The Chase Freedom Flex®* credit card is easily one of the best cash-back credit cards available today. Not only does it offer a generous welcome bonus and lucrative cash-back program, but it also comes with an introductory APR for purchases and balance transfers, plus exclusive World Elite Mastercard benefits.
The biggest draw is the card's rotating rewards. It offers 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent quarterly in activated bonus categories (then 1%) that change every three months.
These categories typically include purchases like gas, streaming services and wholesale clubs, but they tend to change from one year to the next. It's important to keep an eye on these categories to get the most out of your card.
Chase Freedom Flex 2024 categories
Chase announces the next quarter's bonus categories right before they happen, so you may not know which purchases you'll earn the most for until a few weeks before you can activate.
| Quarter | 2023 Chase Freedom Flex categories | 2024 Chase Freedom Flex categories |
| January to March (Q1) | Target Grocery stores (excluding Walmart) Fitness club and gym memberships | Grocery stores (excluding Walmart) Fitness club and gym memberships Self-care and spa services |
| April to June (Q2) | Lowe’s Amazon.com | Amazon.com Hotels Restaurants |
| July to September (Q3) | Gas stations Electric vehicle charging Select live entertainment | Electric vehicle charging Gas stations Select live entertainment Movie theaters |
| October to December (Q4) | Wholesale clubs Select charities PayPal | McDonald's PayPal Pet shops and vet services Select charities |
How to activate your categories
Remember that you have to manually "activate" your Freedom Flex rewards.
There are quite a few ways to activate your bonus rewards, including the following:
- Activate online: You can activate bonus rewards online by visiting www.chase.com/ultimaterewards or chase.com/freedomflex.
- Email: Chase says you can add your email to your account here, in which case you'll get an email when it's time to activate. From there, you can do it with the click of a button.
- Mobile app: You can activate bonus cash back on the Chase mobile app.
- Phone: Chase says you can call the number on the back of your credit card and activate bonus rewards over the phone.
- Visit a branch or ATM: You can also activate bonus rewards by telling a personal banker in a physical bank branch, or by following the prompts to activate bonus cash at a Chase ATM.
Also, keep in mind that a deadline for activation falls somewhere toward the end of each quarter. For example, the deadline for the current quarter is September 14, 2024.
However, if you do activate anytime before the quarterly deadline, you'll earn retroactive rewards for your purchases -- something that gives it a leg up over its top competitor, the Discover it® Cash Back*.
How does the Freedom Flex reward program work?
On top of the rotating rewards, new cardholders can earn a $200 cash bonus when they spend $500 on purchases within three months of account opening.
Cardholders also earn:
- 5% cash back on travel through Chase Travel℠
- 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases.
- 1% back on other purchases.
Cash back earned with Chase credit cards can be redeemed for a check in the mail, statement credits, gift cards, travel through the Chase portal and purchases through Amazon.com or PayPal.
How to get the most out of your Chase Freedom Flex
- Avoid long-term debt. While the Chase Freedom Flex credit card has an introductory APR offer for purchases and balance transfers, the standard variable APR is on the high side. Make sure to pay your balances off before the intro offer ends to avoid interest charges and long-term debt.
- Earn the welcome bonus. Try to earn the card's bonus through your normal spending habits. If you overspend to reach it, it could impact the value you'd get from it. Luckily, the card's spending threshold isn't very high.
- Maximize other earning categories. Don't forget that the Chase Freedom Flex offers bonus rewards in many different categories, including travel through Chase, drugstores, and dining.
- Set up reminders to activate your bonus rewards. Chase says you can update your email address here to receive email reminders when it's time to activate bonus rewards.
Chase Freedom Flex calendar vs. Discover it Cash Back calendar
Another card that offers 5% cash back in quarterly rotating bonus categories when you activate (on up to $1,500 in quarterly purchases, then 1%) is the Discover it® Cash Back credit card. Here's how the Freedom Flex's categories compare to the Discover it Cash Back's.
| Quarter | 2024 Discover bonus categories | 2024 Chase Freedom Flex bonus categories |
| January to March (Q1) | Restaurants and drug stores | Grocery stores (excluding Walmart), fitness club and gym memberships and self-care and spa services |
| April to June (Q2) | Gas stations, EV charging stations, home improvement stores and public transit | Amazon.com, hotels and restaurants |
| July to September (Q3) | Walmart and grocery stores | Electric vehicle charging Gas stations Select live entertainment Movie theaters |
| October to December (Q4) | Amazon.com and Target | McDonald's PayPal Pet shops and vet services Select charities |
The bottom line
The Chase Freedom Flex credit card is a rewarding cash-back card even without its quarterly rotating bonus categories. Combine that with an introductory purchase APR and a welcome bonus with a low spending threshold, and you get one of the best no-annual fee credit cards available. Remember to set up email alerts ahead of time to know when the new categories are taking effect.
There are a lot of bonus categories to keep track of with the Freedom Flex, but if you can use it where it earns the most, it’ll be a very rewarding credit card. As always, try to avoid overspending for the sake of earning more. Credit card debt could quickly wipe away any value you’d get from rewards.
*All information about the Chase Freedom Flex and the Discover it Cash Back has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
