Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a no-annual-fee credit card that offers solid rewards everywhere. Here are the high-level benefits of the Freedom Unlimited:
- 1.5% cash back on every purchase, with no limits.
- Additional rewards on Chase Travel℠, dining, and at drugstores.
- Essential consumer protections including extended warranty and purchase protection.
Quick take: The card is an essential part of a basic travel rewards wallet and a good choice to use if you want a single card to use everywhere.
In this article…
Chase Freedom Unlimited® at a glance
Here’s what you need to know about the Chase Freedom Unlimited®.
Chase Freedom Unlimited® facts:
Annual fee: annual_fees
Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee
Quick review: Great “default” card to use everywhere and excellent rewards on dining, drugstores and for travel purchased through Chase Travel℠ and solid consumer insurance protections.
Good for you if: You want one card to use everywhere, or if you’re collecting Ultimate Rewards points and want a card to use “everywhere else”
Good extended warranty benefit and purchase protection, plus a few travel insurance benefits.
| Consumer insurance benefits Purchase protection Chase extended warranty protection | |
| Travel insurance benefits Secondary auto rental collision damage waiver insurance Trip cancellation/interruption insurance | |
| Travel benefits Travel and Emergency Assistance Services | |
| Third-party merchant benefits Complimentary 3 months of DashPass Complimentary 3 months of Instacart+ |
1.5% cash back rewards everywhere, plus bonus rewards in select categories.
| 5% | Travel purchased through Chase Travel℠. | |
| 5% | Lyft rides through March 31, 2025. | |
| 3% | Dining at restaurants including takeout and eligible delivery services. | |
| 3% | Drugstore purchases. | |
| 1.5% | Other eligible purchases. |
Earns Ultimate Rewards®
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is marketed as a cash back card, but earns its rewards a Ultimate Rewards® points.
Ultimate Rewards® can be combined across cards you hold. If you hold a premium Ultimate Rewards card, you can transfer your points to Chase’s transfer partners or use your points for increased value when you book travel through Chase Travel℠. For more about using Ultimate Rewards, check out our guide on the Ultimate Rewards program.
Chase Freedom Unlimited® sign-up bonus: Extra 1.5% cash back
The following offer is the best offer available online, but as of publication, there was another offer available in-branch. See our coverage of the Chase Freedom Unlimited® welcome offers for more details.
Learn how to apply.
Annual fee: annual_fees
Chase Freedom Unlimited® sign-up bonus
bonus_miles_full
One of the best cards to use for everyday purchases. A better welcome bonus may be available in-branch.
More about this card
Benefit highlights:
Purchase protection.
Extended warranty protection.
Trip cancellation/interruption insurance.
Auto rental collision damage waiver.
Travel and emergency assistance services.
Rewards:
5% on Lyft rides through March 31, 2025.
5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠.
3% on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services.
3% on drugstore purchases.
1.5% on all other purchases.
Rewards are marketed as cash back, but earned as Ultimate Rewards®.
Learn more:
Learn more in our overview of the Chase Freedom Unlimited® card.
Read more about Ultimate Rewards®.
Our take on the Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Cards and Points Rating: 5/5
The generosity of the card’s rewards impresses us. Few other cards will give you 1.5% rewards everywhere paired with uncapped bonus rewards in meaningful categories. We also like that the card offers both purchase protection and extended warranty, making it a good choice to use when you buy expensive items like electronics.
Get the Chase Freedom Unlimited® if you want a single card to use everywhere or a card to use “everywhere else” that earns Ultimate Rewards®.
Likes
- 1.5% rewards everywhere.
- Bonus rewards in a wide variety of categories including restaurants, drugstores, and travel through Chase Travel℠.
- Includes purchase protection and extended warranty.
- Earns Ultimate Rewards® points, which can be used for cash back or travel rewards.
- No annual fee
Dislikes
- No opportunity to earn 2x Ultimate Rewards® on any other card.
- Different welcome offers through different channels can be confusing.
Who is Chase Freedom Unlimited® best for?
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a card that almost anyone can benefit from having in their wallet, thanks to its combination of good rewards everywhere, good consumer benefits, and no annual fee. But these types of people will benefit most from the Freedom Unlimited:
- Someone who wants simplicity. The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a good choice if you want a single no-annual-fee card to use everywhere. Yes, you can get cards that earn 2% everywhere, but most of those cards do not include the extended warranty and purchase protections offered by the Freedom Unlimited.
- Travelers collecting Chase Ultimate Rewards®. If you hold a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® adding the Freedom Unlimited to your wallet can increase the rewards you earn “everywhere else” by 50%. Ultimate Rewards can be transferred between cards, so you can use the points you earn on your Freedom Unlimited for the enhanced redemption options on your premium cards.
- Frequent diners. The Freedom Unlimited isn’t marketed as a dining card, but it earns 3% rewards on dining, including takeout and eligible delivery services. If you’re currently earning less on dining out, you should pick up this card.
Cards that complement the Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Because the Chase Freedom Unlimited® earns Ultimate Rewards® points, there are a handful of other Chase cards that can make the rewards you earn more valuable and increase the total amount of rewards you earn. Here are some other cards you should consider.
- The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® earn more rewards on travel and open up opportunities to get more value from your points through travel redemptions. Since you can transfer your Ultimate Rewards points between cards, you can move your points to either card and get more value when you redeem points through Chase Travel℠.
