't want to have to think about the date and if I can still get 5% on Discover or if I just need to pull out my normal go-to category card.)
I've never really liked rotating category cards. My Discover was opened as the original Discover and Discover More back in the day when 1% cash was special. 
Later pc'd it to the Chrome and eventually to the IT 5% with much reluctance. It's my oldest card that is still open and the 5% was the most logical use. I will keep it due to age, that I like Discover, and they have given me a high CL.
I opened a Chase Freedom as part of building the trifecta. On paper it sounded good. In practice, I found that I disliked tracking the categories, that sometimes they weren't useful or conflicted with my other cards, and that I was not getting the super-high returns on the card that I had anticipated. I closed the Freedom after a couple of years so that I could have a "Chase Bank two card combo option" with my Freedom Unlimited + Sapphire Reserve. >HERE< is more of a breakdown of my Freedom closure logic and calculations.
I also commented on the rotating category cards in this thread about the Elan Everyday Rewards+ versus US Bank Altitude Go. Overall, my card philosophy and strategy has erred more towards the simplistic. I most value cards that either earn well in a certain category without caps (Chase Sapphire Reserve or AMEX Gold or BofA Premium Rewards for dining out, for example.) Or cards that earn well overall, uncapped and uncategorized, such as my AOD FCU Visa 3%, BofA Premium Rewards 2.625% with Platinum Honors, Chase Freedom Unlimited when paired with CSR 2.25%+ for travel, or PenFed Power Cash Rewards 2%.
Here are a couple of other recent threads I followed and commented with other members on the same topic. So yes, you're not alone!
Why the need for Rotating Category Cards? (@Beast26) (08/27/2020)
Rotating category fatigue (@Yankee2) (09/24/2021)
@wasCB14 wrote:1. I'm losing interest in keeping track of rotating categories
I can't imagine the math ever works out for learning rotating categories to be worth your time, particularly as income level rises. I imagine it's something you have to want to do as a hobby as opposed to seeing it as a meaningfully profitable endeavor.
Aside from SUB's though, naturally. Those are a no-brainer.
It just seems like rotating cards is easier than Rotating categories.
I rotate cards based on the occasion and spend. Works for me. Less to keep track of.
Seems that I've picked up several of these, and I suppose I don't really mind. This has turned into a bit of a hobby for me. Switch things around every month or quarter, and maximize my cash back. I can totally see that it could be a real pain in the... Well, I suppose I have enough free time to justtify my hobby. The Chase Freedom Flex is still on my list to acquire at some point, 5/24 seems so long away.
@SUPERSQUID wrote:
@wasCB14 wrote:I closed my Discover a few days ago. Partly it was due to the hassles of a joint account and a low CL ($3k), but there were two other factors...
1. I'm losing interest in keeping track of rotating categories, and my major categories are already pretty well-covered (or are business expenses).
2. With inflation, $1500 is getting to be a pretty low quarterly spend cap.
Are others feeling this way?
BofA isn't as bad here with the $2500 cap but it's still not a lot. I may get a second BofA 5.25/3.5/1.75 card.
I look at it this way. I have two 2 pct cb cards, and two 5 pct cards. 3 pct cb on groceries savor one.
penfed pcr with honors advantage and bread amex both 2 pct cb, then target 5 pct off and discover 5 pct rotating categories. groceries 3 pct cb.
I get 2 pct on everything as a foundation but if i need something and its in a discover 5 pct category i use that card or if i need an item sold at target its 5 pct off and on veteranss day another 10 pct on top , 15 pct off the total that day.
I am on a budget so if i need something like gas or groceries those 5 pct categories are pretty nice. I say to each his own, im not judgemental. if its a hassle for you thats fine but for a retired person like me a few minutes time spent for a good discount is worth it.
I can appreciate being on a budget, especially as of late. Abound is great for gas (and since it's a Visa it's great here in the States at Costco) plus it has some good rotators. The Citi Custom Cash is excellent for groceries if that's your category of choice. Just having those two categories locked up every month can be a major benefit.
@GZG wrote:
@wasCB14 wrote:1. I'm losing interest in keeping track of rotating categories
I can't imagine the math ever works out for learning rotating categories to be worth your time, particularly as income level rises. I imagine it's something you have to want to do as a hobby as opposed to seeing it as a meaningfully profitable endeavor.
Aside from SUB's though, naturally. Those are a no-brainer.
I agree and disagree and with this post. I totally agree and it really is a hobby, and really should be viewed that way.
I disagree that it is not worth the time. I spend maybe 15 minutes per month to determining categories and making DW a cheat sheet and then swapping cards that have maxed out categories. For instance, we recently swapped from my Disco to her Disco because we maxed out the $1500 on dining and PayPal on mine. I physically swap out the cards in our wallet and change the preferred payment method on PayPal - maybe 2 minutes. The truth is though, most of our cards are set to categories that stay the same. Our 3 Max Cash Preferred cards rarely change, BCP is usually groceries, Affinity is always the Amazon card, and my Synovus Travel Rewards card is always the travel card. I change Citi Custom cash cards based on the rotators, but they normally for dining.
Excluding SUBs and earnings on my business spend, we typically earn around $300 per month on personal everyday spend.
Let's round that up to 1 hour spent per month, and that's $300 per hour for the trouble. That almost fully pays for one of our beach vacation trips every year.
It's fully worth the trouble to me.
