Chase Freedom Flex 2024 Bonus Categories

Chase has lengthy been a prime issuer of money again bank cards that earn cardmembers rewards on a various vary of services. The no-annual-fee Chase Freedom Flex®*, particularly, 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 means of Chase Journey^SM
• 5 p.c money again on Lyft rides (by means 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 now not obtainable to new candidates, however current cardholders earn in the identical 5 p.c bonus classes as Flex customers, although they don’t earn rewards on the different Flex tiered charges.

From October by means of December 2024, Freedom Flex and current Freedom cardmembers can earn 5 p.c money again at McDonald’s, PayPal, Pet retailers and vet providers and with choose charities.

Eligible charities are: American Pink Cross, Equal Justice Initiatives, Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity, Worldwide Medical Corps, Worldwide Rescue Committee, Management Convention Schooling Fund, NAACP Authorized Protection and Academic Fund, Nationwide City League, Thurgood, Marshall School Fund, United Negro School Fund, UNICEF USA, United Method, World Central Kitchen, GLSEN, Out and Equal, and Sage.

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 publicizes them shortly earlier than the quarter begins.

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

How you can 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 few methods. For 2024 This fall, the activation window opened in Sept. 16, 2024.

One of many best activation strategies is to make use of the Chase Cellular app. You may also activate rewards by means of your account hub, by cellphone, by e mail or at a delegated Chase location. When you want a reminder to activate, strive 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 throughout 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. If in case you have a number of Chase accounts, make sure you activate classes for every of them.

Maximize this quarter’s bonus classes

The This fall Chase Freedom Flex bonus classes for 2024 reward purchases made at McDonald’s, by way of PayPal, at pet retailers and vet providers and with choose charities. Right here’s how you can maximize your rewards this quarter:

• Test dinner off your to-do record? We’re headed right into a notoriously busy time of yr with faculty again in session and the vacations proper across the nook. You in all probability may use a break, so skip the meal prep and simply hit the drive by means of. A McFlurry makes all the things higher.
• Keep residence and do your purchasing. Vacation purchasing doesn’t need to take you out in dangerous climate to all of the shops. As a substitute, keep residence with some sizzling cocoa and click on “Pay with Paypal” as you verify off your present record.
• Don’t neglect your furry associates. Even in case you don’t have an annual vet go to deliberate this quarter, it’s nonetheless a great time to refill on common drugs or particular meals your pet buddy wants. You would possibly verify together with your vet about paying forward for upcoming providers. If nothing else, deal with Fido and Fluffy effectively this vacation season with plenty of treats and toys from the native pet retailer.
• Do a great deed to finish the yr. The tip of the yr is a good time to make charitable donations for tax functions. Earn some further rewards giving a present to assist these in want.

Different Chase Freedom Flex advantages

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

• Cellphone safety. When you use your Freedom Flex to pay your month-to-month cellphone invoice, you’ll be coated for harm or theft of as much as $800 per declare and $1,000 per yr. 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 providers.
• DashPass membership. Your first three months of membership to DoorDash’s supply service are free. After that, you’re robotically enrolled within the service with a 50 p.c low cost for 9 extra months. When you regularly order in, the financial savings from $0 supply charges can rapidly add up. Notice, this supply have to be activated by Dec. 31, 2024.

For extra in-depth data on card perks, learn by means 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 gives rotating bonus classes. You may 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 all the things else.

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

• October by means of December 2024 — Goal and Amazon.com

Chase and Uncover each prefer to reward comparable forms of spending, with grocery shops, gasoline stations and drugstores as a few of the hottest and repetitive classes yr after yr. You’ll additionally regularly see main retailers like Goal every year.

The one huge 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 shedding out on rewards.

There’s another factor you have to know concerning 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 yr as a cardholder. Say you max out your bonus class spending and earn $75 money again per quarter for the complete yr 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 yr.

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, nevertheless it does ship a singular strategy to earn 5 p.c money again on altering classes. As a substitute of activating quarterly classes, you robotically 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 considered one 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 providers
• Drugstores
• House enchancment shops
• Health golf equipment
• Stay 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; moderately, Citi will decide your prime spending class robotically. The identical roster of 5 p.c bonus classes is about in stone year-round.

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

Talking of accessible classes, you’ll additionally get a greater diversity of purchases that could 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 usually have round seven or eight bonus classes all year long as an alternative of the Customized Money card’s 10. Although, it’s price noting that many rotating class playing cards at the moment are 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 just a few benefits over the Customized Money card’s rewards model. Most obvious is that the Freedom Flex bonus classes don’t have a spending cap for every billing cycle. As a substitute of a $500 spending cap every billing cycle, you’ll get a $1,500 spending cap every quarter. Whereas every card’s complete quarterly spending cap is equal, the Freedom Flex’s method makes it simpler to maximise money again you probably have a much bigger buy one month or a billing cycle with plenty of bills.

Additional, the Freedom Flex usually has two or three 5 p.c bonus classes every quarter, which is particularly useful for smaller classes, like streaming providers. The cardboard’s classes additionally are usually a bit extra numerous in line 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 purchasing 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 stay 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.

How you can redeem rewards with Freedom Flex

In an effort 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 will 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 verify your assertion, you’ll see bonus class rewards listed as one thing like “Bonus from This fall 5 p.c class.” So long as your account is open and in good standing, your factors gained’t expire.

Notice that you would be able to additionally redeem your factors for journey by way of Chase Journey, for present playing cards and purchasing with factors at Amazon.com.

Pairing the Freedom Flex with a premium Chase bank card — such because the Chase Sapphire Most popular® 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 means of the Chase portal. Each of those premium playing cards cost an annual payment, nonetheless, so make sure your return in money again might be well worth the annual funding earlier than you apply.

Actually, if you wish to actually maximize your Freedom Flex rewards, you need to mix them underneath a premium card after which switch your factors to considered one of Chase’s journey companions. Doing so could make your factors price a mean of two.0 cents every, in line with Bankrate’s newest valuations.

The underside line

The Chase Freedom Flex is a stellar money again possibility you probably have good to glorious credit score and plan to make use of your card to make quite a lot of purchases. Nonetheless, try Bankrate’s picks for one of the best money again bank cards 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 chargeable for its accuracy.