December 18, 2024: The Chase Freedom Flex® is Chase’s card offering 5% rewards in quarterly bonus categories. The card can be a great choice for someone who wants to collect Ultimate Rewards® and is willing to play the game of chasing after bonus categories.
Our take on the Chase Freedom Flex®
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As credit card enthusiasts, we love the Chase Freedom Flex®. The card’s 5% rotating bonus categories are both useful and (for us) fun, but we realize that those of us who write for this site are in the minority.
5% rotating categories aren’t for everyone. If you want to have one card to use everywhere or you want simple rules that always apply, like use this card gas, that card for groceries, and a third card for everything else, the Freedom Flex isn’t for you. But if you want a taste of the thrill of chasing rewards, the Freedom Flex is a great way to do that.
On that note, it’s important to point out that, although this card is marketed as a cash back card, it earns Ultimate Rewards® points behind the scenes. This gets really interesting if you have premium credit cards that also earn Ultimate Rewards. See our guide to Ultimate Rewards for more on that.
The card’s unexpectedly good set of benefits including extended warranty, purchase protection, and even cell phone protection plus its 3% rewards on dining and drugstore purchases make it the best 5% rotating category card and earn it a five-star rating.
Pros
- 5% rewards in rotating categories.
- 3% on dining.
- 3% at drugstores.
- Extended warranty and purchase protection.
- Cell phone protection.
- Earns Ultimate Rewards® points.
- No annual fee.
Cons
- Rotating categories require activation.
- 5% rotating category rewards are capped at $1,500 in spending each quarter.
Sign-up bonus: Get bonus cash back
Annual fee: $0
The Chase Freedom Flex® offers different sign-up bonuses based on the channel you’re applying through
Best bonus online: Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Learn how to apply.
The Freedom Flex sometimes offers a better welcome bonus in-branch. We’ll publish any in-branch offers we find in our coverage of the best Chase Freedom Flex sign-up bonuses.
These bonuses are marketed as cash back, but earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.
Rewards: 5% in rotating categories, plus bonus rewards on dining and drugstores
The Chase Freedom Flex® card’s flagship feature is its rotating 5% rewards in rotating categories. But the card is also one of the best cards to use for restaurants, food delivery, and drugstore purchases. Here’s what the Freedom Flex earns:
- 5% on up to $1,500 in purchases each quarter when you activate. Learn more about the Freedom Flex card’s current rotating category rewards.
- 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠.
- 3% on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services.
- 3% on drugstore purchases.
- 1% on all other purchases.
Chase markets the Chase Freedom Flex® card as a cash back card, but the card earns Ultimate Rewards® points, which can be redeemed for cash back. For more on the rewards of the Chase Freedom Flex℠, click to expand any of the sections below:
How to get the most out of your rewards
If you hold only the Chase Freedom Flex® card, your best bet is to redeem your rewards for cash back at 1 cent per point. Here are the only redemption options you should usually consider:
- Cash back. You’ll receive 1 cent for each of your points when you redeem them for cash back.
- Gift cards on sale. Gift cards on sale can be a good use of your rewards. Normally you’ll receive 1 cent per point for gift card redemptions but Chase frequently puts popular brands on sale for 10% off.
- Pay Yourself Back®. Pay Yourself Back® periodically offers promotions that give you greater than 1 cent per point of redemption value. Redeeming your points through a Pay Yourself Back promotion can give you more value than you’ll get through cash back redemptions.
However, you can get much better value for your points when you pair your card with a premium credit card that earns Ultimate Rewards® and transfer your points to that card. Transferring your points can be done online through Chase.com.
- The Chase Sapphire Preferred® and the Ink Business Preferred® both allow you to book travel using your points through Chase Travel℠ at 1.25 cents per point. (10,000 points are worth $125 in travel bookings.)
- The Chase Sapphire Reserve® gives you even better value—allowing you to book travel at 1.5 cents per point. (10,000 points are worth $150 in travel bookings.)
- All three cards enable transfers to Chase’s Ultimate Rewards® transfer partners. Learn more in our guide to Ultimate Rewards®.
Earning more rewards
The Chase Freedom Flex® offers you a few additional ways to earn extra rewards using your card:
- Chase Offers is a card-linked merchant offers program. When you add a Chase Offer to your card and make a qualifying purchase, you can earn additional cash back on your purchase.
- Shop through Chase is Chase’s online shopping portal. You can earn additional points when you click through to partner merchants from the Chase portal and make a purchase.
