Last Day: Chase Freedom 5X Q1 2013 Bonus for Drugstores

Today, March 31 is the last day of Q1 2013 to use your Chase Freedom to get 5X at Drugstores (and also gas stations and Starbucks, although these aren't such exciting categories).

The reason drugstores is such a great category is the ability to get over 4X (when factoring in the cost of the cards) on purchases that you would either not be able to get points on at all, or that would only get you 1 point per dollar spent:

• Vanilla Reloads: If any of your local CVS stores carry Vanilla reload cards, they can be used to reload AMEX Bluebird in order to get an effective 5X on rent and other expenses you normally use checks for.

• MyVanilla Debit Cards: You can only register 3 of these, but they can either be used to get a cash advance (helping you meet minimum spend) or can also be reloaded with Vanilla reload cards to pay taxes (since there's a low flat fee when you use a debit card instead of a credit card). See Pay Taxes by Debit Card and Earn 5X Points

• $500 Visa Gift Cards: The fee is worth it when you're getting 5X points, and if your CVS doesn't stock Vanilla Reload cards, this is probably your best bet. It can help you meet minimum spend and you can use it on transactions that don't offer a category bonus when using any of your other credit cards.