The Chase Freedom Flex℠
*
The information for the Chase Freedom Flex℠ has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
is often listed as one of the top cash-back credit cards, offering an easy-to-earn welcome bonus, a generous introductory APR on both purchases and balance transfers and the ability to earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in categories that rotate quarterly (requires activation), 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on dining and drugstores and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Learn how to make the most of this card in our Chase Freedom Flex benefits guide.
Chase Freedom Flex overview
The Chase Freedom Flex is consistently ranked as one of the best cash-back credit cards on the market. In addition to its great rewards rates, this card comes with a generous intro APR for purchases and balance transfers as well as an easy-to-earn welcome bonus all for no annual fee. This card is best for those who don’t mind having to opt into bonus categories that change every quarter.
The Chase Freedom Flex is one of three available Freedom cards, including the Chase Freedom Unlimited® and the Chase Freedom Rise℠
*
The information for the Chase Freedom Rise℠ has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
. The Freedom Flex card is the upgraded version of the old Chase Freedom card, which is no longer available to new applicants. All three cards earn cash-back rewards that are tracked as points and can be redeemed for statement credits, cash, travel or gift cards or transferred to eligible Chase Ultimate Rewards®-earning cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, which both boost the value of points when redeemed for travel purchases through Chase Travel℠.
The Chase Freedom Flex earns 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in categories that rotate quarterly (requires activation), 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on dining and drugstores and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Previous quarterly categories have included grocery stores, Target, gym memberships, Lowe’s, Amazon.com, gas, wholesale clubs, charities and PayPal, among others. The new categories are announced a few weeks prior to the new quarter and cardholders must opt in each time to earn that elevated rate.
Major Chase Freedom Flex benefits
The Chase Freedom Flex has many notable features. Let’s take a look.
Attainable welcome offer
With the Chase Freedom Flex, new cardholders can earn $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. This is a very attainable spending requirement compared to other top credit cards that may require a minimum spend in the thousands of dollars before you can earn their welcome bonuses.
Decent intro APR offers on purchases and balance transfers
If you’re planning a big purchase that you’d like to finance for more than a year or if you need to transfer a high-APR balance, know that the Chase Freedom Flex offers 0% intro APR for the first 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% to 29.24%. There is an intro balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of each transfer, whichever is greater, in the first 60 days. Then the fee is the greater of $5 or 5% of each transfer.
Rewards varied spending categories
Cardholders have the ability to earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in categories that rotate quarterly (requires activation), 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on dining and drugstores and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Each $1 in cash-back rewards is equal to 100 points. Points can be redeemed as cash, gift cards, travel or by paying with points at select merchants.
Several insurance and travel benefits
When you use your Chase Freedom Flex card for travel reservations, you’ll have access to travel insurance for trips canceled or cut short for illness, severe weather or other eligible situations. You can be reimbursed for up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip for prepaid, non-refundable fares.
Cardholders also can get secondary rental car insurance against damage or theft when using their card to pay for the reservation. Finally, you’ll be able to access Chase’s travel and emergency assistance services for referrals while traveling, though you’ll have to pay for any services or medical treatment you need.
Pay over time
If you’d like to break up the cost of a purchase costing $100 or more into monthly payments, you can opt to enroll that purchase in My Chase Plan® for a fixed monthly fee of 1.72% of the amount of each eligible purchase transaction (or an amount you choose) instead of being charged interest. Your purchase amount will then be divided into equal monthly payments ranging from three months to two years based on the purchase amount.
Additional benefits worth noting
Cellphone protection
When you use your Chase Freedom Flex to pay your monthly cellphone bill, you can qualify for up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per year in cellphone protection, which covers against theft or damage. Just know there is a maximum of two claims per 12-month period and a $50 deductible applies for each claim.
5% cash back on Lyft rides
Cardholders who pay for Lyft rides through the Lyft app with their Chase Freedom Flex will receive a total of 5% cash back on qualifying rides through March 31, 2025.
Discounts on DashPass, DoorDash and Caviar
You can get a complimentary three months of DashPass if you activate a membership for the first time by December 31, 2024 with your card as the payment method. Once that time is up, you’ll get 50% off your membership for the next nine months.
Complimentary Instacart+ membership
To receive a complimentary Instacart+ membership for three months, you’ll need to visit instacart.com/chase to sign up with your Chase Freedom Flex by July 31, 2024. Once the complimentary membership expires, you’ll be billed the regular Instacart+ membership fee of $99 a year or $9.99 a month unless you cancel. When enrolled, you’ll also earn up to $10 in statement credits each quarter through July 31, 2024 on eligible Instacart purchases with the card.
Additional protection and warranty on purchases
When using your Chase Freedom Flex, you’ll automatically get purchase protection on new purchases for 120 days against damage and theft. You can apply for up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.
If a purchase comes with a U.S. manufacturer’s warranty of three years or less, you’ll also get an additional year on eligible warranties, providing extra peace of mind for larger purchases.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Yes, the Chase Freedom Flex offers trip cancellation/interruption insurance up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip for non-refundable prepaid fares in case your trip is canceled or cut short by severe weather, sickness or other covered situations.
No, the Chase Freedom Flex does not have hidden fees. However, the card agreement plainly states that there is a $40 late or returned payment fee, a foreign transaction fee of 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars, an intro balance transfer fee of $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, in the first 60 days (then $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater) and a monthly fee of 1.72% instead of interest for eligible purchases enrolled in the My Chase Plan. It’s always wise to check the pricing and terms page before applying for a new credit card.
No, you cannot use the Chase Freedom Flex at Costco as it is a Mastercard. Costco only accepts Visa cards as well as most debit/ATM cards.
Yes, the Chase Freedom Flex offers trip cancellation/interruption insurance where you can get reimbursed for up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip for a non-refundable prepaid fare in certain situations.
The Chase Freedom card was replaced by the Chase Freedom Flex and is no longer available to new applicants. That said, the original Chase Freedom card offered a similar 5% cash back in rotating categories (on up to $1,500 in combined spending each quarter), but only 1% cash back on all other purchases. There are two other Chase Freedom cards: the Chase Freedom Unlimited and the Chase Freedom Rise (for students and those new to credit). Check out our list of the best Chase cards to see which may be best fit for your budget and lifestyle.
Credit: Source link