- Chase Refer-A-Friend allows you to earn additional points when someone you refer applies through your link and is approved for a Chase credit card.
Ultimate Rewards® cards that compliment your Freedom Flex℠
Cards that earn bonus points and cash back in categories where the Freedom Flex℠ earns only 1% rewards can help increase the total amount of rewards you earn. You can compliment your Chase Freedom Flex℠ card with cards that earn Ultimate Rewards® points. Or you can look at cards from other banks that earn increased rewards on gas, cash back on groceries, bonuses on other rotating categories, or even 2% everywhere.
Personal Ultimate Rewards® credit cards
Here are Chase’s personal credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards® points and what they earn in each category:
| Chase Freedom Unlimited® | Chase Freedom Flex℠ | Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | Chase Sapphire Reserve® | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  | |
| Dining | 3x | 3x | 3x | 3x 10x on Chase Dining |
| Drugstores | 3x | 3x | ||
| Groceries (Online) | 3x | |||
| Streaming (Select providers) | 3x | |||
| Travel – Chase Ultimate Rewards | 5x | 5x | 5x | 5x on airfare. 10x on hotels and car rentals. |
| Travel – Lyft* | 5x* | 5x* | 5x* | 10x* |
| Travel – All other travel purchases | 2x | 3x | ||
| Rotating Categories c | 5xc | |||
| Everywhere Else | 1.5x | 1x | 1x | 1x |
c Bonus earning caps apply to these categories
- Chase Freedom Flex℠ Rotating Categories. The Chase Freedom Flex℠ card earns 5x in categories that rotate quarterly. You can earn 5x on up to $1,500 of combined spending each quarter, then 1x.
* Limitations apply to these categories.
- Travel – Lyft. Earn bonus cash back and points on Lyft rides through March 31, 2025.
Small Business Ultimate Rewards® credit cards
If you’re a small business owner, you can combine your Ultimate Rewards® points across both your personal and business cards. Here are Chase’s small business credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards® points and what they earn in each category:
| Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card | Ink Business Cash® Credit Card | Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category Name |  |  |  |
| Advertising with select social media and search engines c | 3xc | ||
| Dining c | 2xc | ||
| Gas stations c | 2xc | ||
| Office supplies* | 5xc | ||
| Internet, cable and phone services c | 5xc | 3xc | |
| Shipping | 5xc | ||
| Travel – Lyft* | 5x | 5x | 5x |
| Travel – All other travel purchases | 3xc | ||
| Everywhere Else | 1.5x | 1x | 1x |
c Bonus earning caps apply to these categories
- Ink Business Cash Card – Office supplies and internet, cable, and phone services. The Ink Business Cash earns 5x on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases in these categories each account anniversary year.
- Ink Business Cash Card – Gas stations and dining. The Ink Business Cash earn 2x on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year.
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. The Ink Business Preferred® earns 3x points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases across the following categories: Shipping purchases; advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines; internet, cable and phone services; and travel.
* Limitations apply to these categories.
- Travel – Lyft. Earn bonus cash back and points on Lyft rides through March 31, 2025.
Benefits: Unexpectedly good
In addition to earning rewards on a variety of bonus categories, the Chase Freedom Flex comes with a slate of additional benefits. Details on relevant benefits are below.
Consumer insurance benefits
Cell Phone Protection
Cell phone protection covers damage to of theft of your cell phone. This benefit does not cover loss—only theft.
- You must charge your entire monthly cell phone bill to your card.
- Covers the cost to diagnose and repair or replace your cell phone.
- If replaced, your phone may be replaced with a phone with similar features and functionality
- $50 deductible applies per claim.
- Limit of $800 per claim, 2 paid claims per 12 month period, and $1,000 per 12 month period.
How to start a claim: Visit chasecardbenefits.com or 1-800-349-2691.
Extended Warranty Protection
Extended warranty extends the original manufacturer’s U.S. repair warranty by one additional year on eligible purchases.
- Applies if your cumulative warranty (manufacturer’s, plus service contracts or other purchased warranties) is three years or less.
- Coverage begins at the end of all cumulative warranties and purchased service contracts.
- You must charge all or a portion of the item to your card and/or use rewards associated with your account, but the maximum amount covered is the amount actually charged to your Chase card.
- Benefit limit is $10,000 per item, and $50,000 per account. (Note that the per-account limit is for the life of the account.)
- Some items, such as computer software, items for resale, medical equipment, and used items, are excluded.
How to start a claim: Visit chasecardbenefits.com or 1-800-349-2691.
