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Chase Freedom-Earn $100 cash back (in the form of 10,000 Ultimate Rewards points) when you spend $500 in 3 months. There is no annual fee for Freedom!
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Today, 06/14, is the final day to activate the Q2 Chase Freedom 5x point categories. Even if you only remember to activate today it will retroactively give you credit for spending made since April 1st!
You can check to see if you have already activated with this tool.
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 $6-$12 of free gas) for every $100 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!
For smaller purchases there is no more lucrative card than Chase Freedom if you have Chase checking. Even if you are just buying a cup of Coffee for $2 you should use Freedom over Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card as Sapphire will earn 2.14 points per dollar for a total of 4.28 points while Freedom will earn 1.1 points per dollar plus 10 points, for a total of 12.2 points.
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22 Comments On "Today Is The Last Day to Activate Q2 Chase Freedom 5x Point Categories!"
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Does the freedom card automatically connect with the checking account or do you have manually connect them? If yes please explain
@Smarty:
It’s automatic, but it can take a few months.
Once it links do this: http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/20301
Does the $500 have to be on groceries/movies to get the 10k points?
i dont understand the 2 10 bonus points you earn in addition to the bonus 5%. can you please explain? i dont have chase checking.
I always pay my $2 coffee or $5 mcdonald food with chase sapphire preferred becos of 2 points per dollar, how is chase freedom better on this?
thanks
@Isaac:
No, it can be on anything.
@Emily:
It’s only better if you have chase checking.
Every time you swipe the card you get 10 points and a 10% bonus.
The checking account takes a few months to link as you stated above. Once it links, are the points retroactive from the point you opened the checking account? Or does it only earn when it links?
@mechayamom:
Read the link in comment 2.
Dan,
Please tell me if I am understanding correctly:
If I go to, say, trader joes (on the list you linked), and buy 10 boxes of cereal but tell the cashier to charge each one separately, I will get an extra 100 points besides for one point per dollar and the bonus 5 point per dollar?
In other words, if each cereal box costs $2 I will get a total of 20 base points, 100 bonus (10 per trans.), and another 100 for 5 point bonus = total of 220 points for spending $20?
IS that correct? Can you use the card many times at same establishment consecutively?
Fill up on gas 50 times in $1 increments? Would that work?
If I have a chase checking account when would you suggest I use the sapphire above the freedom
@Dan:
i have chase checking since 2002 and it is linked , but i dont know how 2$ coffee payment is better with freedom than sapphire?
pls explain
@mendy:
In your Trader Joe’s example you would earn
20 base points
2 10% bonus points
100 transaction bonus points
80 4% bonus points (to bring the total to 5% with base)
For a total of 202 points on $20 of spending.
@Mark 1:
Sapphire beat Freedom for dining, airfare, car rental, and hotel purchases $10 or greater and for any overseas transactions.
@Emily:
$2 coffee:
Sapphire:
2 base points
2 bonus points
0.28 annual dividend points.
For a total of 4.28 points.
Freedom:
2 base points
0.2 10% bonus points
10 transaction bonus points
For a total of 12.2 points.
@Dan:
on sapphire for $$1 coffee, you earn 2 base points ,
but how you earn 2 base points with freedom for $1 coffee purchase? everything other than bonus category purchase earns only 1 points, NO? How is it 2 base points?
@Emily:
You in comment 10 and I stated in comment 11 that we’re talking about a $2 coffee.
if i only apply today is there any way to get the Q2 Chase Freedom 5x point when i get the card
Dan someone mentioned linking a chase checking account and credit card. When I log into chase, my checking savings and freedom account balances open up on my accounts page. Does this mean they are linked? How can I check? How would i link them? What are benefits of linking chase freedom and checking? ( if you have a web-link explaining linking the accounts that would be great)
@Dan:
Have you ever come across anyone saying that a charge from say your April statement would not give you the 5 percent bonus until the following statement?
@aa gold:
Nope, but you’ll be able to get Q3 🙂
@Isaac:
How long have you had both the card and the checking account?
Your freedom statement will say if it is linked for the exclusives benefits.
@Josh:
Yes, it can take an extra statement for the 5x bonus.
charging 5 cents at a time on a parking meter. Would that give 10 point bonus?
@How about:
Yes.
Im looking to do a 2BM with this and the freedom MC. is there still a match available for something better than the 10k link you have?
@PRR:
You can ask for 20K or 30K, though you will likely have to send a few messages and have to fight for that match as it’s not as easy as other matches like United or Southwest.
Hey Dan, i applied for 3 chase credit cards, the united, sapphire preferred world m/c, & the freedom, i have a credit score of about 770 & they approved me for the united and declined me for the freedom and the sapphir, they said because i tried opening to many cards at once, (i did the 3bm) why is that and what should i do??
Thanx