The Chase Freedom® Card is one of my favorite no annual fee credit cards, as it offers 5x points in rotating quarterly categories, for up to $1,500 of spend per quarter. Most people use this as a cashback card, meaning the 5x points really translates into 5% cashback in these categories.
The best part is that in conjunction with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card, or Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card, points earned on this card can be converted into Ultimate Rewards points, and be transferred to the Ultimate Rewards airline and hotel partners. Since I value one Ultimate Rewards point at significantly more than one cent, that’s my preferred use of those points.
Starts today: 5x points at grocery & home improvement stores
Until yesterday (March 31, 2019), the card offered 5x points on the first $1,500 of combined purchases at gas stations, drugstores, and tolls.
Now there’s a new bonus category.
Between April 1 and June 30, 2019, you can earn 5x points on the first $1,500 of combined purchases at grocery stores and home improvement with the Chase Freedom® Card.
If you haven’t yet registered, you can do so through June 14, 2019 – just go to the registration page and enter your last name, billing zip code, and the last four digits on your card number, and you’ll be registered.
I think the second quarter bonus categories are useful ones and pretty well rounded:
- There otherwise aren’t really any major credit cards offering bonus points for home improvement store purchases, so I’m happy to see that
- The 5x points at grocery stores will be useful for many, though with other cards regularly offering up to 4.5x points at grocery stores, the incremental benefit is fairly limited
You can see a list of eligible merchants here. As you can see, Target, Walmart, warehouse clubs, and discount stores aren’t included in these bonus categories.
How to make Chase Freedom points even more valuable
Just to recap, you earn points on the Chase Freedom® Card, and each point can be redeemed for one cent cashback.
However, if you have this card in addition to one of the cards that accrues Ultimate Rewards points, you can transfer these points to Ultimate Rewards. Cards that accrue Ultimate Rewards Cards include the:
So 5% cashback converts into 5x Ultimate Rewards points per dollar with one of the above cards.
Bottom line
The Chase Freedom® Card is one of the best no annual fee cards out there, and I do everything I can to max out the 5x points category every quarter.
It’s now a new quarter, which means that it’s time to reconsider which purchases you’re using your card for. If you haven’t yet registered for this quarter’s bonus category, be sure you do so, so you can start earning 5x points at grocery stores and home improvement stores.
What do you make of the second quarter 2019 Chase Freedom bonus categories?
Discover has 5% back on Gas, Lyft and Uber.