The Chase Freedom FlexSM Credit Card (review) is an incredible no annual fee card belonging to Chase’s Freedom portfolio, which can help you maximize your points, thanks to its quarterly bonus categories. With it now being a new quarter (and new year), Chase has just launched its Q1 2025 bonus categories, so I’d highly recommend registering ASAP.
Note that these same bonus categories are also valid for the Chase Freedom Card, which is no longer open to new applicants.
In this post:
Why I love the Chase Freedom Flex
The Chase Freedom Flex Card is easily one of the best no annual fee cards out there, as it offers 5x points in rotating quarterly categories, for up to $1,500 of spending per quarter. Most people use this as a cashback card, meaning the 5x points really translates into 5% cashback in these categories.
The card has other bonus categories as well, as it offers 3x points (or 3% cash back) at drugstores and on dining.
The best part is that in conjunction with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review), Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review), or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review), points earned on this card can be converted into Ultimate Rewards points, and be transferred to the Ultimate Rewards airline and hotel partners, or can be redeemed at a favorable rate through the Chase Travel Portal.
Since I value one Ultimate Rewards point at significantly more than one cent, that’s my preferred use of those points.
Chase Freedom Flex Q1 2025 bonus categories
For the first quarter of 2025, the Freedom Flex Card is offering 5x points on the first $1,500 spent on grocery stores (excluding Walmart and Target), Norwegian Cruise Lines, fitness clubs and gym memberships, and hair, nails, and spa services. As far as key dates go:
- You need to register between December 15, 2024, and March 14, 2025
- If you register, you can earn 5x points between January 1 and March 31, 2025
How to register your Chase Freedom Flex for 5x points
Registration is easy — just go to the registration page and enter your last name, billing zip code, and the last four digits on your card, and you’ll be registered.
What’s included with Q1 2025 5x points categories
It’s always worth clarifying what qualifies for 5x points within each of the categories, so let’s look at the terms.
The grocery stores category includes the following:
Merchants in this category include supermarkets, merchants that offer a full-service grocery line of merchandise including a deli and bakery as well as smaller grocery stores. Some merchants that sell grocery items are not included in this category; for example, larger stores that sell a wide variety of goods and groceries, such as warehouse clubs, discount stores and some smaller merchants such as drugstores, and merchants that specialize in only a few grocery items. Purchases made at gas stations from merchants who also operate grocery stores are not included in this category. Delivery service merchants, such as Instacart, will be included if they classify as a grocery store merchant.
The Norwegian Cruise Line category includes the following:
This category includes cruise fare purchased directly with Norwegian Cruise Line. Purchases through third party vendors or travel agencies, such as sightseeing activities, excursions, and tourist attractions, are not included.
The fitness club and gym memberships category includes the following:
Merchants in this category include health clubs, exercise, or athletic facilities requiring membership and offering access to services related to physical fitness, such as fitness clubs, fitness centers, fitness studios, gyms, aerobics, cardio fitness and other services such as yoga and cross fit training in physical merchant locations. Merchants that specialize in offering virtual and other at-home fitness services, personalized or therapeutic services such as massage therapy, dietary and weight management counseling and personal training, are not included in this category. In addition, certain lodging, hotel, motel, resort and central reservation services offering access to third party facilities that include fitness clubs or gyms are not included in this category unless they classify as a fitness club or gym membership merchant. Purchases of fitness or athletic equipment or apparel, other sporting goods, dietary food, health food or similar supplements, will not qualify in this category.
The hair, nail, and spa services category includes the following:
This category includes hair care, nail care and spa services, such as massages, spa treatments, manicures, tanning, and barber and salon services, purchased at merchant locations that specialize in providing these services. These services are typically provided by licensed professionals, however, services provided by medical professionals or in medical facilities will not qualify. Purchases of hair care, nail care and spa services at merchants that classify their location in another category, for example spa services purchased in a hotel or airport, will not be included unless the merchant classifies the transactions in this category. Purchases of related products and services, for example hair and skincare products purchased at a salon or an overnight stay at a spa, will also not be included unless the merchant classifies the transactions in this category.
My take on Q1 2025 5x points categories
Everyone has different spending patterns, so will have different takes on the quarterly bonus categories. Personally I quite like the Q1 2025 bonus categories, mainly because 5x points on groceries is one of my favorite bonuses offered by the card. I’ll have no issues maxing that out.
The rest of the categories are a bit less exciting to me, but others might find more value with them.
How to make Chase Freedom Flex points more valuable
To recap, you earn points on the Chase Freedom Flex, 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 Flex is one of the best no annual fee cards out there, thanks largely to the ability to earn 5x points in rotating quarterly categories. The Q1 2025 bonus categories have just launched, so it might be time to switch around the order of cards in your wallet. Between January 1 and March 31, 2025, it’s possible to earn 5x points on grocery stores, Norwegian Cruise Lines, fitness clubs and gym memberships, and hair, nail, and spa services.
What do you make of the Q1 2025 Chase Freedom Flex bonus categories?
I generally take full advatage of the grocery store one, at least at my grocery store, gift cards seem to bump that number up, so somewhere around March 20th I figure out how much I need to max it out and grab a few GC's for future gifts and personal use. Discover is doing 5% as well, restaurants will be the category I attack there.
Let's be honest, the categories used to be better years ago because they were more general, such as shopping, restaurants, flights, but nowadays the categories are VERY specific.
Does Instacart grocery delivery usually count towards the grocery category?
Gym membership is always a good one. Will switch Equinox billing to Freedom from Amex
Norwegian Cruise line is a big surprise and welcome one for me!!
The grocery store promotion is always a welcome one. The other ones in the first quarter are sort of meh.