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Today's not just the first day of July. It's not even just the first day of a short work-week (which, by the way, YESSSS!). Today - July 1st, 2013 - is also the first day of Quarter 3, which means bonus cash back categories are now live for cardholders who enroll.

Can you feel the excitement?!

ell, if you're a Discover it® or Citi® Dividend Platinum Select® Visa® cardholder, you should. That's because Q3's bonus cash back categories are by our estimation some of the best of the year.

Let's break down the bonus cash back by card, starting with Discover.

Discover it®

One of our favorite cash back credit cards begins July by offering 5 percent cash back on up to $1,500 in purchases made at gas stations with free and easy sign-up. That's right - Discover it® is actively making gas cheaper for its cardholders! Here's a little math to help you determine how much you can save when enrolling in Discover's Q3 bonus program.

According to GasBuddy.com, the average price for a gallon of gas in the United States this week is $3.57. At 5 percent cash back per dollar spent, that's an equivalent of nearly 18 cents saved per gallon which is certainly nothing to brush aside. Taking it one step further and adding those savings to a full 14-gallon tank, a consumer could feasibly earn nearly $2.50 on average per tank tank of gas. Over the course of the summer (which often includes an extended road trip or two), that could lead to some serious savings! Granted, the max bonus cash back you can earn with this card is $75, that's still more than enough for a "free" tank of gas for most cars.

Discover it® members just need to remember to sign up for enrollment ASAP to begin earning 5 percent cash back on up to $1,500 in gas purchases through September beginning as early as today. And if you're not yet a cardholder, click the "Apply" button below to redirect to Discover's secure application page and get the full scoop on this popular cash back card.

Citi® Dividend Platinum Select® Visa® Card

Citi is offering bonus cash back on a handful of categories that are most popular during the summer months. Like the above Discover card, cardholder's must enroll to be eligible. There's also a cap of 300 Dividend Dollars that can be earned over the course of a year via bonus categories; this is different from the Discover it card which caps the bonus cash back earnings by quarter.

OK, enough with the semantics - let's talk about the savings. The Citi® Dividend Platinum Select® Visa® Card is offering 5 percent cash back on eligible purchases within the Hilton WorldwideTM portfolio of brands, car rental agencies, movie theaters and theme parks from 7/1/13 to 9/30/13. This is great news for a lot of reasons, but especially for cardholders planning on a summer vacation with family or friends.

The Hilton WoldwideTM portfolio of hotels is of course one of the most luxurious around, so any savings in the form of cash back at these hotels is more than welcome. Cardholders that require a car rental on vacation can earn another 5 percent cash back on these purchases, and for families planning on a theme park getaway at one of America's top attractions there's even more cash back to earn.

Finally, members can earn 5 percent cash back on movie theater purchases. It doesn't matter the movie or the movie snack (though we really suggest sneaking in your old snacks - we do, after all, recommend frugality above all else), and makes those rainy day movie matinees that much cheaper.