• Home
  • Contact
  • Press & PR
  • Fine Print
  • Advertiser Disclosure
  • VTS Business Services

Angelina Travels

miles of inspiration, with all points in between

  • Trip Reports
  • Strategies
  • Credit Card Offers
    • Credit Card Blog Posts
    • CardMatch
  • Points & Deals

Details About the ABOC Platinum Rewards MasterCard – A New 5X Card to Consider

February 22, 2019 by Angelina Aucello 2 Comments

This post contains affiliates links from our advertising partners, such as American Express. Read my Advertiser Disclosure policy here.

A new and competitive no-annual fee 5x card from a smaller issuer, Amalgamated Bank of Chicago, was quietly revamped and introduced at the beginning of the year. While I haven’t applied for this card myself because I’m holding off on new cards until I’m under 5/24, the new ABOC Platinum Rewards MasterCard is certainly worth talking about because it’s a strong competitor to other 5x cards that many of us have and love such as the Chase Freedom, Citi Dividend, and Discover it. You can learn more about and compare cash back cards here.

Invalid request error occurred.

The ABOC Platinum Rewards MasterCard features a sign-up bonus of a $150 after spending $1,200 on the card within the first 90 days of account opening. The most compelling feature of the card is that it allows you to earn 5x rewards on up to $1,500 in combined purchases each quarter in popular categories such as dining, groceries, travel, and automotive.

a screenshot of a credit card

Quarterly Rotating Categories

The 5x bonus categories for 2019 are:

  • January – March: Dining, Grocery, and Pharmacy
  • April – June: Home Improvement & Wholesale/Warehouse Clubs
  • July – September: Travel (airline, cruise, car rental, hotel, and travel agency purchases)
  • October – December: Automotive parts, service, and repair purchases

Points can be redeemed for travel, gift cards, merchandise, and statement credits.

  • When redeeming for travel (cruises and airfare), it’s 1 cent per point through their portal
  • You can redeem for gift cards at .77-.93 cents per point, depending on the merchant and denomination
  • Lastly, you can cash out your points for a statement credit on your account at .75 cents per point

Obviously with that laid out, you’ll get the most value of your earned points when you redeem them for travel.

In my humble opinion, the the first half of 2019 has great 5x categories. The quarter 3 category doesn’t quite resonate with me because I personally use my Citi Prestige card year-round for 5x and 3x ThankYou points on airfare and hotel purchases, respectively (which transfer 1:1 to a number of airline and hotel partners for maximum value); however, the fourth quarter 5x bonus category for automotive parts, service, and repair purchases is interesting because no other card has ever offered 5x on auto-related purchases- inevitable expenses that can add up (oil changes, wipers, car washes, brakes, tires, etc.), so why not maximize those expenses?

Yes, some might argue that you can use your Chase Ink Business Cash and/or Chase Ink Business Preferred to purchase Visa/MasterCard gift cards at office supply stores (when fee-free gift card promotions surface from time-to-time) as a way to earn 5x on everyday purchases, but after discovering that my prepaid MasterCard gift card was hacked before I even took it out of the packaging, I’m personally turned off by the risks that come with purchasing gift cards to use at a later date.

Bottom Line

I’ll be honest – while I usually prefer earning flexible points where I can transfer directly into airline and hotel partner programs (such as Chase Ultimate Rewards and AmEx Membership Rewards) vs redeeming them for statement credits to offset charges, the ABOC Platinum Rewards MasterCard piqued my interest for two reasons: 1. it has a $0 annual fee, and 2. the fourth quarter 5X category is interesting and unique to what has been offered previously by any bank.

I personally think the Chase Freedom takes the throne for the best rotating category 5x card because of the ability to transfer the 5x in “cash back” into Ultimate Rewards points that are transferable to travel partners when paired with a premium Chase Ultimate Rewards card (such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred). On the other hand, if you’re way over 5/24 and the Chase Freedom is not an option for you, but are still looking to add a 5x card to your wallet, the ABOC Platinum Rewards MasterCard is a strong candidate to consider.

Keep in mind that all other non-5x categories earn 1 point for every $1 spent, so I wouldn’t recommend this card for regular non bonus spend since there are many other cards that offer better rewards such as here are plenty of no-annual fee cards that may offer more than 1x back on everyday purchases such as the Chase Freedom Unlimited (1.5x) and The Blue Businessâ„  Plus Credit Card from American Express (2x on up to $50,000 spend annually, learn more).

What are your thoughts about the new ABOC Platinum Rewards MasterCard? Have you applied already?

a black and white text

Chase Sapphire Preferred HIGHEST OFFER EVER! Earn 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards (worth $1,250 towards travel or you can transfer points 1:1 to leading hotel and airline partners) after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months. Learn more about and compare this card here.

Related

Filed Under: Credit Cards

About Angelina Aucello

Hi! I'm Angelina, and traveling and deals excite me. Simply put, I'm a points & miles fanatic who takes too many vacations.

Comments

  1. Gloria Gallardy says

    January 3, 2021 at 12:36 pm

    The 5x bonus categories don’t include Sam’s Club purchases, but do include Costco and Walmart Supercenters. WHY????

    Reply
  2. Brad John says

    April 20, 2025 at 5:44 pm

    I had been trying to work on my own credit during the lockdown period in 2020 and did a pile of research and still to no success did I repair my own credit how’d I was explained I could, watching different YouTube videos. From my own experience I can say it is important to find a seasoned professional. That’s XAPCREDITSOLUTION at GMAIL dot COM, he’s got something truly amazing and it worked for me. My scores soared right up after one week of hiring him! Can you believe it? He removed my discharged chapter 13 bankruptcy off all three credit reports! I had been battling with them and the courts over a year! My Experian, Transunion, and Equifax are over the 780s. I used 609 letters lexis, Nexis freezing and no success! 5 stars for speed, communication and effectiveness. Lexington law and others had great customer service but they didn’t deliver so I gotta go with XAP Credit because it truly helps my credit score and not totally rely on just customer service reps trained to pacify you. Again, I strongly recommend XAP if you really desire to fix credit as quickly as possible.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About Me

ANGELINA AUCELLO
Hi! I'm Angelina, and traveling and deals excite me. Simply put, I'm a points & miles fanatic who takes too many vacations.

Top Credit Card Deals for October

Angelina Travels May Receive A Commission From The Links Below. See our Advertiser Disclosure

Chase Sapphire Preferred

Chase Sapphire Preferred

Earn 100,000 Bonus Points & 2X on travel and dining

IHG(R) Rewards Club Premier

IHG(R) Rewards Club Premier

Earn 140,000 Bonus Points

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Earn 50,000 Bonus Points + $300 annual travel credit, 3X on travel & dining, 10X on Lyft

Subscribe

Enter your Email:

What’s Hot

  • Be Careful With Venmo Descriptions and What to Do if Your Venmo Account is Frozen
  • 4 Ways to Get United Economy Plus Seating Without Paying
  • 10 Things to Know About The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar
  • Hotel Review: The New Andaz Maui at Wailea
  • Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes Are Getting Out of Control

As Seen On

Angelina Travels on Facebook

Angelina Travels on Facebook
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

© 2025 · Angelina Travels All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Angelina Travels with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.

Cleantalk Pixel