The Chase Freedom Flex℠ and longtime favorite Chase Freedom Unlimited® are two of the best no-annual-fee credit cards on the market – especially if you pair them with a Chase Sapphire Card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. If you haven't already added one of them to your wallet, you may want to now.
New Chase Freedom or Freedom Unlimited card applicants who apply directly through Chase will now earn 5% cashback (or 5x points if you've got a Sapphire card) on purchases at grocery stores (excluding Target and Walmart) on up to $12,000 spent in your first year of card membership.
That's an outstanding bonus, adding another $600 cashback (or 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points) through a major source of everyday spending for many Americans. Chase rolled out a similar bonus last year, and we're glad to see it return.
Unfortunately, this bonus isn't available for existing Freedom Cardholders. But if you don't yet have one, it might be a great opportunity to pick one up. You'll just need to make sure you apply directly on Chase's website.
The Basics of Chase Freedom Cards
Earning 5% cashback at grocery stores on your first $12,000 spent just sweetens the deal for all the other Chase Freedom bonus categories that make these cards some of our go-to options for travelers to keep earning Chase points.
For example, the Chase Freedom Flex currently earns 5% back at Walmart and Paypal transactions through the end of the year, thanks to its rotating quarterly bonus categories. It also earns 5% back on travel booked through the Chase travel portal, 3% back on dining and at drugstores, and 1% back on all other purchase. Read up on the Chase Freedom Flex card!
The Chase Freedom Unlimited, meanwhile, earns that same 5% bonus on travel, drugstores, and dining. But then it earns a 1.5% cashback bonus on all other spending, making it an attractive option for your expenses that don't qualify for bonuses. Critically, neither card has an annual fee!
But where Freedom cards really shine is putting them in tandem with either a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. With those cards in your wallet, you can convert the cashback you earn into Chase Ultimate Rewards points: Every cent of cashback gets you one point. And that makes a Freedom Card half of a powerful duo to earn more points for your future travels.
Torn between the Chase Freedom Flex vs Freedom Unlimited? We'll help you sort it out.
Like almost all Chase credit cards, you'll need to be under the Chase 5/24 rule in order to open a Freedom card. That means if you've opened five or more credit cards (from any bank – not just Chase) in the last 24 months, you're out of luck.
Bottom Line
Chase has rolled out a new bonus for grocery store shopping for new Freedom cardholders.
New Chase Freedom or Freedom Unlimited card applicants who apply directly through Chase will now earn 5% cashback (or 5x points, if you also hold a Sapphire card) on purchases at grocery stores (excluding Target and Walmart) on up to $12,000 spent in your first year of card membership.
However, this bonus isn't available for existing Freedom cardholders, and you must apply directly through Chase to take advantage.