Chase Freedom Flex and Freedom are excellent no annual fee cards thanks to their quarterly 5% categories. While the rewards are marketed as 5% cash back, you’ll actually get 5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent which can be worth much more than 5% cash.
If you max out the $1,500 in bonus spending per quarter you will earn at least 30,000 Ultimate Rewards points over the course of a year (7,500 points per quarter at 5 points per dollar spent). My wife and I now have 10 Freedom cards, which makes it all the more lucrative!
You can register now for 2024 Q1 spending which will be valid 1/1-3/31 at:
- Grocery stores. This includes large grocery chains and small local grocery stores. Many of these stores sell gift cards to lock in future savings, and gift cards to other stores as well.
- Fitness Clubs & Gym Memberships. This category includes 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.
- Self-care and spa services. This category includes self-care and spa services, such as massages, spa treatments, manicures, tanning, and barber and salon services.
You still can finish Q4 spending at:
- Paypal, including purchases from anyone and charity donations made via Paypal. This also includes paying utility bills via Paypal and Paypal Giving Fund donations.
- Wholesale Clubs, including Costco, BJs, and Sam’s Club. You can buy a Costco Shop Card online with a Mastercard that can be used in Costco stores or gas stations with no expiration.
- Select Charities
You can track your Freedom bonus spending here.
You can currently earn a $200 signup bonus in the form of 20,000 Ultimate Rewards points for spending $500 on the Freedom Flex Mastercard. Plus you’ll earn 3 points per dollar on drugstore and dining purchases and 5 points per dollar on all Travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.
While Chase Freedom Flex is a great card for the bonus categories, it’s not a great card for everyday spending. However, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® card also has no annual fee and earns 3-6 points per dollar on spending during your first 12 months. Plus it’s excellent for everyday spending thanks to 1.5 points per dollar that can be earned everywhere with no limit, though it doesn’t have rotating 5x categories. Read more about the Freedom Unlimited card here.
The no annual fee business version of Freedom Unlimited is the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card Card, which offers $900 in the form of 90,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $6,000 within 3 months plus 1.5 points per dollar spent. Read more about the Ink Unlimited card here.
Freedom, Freedom Unlimited, and Ink Unlimited alone can’t transfer points into much more lucrative airline or hotel miles, but if you or your spouse has an Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, Sapphire Reserve, or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, then you can transfer points from Freedom to one of those cards and from there to your favorite travel currency. Those cards also allow you to redeem your points for paid travel at a value of 1.25 or 1.5 cents per point. The Freedom, Freedom Unlimited, or Ink Unlimited card can also keep your points alive for free if you do close one of those premium cards.
The value of the points will be based on where you use them, but if you use those points for a trip worth where they are worth 2 cents each then you’ll have effectively earned 10% back on those “5 point categories.” The sky is the limit of the value of airline miles as they aren’t tied to the cost of a ticket. That’s good for people in the know and bad for those who are not. 1 mile can be worth 0.25 cents or it can be worth 25 cents, it all just depends on how you use them!
Where will you make your Q4 and Q1 purchases?
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12 Comments On "[Today Is Your Last Chance To Finish Q4 Category Spending!] Register For Freedom Q1 Bonus Categories"
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What’s the point of buying a costco shop card with a Mastercard, not freedom?
I dont think thats the point. The main thing is you can buy a costco shop gift card with either a mastercard or visa freedom and use them for gas purchases as well and thus earn 5% this quarter. Costco and Costco gas only accepts visa cards. You can even gift them to a non-member!
Is cosco going to work for q4?
Sure
Does the Q1 bonus category of grocery stores stack with the intro bonus of 5x on groceries for the first year, for a combined 10x on groceries (or 9x effective)?
Sure does, 9x effective.
From what I remember can have more then 1 freedom flex. My wife and I both already have. Applied and was denied
Any advice?
it could be you could have more than 1 but you will not get approved for a sign up bonus if you currently have one, change the card or cancel and then apply again
will this include european wax center or is that not what spa services include?
Bear in mind with interest rates at 5% the value proposition of buying gift cards for later purchases (beyond next 3 months) is dampened. There is still value but it has shrunk from prior years.
For those scrounging to fulfill their Q4 allotment, PayPal Giving allows credit cards without charging the charity a credit card fee.
Does this only apply to grocery stores in the US or does it apply abroad as well? I know there’s a foreign transaction fee on this card.