Purchase Protection
Purchase protection provides coverage against theft, damage, or involuntary and accidental parting for 120 days from the date of purchase.
- Coverage is secondary to other applicable insurance policies.
- You must charge all or a portion of the item to your card and/or use rewards associated with your account, but the maximum amount covered is the amount actually charged to your Chase card.
- Benefit limit is $500 per item, and $50,000 per account. (Note that the limit is for the life of the account, rather than per year.)
- Some items, such as food, animals, collectibles, computer software, and items being shipped by common carrier, are excluded.
How to start a claim: Visit chasecardbenefits.com or 1-800-349-2691.
Travel insurance benefits
Auto Rental Coverage
Chase auto rental coverage provides reimbursement for damages caused by theft or collision of a rental vehicle.
- You must initiate and complete the entire rental transaction with your card.
- Covers theft, damage, damage, loss-of-use charges, administrative fees, and towing charges only. Does not cover liability or any other charge.
- Covers the cardmember and and any additional drivers permitted by the rental car agreement.
- Secondary coverage within the United States. Primary coverage outside of the United States with no stated country exclusions.
- Covers rentals up to 31 consecutive days.
- Coverage limit of $60,000 per claim applies.
- Some types of vehicles are excluded, including exotic cars, vehicles with a MSRP over $125,000, industrial vehicles, and antique cars.
For questions on if a vehicle is covered: Call 1-800-349-2691
How to start a claim: Visit chasecardbenefits.com or 1-800-349-2691.
Roadside Assistance
Chase roadside assistance provides a single number to call for pre-negotiated per-service fees on certain roadside assistance services.
- All services are provided on a per-service fee basis. Cardmember is responsible for the cost of service.
- Coverage is provided in the United States and Canada
How to get roadside assistance: Call 1-800-349-2691.
Travel and Emergency Assistance
When traveling away from home, you can use travel and emergency assistance to coordinate services like medical referrals, legal assistance, emergency translation services, and document delivery.
- Services are referral only.
- Cardmember is responsible for the costs of all services provided.
How to use this service: Call 1-800-349-2691. You can also call collect internationally to +1-214-503-2951.
Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance
Chase trip cancellation and interruption insurance provides reimbursement when a trip needs to be canceled or interrupted for a covered reason.
- You must charge your common carrier fare (such as airfare) to the card.
- Coverage limit is $1,500 per covered traveler and $6,000 per trip for all covered travelers.
- Coverage provided to the cardmember, plus family members.
- Covered reasons include death or bodily injury, severe weather, named storm warning, change in military orders, organized strike, terrorist incident, and U.S. Department of State travel warning,
- Only covers non-refundable pre-paid travel expenses charged by a common carrier, change fees and redeposit fees, not including a difference in fare.
- Does not cover any other travel expenses like prepaid tours, hotel rooms, or car rentals.
How to start a claim: Visit chasecardbenefits.com or 1-800-349-2691.
Our experiences: How we use the Chase Freedom Flex®
My Chase Freedom Flex® is one of my favorite cards. I’m a travel rewards nerd, so I like the fact that I can earn 5% cash back in rotating categories. Most years, I find at least half of the bonus categories useful.
Here’s how I used the card in 2024:
- Q1, 2024: Grocery Stores. Highly useful. The Freedom Flex became my go-to grocery credit card in this quarter.
- Q2 2024: Amazon.com. This became my go-to credit card for Amazon in this quarter. I do have Prime and the Prime Visa, which normally gets me 5% cash back, but earning 5x Ultimate Rewards® on my Amazon purchases is better, since I use the Ultimate Rewards points for transfers to travel partners.
- Q3 2024: Nothing particularly interesting this quarter. I drive a plug-in hybrid, so I only rarely buy gas, and I wasn’t buying any tickets to live events this quarter.
- Q4 2024: PayPal. PayPal is accepted so many places and it’s simple to check out online. Frankly, I was surprised at how valuable this category was and I used this for a good chunk of my online purchasing this quarter.
I also use the card for purchases at drugstores and dining, but I don’t typically buy much at these places, so the rewards I earn on this card are heavily weighted toward the card’s 5% categories.
All-told, I’m getting great value out of this card year after year.
Bottom line: Probably the best way to start upping your credit card reward game
The Chase Freedom Flex® is the best 5% rotating category card currently available and for most, it’s a fun way to get started into the game of chasing better rewards on your spending. The card’s rotating bonus categories are usually useful and the card pairs well with other cards in the Chase Ultimate Rewards® ecosystem.
