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Update: Don’t forget to lock in those gift cards to get up to $1,500 in Q1 spending on your Freedom card!
Originally posted on 03/26:
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-Don’t Know When To Use Which Ultimate Rewards Card? Here’s A Chart!
First of all as a reminder, Saturday is the last day to earn 5 points per dollar at Amazon.com and Gas Stations with Chase Freedom as part of the Q1 bonus categories. You can earn the bonus points on up to $1,500 of spending between 01/01 and 03/31 at Amazon and gas stations. That’s on top of 10% bonus points and 10 points per transaction if you also have a Chase checking account.
Don’t have anything to buy right now? Buy some Amazon gift cards or buy gift cards at your local gas station to get a ton of bonus points up front on up to $1,500 of spending and then use the gift cards as needed! I personally value my Ultimate Rewards points at a minimum of 1.8 cents each, so this is like a rebate of more than 9% at Amazon and on gas. Remember that gas stations will be back in Q3 as a bonus category but Amazon will not return in 2012.
Next, don’t forget to activate your Q2 Chase Freedom 5% categories.
For 04/01/12-06/30/12 the 5 point categories are for all spending at Grocery Stores and Movie Theaters!
Here is a link that explains where you will and won’t earn the 5 points per dollar this quarter.
My local grocery store, Giant Eagle, sells gift cards for dozens of different stores, and they also provide free gas (typically about $3-$6 worth) for every $50 of gift cards purchased. Add to that the 5x Freedom bonus and it’s quite lucrative to stock up on gift cards!
Here is the 5% calendar for the rest of 2012:
Q3: Gas stations and restaurants
Q4: Hotels, airlines, Best Buy, and Kohl’s.
You earn 5 points per dollar on up to $1,500 of spending per quarter.
Although they are called “5% categories” you really get 5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent which can be cashed out for 5% cash. For $1,500 in spending you will earn at least 7,500 Ultimate Rewards points.
However if you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Ink Bold card then you can transfer the points over to one of those cards and then transfer them at a 1:1 ratio into much more valuable airline miles (United, British Airways, Southwest, Korean, etc) or hotel points (Hyatt, etc).
Have any Chase checking account as well? You qualify for Chase Exclusives which gives you even more bonus points!
You will earn:
-10% bonus points on top of all base points earned.
-10 bonus points for every transaction you make.
And that’s on top of points for spending in 1% and 5% categories!
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33 Comments On "Activate Your Q2 Chase Freedom 5x Point Categories And Finish Your Q1 Bonus Spending Now!"
All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.
If u wanna accumulate 5% ur from Amazon gc consider buying 10 dollar gc in multiple transactions so u can even get to 11%
Lets say u buy $ 500 Amazon gc’s in 10 dollar transactions u get 2500 points for 500 now add 10 points per transaction = 500 .now add 10% u get another 25 points
=2500 +500 +25= 3025 points x.018 =$54.45 thts nearly 11%
Dan let me know if I did the math right and put up a link for Amazon gc so you will make money on my gc purchases
does amazon payments qualify as an amazon purchase?
@march:
$500 in Amazon GCs at one shot would earn 2,500+10+50=2,560 points x .018=$46.08 back, or 9.2% back.
$500 in Amazon GCs bought in $10 increments would earn 2,500+500+50=3,050 points x .018=$54.90 back, or 11% back.
But then again you need to calculate the worth of your time to make 50 transactions instead of just 1 transaction and if Chase thinks you’re abusing the program they can also punish you.
I’ll stick with the 9.2% cash back and max out my $1,500 that way.
@will:
No.
I applied a couple of months ago for thre chase ink bold and I forgot to spend 5k in the first 3 months, I sent a secure massage but they didn’t give in, any suggestions? Should I cancel and reapply? Thanks.
@dov:
You should have 93 days to meet the $5K. With Amazon Payments that shouldn’t be too hard.
Try calling and asking for an extension, otherwise you’ll probably need to apply again.
@will: From what I recall it doesn’t . At the very least the Chase Amazon card (3% on Amazon) doesn’t consider it an Amazon purchase.
Do amazon payments count for the 5% bonus?
@LA User:
Did you miss comments 3 and 6?
left a few questions on your post about the sapphire card bounuses that are ending soon,you didn’t reply for a while over there.
Thanks in advance.
Dan, Is there any way to know how far I am from my $1500 spending threshold at amazon.com??
@Spoketoborders:
I just went onto chase.com and tallied up all of my spending at Amazon and Gas stations since 01/01.
Does anyone know if Shoprite is considered a grocery store, or is it too big to be considered a grocery store?
@Deal Guy:
As per Dan’s link- it qualifies.
https://creditcards.chase.com/freedom/merchants.aspx
@David:
Thanks. I missed that!
How do I send a secure message to Chase to ask for the 30,000 rather than 20,000 points for the Freedom Card? Thanks
@zelda:
Login to chase.com after the card shows up in your online profile and click on secure message center.
It must be done within 3 months of getting the card.
Do amazon marketplace purchases count towards the 5%?
I have the chase sapphire preferred card, what specials can I get with my card? Thanks
which gas station chains sell prepaid gift cards? (like visa or amex, etc..)?
Dan? thanks
@Spoketoborders:
Yes.
@mark:
Sapphire doesn’t have rotating specials.
Thanks! 🙁
Dan, I signed up for the chase freedom card and was only given 10,000 points so I secure emailed them asking them for the other 20,000 but they said that “Your card is a Chase Freedom card with Exclusive 10 & 10 benefits which has a different rewards structure, and is also linked with your Chase checking account to help you earn additional rewards as compared to the regular Freedom cards.” and the $300 is only for the regular chase freedom card. Is there anything else I can do to get the other 20,000 points?
Hi guys last week i applied for chase freedom and got approved for a bonus of 10,000 points what should i do now to get to 20,000 or 30,000 ? what exactly should i tell them?
@Josh:
I’m not sure what to tell you, but had you signed up through the link on DansDeals you would have received 20,000 points that you can match for 30,000 points within 90 days and then after about 3 months your card will be linked with your checking account for the Exclusives benefits.
Seems like you didn’t apply from here and you went out of order.
@Zalmy:
Why did you apply for only 10K?
Chase has the most awesome and accommodating re-consideration line. I was able to get the old continental and saphire cards approved with having a high balance on 1 of my other cards.
Look at the list of supermarkets- for all of you in Boro Park/Willi/5Ts- Brach’s and the KRM kollel store…stock up on your favorite heimishe delights!
@Yitz:
They do indeed!
@Freedom Q2:
But not until Sunday!
I tried to buy gift cards inside Shell and Chevron; however, the “owner’s policy” was to accept cash or debit for gift card purchase. Ouch 🙁
@Dan: i didnt know about the 20k offer when i applied just checked out this site for the first time last week
I have the freedom chase c credit card I was emailing to them in the secure message about the 30000 points they advertised but they refuse giving it to me claiming that offer is already expired
do i get 5 % by the heimeshe groceries to?
@naton:
Yes.