- The Chase Freedom Flex℠ offers bonus rewards in its 5% rotating quarterly bonus categories. Historically, rotating categories have included useful categories like grocery stores, Target, Amazon.com, gas stations, PayPal, wholesale clubs, and home improvement stores. The card also has a cell phone protection benefit, with the Freedom Unlimited lacks.
- Small business owners can add a Ink Business Cash® Credit Card or a Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card to their wallet. The Ink Cash earns additional rewards in business-related categories and the Ink Preferred earns more rewards on travel while enabling redemptions through Chase Travel℠ for 25% more value and transfers to travel partners.
- For more rewards on gas and groceries, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express fills in where the Freedom Unlimited earns only 1.5%. The Blue Cash Preferred earns 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%) and 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit. You’ll also earn 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming services and 1% cash back elsewhere.
Alternatives to the Chase Freedom Unlimited®
If you are looking for a single card that earns good rewards everywhere, here are a few alternatives to consider:
- The TD Double Up Credit Card earns 2% cash back on all of your eligible purchases. You’ll also receive Visa benefits like cell phone protection, purchase security and extended warranty. Unfortunately, the card is only available if you are within TD Bank’s U.S. footprint—which includes only a handful of states on the east coast.
- If you are not averse to paying an annual fee, the U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® card can get you 3% cash back or 4.5% travel rewards anywhere you use a mobile wallet to check out. The card has a $400 annual fee, but that can be largely offset by $325 in annual credits that apply toward eligible travel and dining purchases.
- Small business owners might want to consider the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card for its 1.5% cash back (also earned as Ultimate Rewards®). If you spend a lot month-to-month, keeping the spending on a business card can help you keep high balances off your personal credit report. Plus the card almost always has one of the best Ultimate Rewards new cardmember welcome bonuses.
Rewards: 1.5% cash back on all purchases, plus bonus rewards on dining and drugstores
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® card is a great option to have as a “use everywhere” or “use everywhere else” card thanks to its 1.5% cash back rewards on all purchases. But the card is also one of the best cards to use for restaurants, food delivery, and drugstore purchases. Here’s what the Freedom Unlimited earns:
- 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠.
- 3% on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services.
- 3% on drugstore purchases.
- 1.5% on all other purchases.
Chase markets the Chase Freedom Unlimited® 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 Freedom Unlimited, click to expand any of the sections below:
How to get the most out of your rewards
If you hold only the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, 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 Chase Freedom Unlimited® 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® Card and the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card 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 Unlimited® 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.
Chase Freedom Unlimited® Benefits
Here’s a rundown of the benefits offered by the Chase Freedom Unlimited®.
| Consumer insurance benefits Purchase protection Chase extended warranty protection | |
| Travel insurance benefits Secondary auto rental collision damage waiver insurance Trip cancellation/interruption insurance | |
| Travel benefits Travel and Emergency Assistance Services | |
| Third-party merchant benefits Complimentary 3 months of DashPass Complimentary 3 months of Instacart+ |
Consumer and purchase insurance benefits
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® includes extended warranty protection and purchase protecting, making it a good choice to use for your more valuable purchases. Here are the details:
- Extended warranty protection extends the U.S. manufacturer’s warranty on eligible warranties of 3 years or less.
- Purchase protection covers new purchases 120 days against damage or theft up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.
Travel insurance benefits
While the Chase Freedom Unlimited®‘s travel insurance benefits don’t match the market-leading benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve®, it does include some basic travel insurance benefits.
- Auto rental collision damage waiver provides secondary against damage to or theft of your rental vehicle when you reserve and pay for your vehicle using your card and decline your car rental company’s collision damage waiver.
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance reimburses up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip for prepaid, non-refundable common carrier fares when your trip is canceled or interrupted for a covered reason.
How to apply for the Chase Freedom Unlimited®
You can apply for the Chase Freedom Unlimited® or in-branch. As of April 2024, the best offer was available as an in-branch exclusive offer. See our coverage of that bonus for details. Here are the two bonuses available online:
Chase Freedom Unlimited 1.5% cash back on 20k spending offer
Learn how to apply.
Annual fee: annual_fees
Chase Freedom Unlimited® sign-up bonus
bonus_miles_full
One of the best cards to use for everyday purchases. A better welcome bonus may be available in-branch.
More about this card
Benefit highlights:
Purchase protection.
Extended warranty protection.
Trip cancellation/interruption insurance.
Auto rental collision damage waiver.
Travel and emergency assistance services.
Rewards:
5% on Lyft rides through March 31, 2025.
5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠.
3% on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services.
3% on drugstore purchases.
1.5% on all other purchases.
Rewards are marketed as cash back, but earned as Ultimate Rewards®.
Learn more:
Learn more in our overview of the Chase Freedom Unlimited® card.
Read more about Ultimate Rewards®.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Chase Freedom Unlimited® offer cell phone protection?
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® does not offer cell phone protection. That benefit is available on the Chase Freedom Flex card.
Is the Chase Freedom Unlimited a Visa or Mastercard?
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is issued as a Visa card. The similarly-name 5% rotating category card, the Chase Freedom Flex, is issued as a Mastercard.
Can the Chase Freedom Unlimited®’s points be transferred to airlines?
If you also hold a premium Ultimate Rewards® credit card, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you can transfer the points you earn with the Chase Freedom to airline and hotel partners.
Am I automatically enrolled in the DashPass membership on the Chase Freedom Unlimited card?
No. You must enroll in the complimentary DashPass membership.
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Read more about the Chase Freedom Unlimited®
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Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
