Chase Freedom Flex 2023 Bonus Categories

Chase has lengthy been a prime issuer of money again bank cards that earn cardmembers rewards on a various vary of services and products. The no-annual-fee Chase Freedom Flex℠*, specifically, earns:

• 5 p.c money again on activated bonus class purchases every quarter (on as much as $1,500 in purchases, then 1 p.c again)
• 5 p.c money again on journey booked by way of Chase Final Rewards
• 5 p.c money again on Lyft rides (by way of March 2025)
• 3 p.c money again on eating and drugstore purchases
• 1 p.c money again on all different purchases

The unique Chase Freedom®* bank card is not obtainable to new candidates, however current cardholders earn in the identical bonus classes as Flex customers.

From April by way of June 2024, Freedom Flex and current Freedom cardmembers can earn 5 p.c money again at accommodations, eating places and on Amazon.com. Moreover, since some accommodations, particularly these booked by way of Chase journey, and restaurant purchases are a part of the Freedom Flex fastened rewards tiers — 5 p.c and three p.c, respecitvely — cardholders will have the ability to stack their earnings this quarter. Meaning eligible accommodations booked by way of Chase journey will earn 9 p.c money again and restaurant purchases will earn 7 p.c again (as much as the spending cap and with activation).

Freedom Flex 2024 money again bonus calendar

Step one to maximizing your bonus class rewards is maintaining with the Freedom Flex rewards calendar. There are new classes each quarter, and Chase broadcasts them shortly earlier than the quarter begins.

Right here’s a have a look at Chase’s bonus classes for 2023 and 2024, so you may get an thought of what to anticipate every year:

The way to activate your Chase bonus classes

Bonus classes have to be activated every quarter to obtain the total 5 p.c money again, and you’ll guarantee they’re activated in quite a lot of methods. For 2024 Q2, the activation window opened in March 15, 2024.

One of many best activation strategies is to make use of the Chase Cell app. You can even activate rewards by way of your account hub, by telephone, by electronic mail or at a chosen Chase location. In case you want a reminder to activate, attempt setting one in your calendar to be sure to don’t miss out on any rewards classes.

When you’ve activated a class, you’ll earn 5 p.c money again on all class purchases in the course of the quarter — even these made earlier than activation that quarter — for as much as the $1,500 quarterly buy most, then 1 p.c again. When you’ve got a number of Chase accounts, be certain you activate classes for every of them.

Maximize this quarter’s bonus classes

The Q2 Chase Freedom Flex bonus classes for 2024 reward purchases made at accommodations, eating places and on Amazon.com. Right here’s how you can maximize your rewards this quarter:

• Take that early summer season journey. Hop into the Chase Journey portal and ebook a spring or early summer season getaway to earn 9 p.c again in your resort purchases. You want a break, and now’s the time to take it.
• Benefit from that restaurant patio. In case you’ve been cooped up all winter and going a little bit stircrazy, take the “restaurant” class incomes alternative to coronary heart and get on the market and reap the benefits of some out of doors eating.
• Refill for summer season. Amazon has virtually something you might have to get your summer season off on the appropriate foot. Benefit from the additional incomes to replenish on necessities or simply enjoyable new summer season swag.

Different Chase Freedom Flex advantages

Freedom Flex cardholders have entry to the next perks, amongst others:

• Cellphone safety. In case you use your Freedom Flex to pay your month-to-month cellphone invoice, you’ll be lined for harm or theft of as much as $800 per declare and $1,000 per 12 months. A most of two claims in a 12-month interval and a $50 deductible per declare applies.
• Journey insurance coverage. Together with your Freedom Flex, you’ll obtain each journey cancellation and interruption insurance coverage, together with journey and emergency help companies.
• DashPass membership. Your first three months of membership to DoorDash’s supply service are free. After that, you’re mechanically enrolled within the service with a 50 p.c low cost for 9 extra months. In case you often order in, the financial savings from $0 supply charges can shortly add up. Notice, this supply have to be activated by Dec. 31, 2024.

For extra in-depth data on card perks, learn by way of our Chase Freedom Flex advantages information.

Comparability: Chase Freedom Flex rotating classes vs. Uncover it® Money Again bonus classes

The Uncover it® Money Again additionally affords rotating bonus classes. You’ll be able to earn 5 p.c money again on as much as $1,500 in bonus class purchases per quarter (activation required; then 1 p.c), plus 1 p.c money again on every thing else.

In earlier years, Uncover introduced its full 12 months of bonus classes prematurely, however the issuer has switched to a quarter-by-quarter cadence. Listed here are the Uncover it® Money Again bonus classes for Q2 2024:

• April by way of June 2024 — Fuel stations & electrical automobile charging stations, house enchancment shops and public transit

Chase and Uncover each wish to reward related sorts of spending, with grocery shops, gasoline stations and drugstores as a number of the hottest and repetitive classes 12 months after 12 months. You’ll additionally often see main retailers like Goal every year.

The one large distinction between Uncover’s program and Chase’s program is that, with the Uncover it® Money Again, you’ll solely earn 5 p.c money again on rotating bonus class purchases after you activate (on as much as $1,500 in bonus class purchases per quarter, then 1 p.c). With Chase, you’ll earn 5 p.c money again on all bonus class purchases made inside the designated quarter — even in case you don’t activate your bonus classes till the deadline, which is normally fairly forgiving. Regardless of which money again card you select, be sure to activate these classes to keep away from dropping out on rewards.

