Chase has a great portfolio of credit cards that can potentially earn Ultimate Rewards points, and two of my favorites are the Chase Freedom FlexSM Credit Card and Chase Freedom Unlimited®.
Significant changes were recently made to these cards, so in this post I wanted to take an in-depth look at the two cards, and which makes the most sense based on your situation. If you want to learn more about the individual cards:
- Here’s a detailed review of the Chase Freedom Flex
- Here’s a detailed review of the Chase Freedom Unlimited
Let’s first talk about the card similarities then talk about the card differences, and then talk about which card makes the most sense.
What Chase Freedom cards have in common
The truth is that the Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Freedom Unlimited have a lot in common, from their lack of annual fees, to their welcome bonuses, to some of their bonus categories, to their World Elite Mastercard benefits. Let me cover a few of the key similarities between the two cards:
Identical sign-up bonuses & eligibility requirements
Both the Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited are currently offering phenomenal bonuses that are better than we’ve seen in the past. Each card currently offers:
- 20,000 points after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months
- 5x points on groceries for the first 12 months, on up to $12,000 of spending (Target and Walmart are excluded)
These are excellent bonuses for no annual fee cards, especially if you spend a decent amount on groceries.
Furthermore, both cards have identical eligibility requirements:
- Each card is only available to those who don’t currently have that specific card, and those who haven’t received a new cardmember bonus on that specific card in the past 24 months
- Both cards are subjected to Chase’s typical eligibility restrictions, including the 5/24 rule
Overlapping bonus categories
Both the Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited offer the following overlapping bonus categories on spending:
- 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 3x points on dining, takeout, and eligible delivery services
- 3x points on drugstores
Flexibility to earn cash back or Ultimate Rewards points
Both the Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited accrue the same types of rewards:
- Each point earned on either card can be redeemed for one cent cash back
- If you have either card in conjunction with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review), Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review), or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review), then points can also be transferred to the Ultimate Rewards program; I value Ultimate Rewards points at ~1.7 cents each, so to me that increases the value of these points by 70%
Earn Ultimate Rewards points with Chase Freedom cards
Differences between Chase Freedom cards
There is one primary area where the Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Freedom Unlimited differ, and that’s one aspect of the bonus categories. Both cards offer:
- 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 3x points on dining, takeout, and eligible delivery services
- 3x points on drugstores
But each card has one unique bonus category:
- The Freedom Flex offers 5x points in rotating quarterly categories, on up to $1,500 of spending per quarter
- The Freedom Unlimited offers 1.5x points on everyday spending, making it one of the best cards for non-bonused categories, and beating the Freedom Flex in that regard by 50%
The Freedom Unlimited offers a better return on everyday spending
Which Chase Freedom card is better?
Deciding whether the Chase Freedom Flex or Chase Freedom Unlimited makes more sense comes down to one very simple question — would you rather earn 1.5x points on all purchases (with the Freedom Unlimited), or would you rather earn 5x points in rotating quarterly categories and 1x points on non-bonused purchases?
The math will work out differently for everyone, but here are a few general considerations:
- What card do you otherwise use for non-bonused spending, and how much do you spend in categories that don’t otherwise qualify for bonus categories? If you don’t have a great card and you spend a lot in non-bonused categories, then the Freedom Unlimited is the obvious choice
- Do you have another great card for non-bonused spending but think you could get value from the 5x points categories on the Freedom Flex? Then the Freedom Flex is the obvious choice
The good thing is that you don’t have to choose — you can get both the Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited, and that’s a great way to maximize your rewards, especially since neither card has an annual fee. Personally that’s my approach, but I also get that lots of people want a simpler credit card strategy than that.
Build up a portfolio of Chase cards to maximize your points
Bottom line
Both the Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Freedom Unlimited are great no annual fee cards that can help you maximize the Ultimate Rewards points that you earn. For savvy consumers they’re an essential complement to a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Which Freedom card makes more sense depends on your circumstances. Personally I think the Freedom Unlimited is the all around more rewarding card, given that it offers one of the best returns of any card for non-bonused spending. But some may get more value out of the Freedom Flex’s 5x points categories.
The good thing is that you don’t have to choose, as you can always pick up both cards.
What’s your take — which of the two Chase Freedom cards do you prefer?
Great info but what is not clear to me is whether grocery delivery services, especially Instacart are considered “groceries” for the 5% bonus category for Chase Freedom Flex or Freedom Unlimited cards. The same would be true for the temporary 3% bonus on Chase Sapphire Reserve. Those of us who are older and sheltered at home with health issues need to use delivery services for groceries from Safeway, Costco, etc. I researched online but cannot find any answer. Does anyone know if Instacart would qualify for grocery purchases?
Thank you for your help.
The Ink Business Cash is still to me a better options for most items given the 5X back on office supply stores because i can buy any gift card including amazon i want at my local Staples. This to me makes having the Freedom Unlimited a better options because the Flex rotating category is something i can always get on the Ink Cash through staples gift card purchases.
Hi, Anybody know how to get the Chase unlimited business card with the 2,000 bonus-but you have to spend $50,000 within 6 months….
@Old Flyer, on my Chase Southwest RapidRewards card, Instacart codes as “groceries”. I assume that would be true for all Chase cards. I’ve been getting 5x RapidRewards points for my Instacart purchases on their current grocery promotion.
@Old Flyer, yes Instacart does count as groceries.
Thanks for the comparison!
Do you have a list The rotating categories over the last two years? Subcategories would be great for me, others meh
Thank you Robert D and TBurrke. This makes a huge difference for those of us that have to use a delivery service. Thanks again.