There’s yet another factor it is advisable to know in regards to the Uncover it® Money Again: Uncover’s Cashback Match program will match all of the money again you earn on the finish of your first 12 months as a cardholder. Say you max out your bonus class spending and earn $75 money again per quarter for all the 12 months for a complete of $300 earned on these purchases all year long. Uncover will match your $300 in annual earnings with one other $300 in money again rewards on the finish of your first 12 months.

Comparability: Chase Freedom Flex rotating classes vs. Citi Customized Money® Card bonus classes

The Citi Customized Money Card doesn’t have rotating classes just like the Freedom Flex, however it does ship a singular option to earn 5 p.c money again on altering classes. As an alternative of activating quarterly classes, you mechanically earn 5 p.c money again in your prime eligible spending class every billing cycle (on as much as $500, then 1 p.c again). All different purchases earn 1 p.c money again.

On the finish of the billing cycle, you’ll earn 5 p.c money again on purchases inside one in every of these 10 classes — whichever you spent essentially the most in that billing cycle:

• Eating places
• Fuel stations
• Grocery shops
• Choose journey
• Choose transit
• Choose streaming companies
• Drugstores
• Dwelling enchancment shops
• Health golf equipment
• Dwell leisure

The place the Citi Customized Money wins

The Citi Customized Money is a lower-maintenance card because you gained’t want to attend for particular bonus classes or activation dates — there isn’t something to maintain up with for you as a cardholder; somewhat, Citi will decide your prime spending class mechanically. The identical roster of 5 p.c bonus classes is ready in stone year-round.

Granted, you may’t formally choose which bonus class you need every billing cycle, however you may monitor your spending to take advantage of a class in a given billing cycle (and save bigger bills for one more rewards card that carries no spending cap).

Talking of obtainable classes, you’ll additionally get a greater diversity of purchases which may be eligible to earn 5 p.c money again with the Citi Customized Money. The Freedom Flex and different 5 p.c rotating bonus class playing cards sometimes have round seven or eight bonus classes all year long as a substitute of the Customized Money card’s 10. Although, it’s value noting that many rotating class playing cards are actually providing 9 to 11 classes every year.

The place the Chase Freedom Flex wins

The Freedom Flex’s 5 p.c rotating class construction does have a number of benefits over the Customized Money card’s rewards type. Most obvious is that the Freedom Flex bonus classes don’t have a spending cap for every billing cycle. As an alternative of a $500 spending cap every billing cycle, you’ll get a $1,500 spending cap every quarter. Whereas every card’s whole quarterly spending cap is equal, the Freedom Flex’s method makes it simpler to maximise money again if in case you have a much bigger buy one month or a billing cycle with a number of bills.

Additional, the Freedom Flex sometimes has two or three 5 p.c bonus classes every quarter, which is very useful for smaller classes, like streaming companies. The cardboard’s classes additionally are typically a bit extra numerous in keeping with the season. As an example, you’ll normally earn heightened rewards on main on-line retailers, like Amazon.com, every year, however the Citi Customized Money doesn’t earn bonus rewards on on-line procuring in any respect.

Though the Customized Money’s classes are geared extra towards on a regular basis spending and have uncommon choices like rewards on dwell leisure, you’ll in all probability solely earn boosted money again on grocery retailer purchases or different high-spend classes (like eating) every billing cycle, particularly if it’s your major bank card.

The way to redeem rewards with Freedom Flex

With a view to redeem rewards, your account have to be open and in good standing. Rewards are technically tracked as Chase Final Rewards factors, and every greenback earned in money again is the same as 100 factors. Money again could be redeemed as an announcement credit score or a direct deposit into an eligible checking or financial savings account at a U.S. financial institution. Your money again rewards ought to present up instantly in your bank card account as soon as redeemed. Once you examine your assertion, you’ll see bonus class rewards listed as one thing like “Bonus from This autumn 5 p.c class.” So long as your account is open and in good standing, your factors gained’t expire.

Notice that you may additionally redeem your factors for journey by way of Chase Final Rewards, for present playing cards and procuring with factors at Amazon.com.

Pairing the Freedom Flex with a premium Chase bank card — such because the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® — can increase your redemption worth by 25 p.c to 50 p.c, respectively, in case you redeem your factors for journey by way of the Chase portal. Each of those premium playing cards cost an annual charge, nevertheless, so be certain your return in money again might be definitely worth the annual funding earlier than you apply.

In reality, if you wish to actually maximize your Freedom Flex rewards, it’s best to mix them underneath a premium card after which switch your factors to one in every of Chase’s journey companions. Doing so could make your factors value a mean of two.0 cents every, in keeping with Bankrate’s newest valuations.

The underside line

The Chase Freedom Flex is a stellar money again choice if in case you have good to wonderful credit score and plan to make use of your card to make quite a lot of purchases. Nonetheless, take a look at Bankrate’s picks for the very best money again bank cards 2024 to see whether or not there’s one other money again card that might be a greater match for you.

*Issuer-required disclosure assertion
Details about Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Chase Freedom® has been collected independently by Bankrate. The issuer didn’t present the content material, neither is it accountable for its accuracy.