Chase Freedom 5% cash back calendar 2024 - CNN Underscored

rintongs.blogspot.com

The new 5% cash back Chase Freedom categories have been revealed. From Jan. 1 through March 31, 2024, eligible cardholders can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases (then 1% back) on fitness club and gym memberships, self-care and spa services and at grocery stores when they activate the bonus.

Two Chase cards offer the 5% cash back category: the Chase Freedom Flex℠* and Chase Freedom®* (no longer available to new applicants). We’ll break down the Chase Freedom calendar and spending categories for Q1 2024, look back at previous categories to see what we might expect later in the year and offer alternatives if the Chase Freedom Flex isn’t the best credit card for you.

Chase Freedom categories for 2024

For the first quarter of 2024 (January through March), the Chase Freedom 5% categories are:

Grocery stores (excluding Target®, Walmart® and wholesale clubs): This includes supermarkets, smaller grocery stores and grocery delivery services that are classified as grocery store merchants. But warehouse clubs, discount stores, drugstores and purchases made at grocery store gas stations don’t qualify.
Fitness club and gym memberships: Fitness and gym facilities that require membership such as health clubs, exercise or athletic facilities, fitness clubs, fitness centers, fitness studios, and gyms (including those that offer access to aerobics, cardio fitness, yoga and CrossFit training) are eligible.
Self-care and spa services: Services purchased at hotels may not qualify for 5% cash back.

Cardholders can activate these categories from Dec. 15, 2023, to March 14, 2024. Note that if you’ve already activated the categories for Q4 2023 (wholesale clubs, PayPal and select charities) you won’t lose out on bonus rewards by activating the new Freedom Q1 2024 categories before the end of the month.

After activating, you’ll earn 5% cash back (5x Chase Ultimate Rewards® points) on up to $1,500 in combined category spending each quarter. Once you’ve hit that limit, you’ll go back to earning 1% cash back (1 point per dollar).

We haven’t seen grocery stores or fitness clubs and gym memberships as categories since Q1 2023. These categories are always welcome additions, especially grocery stores, which are easy for most folks to maximize.

Self-care and spa services are brand-new categories for Chase. If your New Year’s resolutions include taking more time to pamper yourself, earning 5% back on a massage or pedicure could be just the motivation you need to get to the spa.

The information for the following card(s) has been collected independently by CNN Underscored Money: Chase Freedom Flex℠. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

How the Chase Freedom calendar works

The Chase Freedom 5% cash back calendar isn’t released for the entire year at once. Instead, Chase rolls out the new categories on the 15th of the month before a new quarter (so Dec. 15, March 15, June 15 and Sept. 15 each year).

You’ll need to activate the bonus to earn 5% cash back, but as long as you do so before the 14th of the month before a new quarter starts, you’ll earn bonus rewards for eligible purchases retroactive to the start of the quarter.

Depending on your spending habits, you could come away with a nice chunk of rewards with Freedom’s 5% spending categories. When you spend the maximum ($1,500 in combined spending), you can earn $75 cash back, equivalent to 7,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards points. If you hit the max each quarter, you could accumulate a total of $300 bonus cash back (30,000 points) in a year.

With the Chase Freedom Flex, you’re not limited to earning bonus rewards in these rotating categories. You’ll also earn uncapped 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% cash back on dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services) and at drugstores, and 1% back on all other eligible purchases.

Previous Chase Freedom categories

Chase likes to change the Chase Freedom 5% calendar each year, mixing up which categories earn a bonus, and when. You’ll often see the same categories return year after year, though not always in the same quarter. Occasionally brand-new categories will pop up, too.

Familiar categories are never a guarantee, but for context, here’s a look at the Chase Freedom rewards calendar from the past several years:

Chase Freedom Flex alternatives

Remembering to activate quarterly bonus categories takes a bit of mental bandwidth, and if that doesn’t appeal to you, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® may be a better choice. Instead of changing categories, cardholders earn 5% cash back on Chase Travel purchases, 3% cash back at drugstores and on dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services) and 1.5% cash back on all other eligible purchases.

Featured Offer

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Welcome Bonus

Matched Cash Back

Regular APR

20.49% – 29.24% Variable

Annual Fee

Credit Score

Excellent, Good

On Chase Bank USA, NA's Secure Website

The Chase Freedom Unlimited currently offers a welcome bonus that could be lucrative for big spenders. Chase will match the cash back you’ve earned after the first 12 months of opening your card, with no caps. That means in the first year you could effectively earn 10% back on Chase Travel, 6% cash back on dining and drugstore spending and 3% cash back on everything else.

If you’re unable to get approved for Chase cards due to the Chase 5/24 rule but like the idea of the 5% Chase Freedom Flex categories, you’ve got a few other options.

Discover it® Cash Back: Earn 5% cash back in rotating quarterly categories

Like the Chase Freedom Flex, the Discover it® Cash Back earns 5% cash back in rotating categories on up to $1,500 in combined spending each quarter (then 1% back) after activation. Discover’s 5% cash back calendar is released the month before each new quarter, and is often (but not always) different from Chase Freedom’s calendar. In Q1 2024, for instance, the Discover cash back categories are restaurants and drugstores.

This card doesn’t offer a traditional welcome bonus. Instead, Discover will match all the cash back you earn in your first year, with no limits.

Citi Custom Cash® Card: Earn 5% cash back in your top eligible spending category each billing cycle

For a more hands-off approach to maximizing rewards, consider the Citi Custom Cash® Card. Each billing cycle, you’ll earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter (the available categories are restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs and live entertainment).

The Citi Custom Cash Card is a good pick if you don’t want to remember to activate 5% bonus categories. It comes with a respectable welcome bonus, too: $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card: Earn 5% cash back in two eligible categories you choose

Instead of being limited to a fixed 5% cash back calendar, the U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card allows you to earn 5% cash back on your first $2,000 in combined eligible purchases each quarter (then 1%) in two categories you choose. The list of qualifying categories is broad: fast food; electronics stores; TV, internet and streaming services; home utilities; cell phone providers; furniture stores; department stores; ground transportation; gyms/fitness centers; select clothing stores; sporting goods stores; and movie theaters.

You’ll also earn unlimited 2% cash back on your choice of grocery stores, restaurants or gas and EV charging stations. Plus, new cardholders can earn a $200 rewards bonus after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 120 days of account opening.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

We won’t know the remaining 2024 Chase Freedom categories until a couple of weeks before each new quarter starts. You can check back on March 15 (for Q2), June 15 (for Q3) and Sept. 15 (for Q4) to find out what the next quarter will look like.

Yes, each Chase Freedom Flex or Chase Freedom card you own is eligible to earn 5% back on up to $1,500 in combined bonus category spending each quarter (then 1%). You’ll just have to remember to activate the bonus separately on each card.

You can activate the current quarter’s Chase Freedom Flex categories (or Chase Freedom, if you still have that card) by navigating to your online Chase account, selecting your card and clicking the link to activate. Another way to activate is by visiting chasebonus.com and entering your last name, zip code and last four digits of your card number. Other options include calling the number on the back of your card, using the Chase mobile app or visiting a Chase branch or ATM.

The information for the following card(s) has been collected independently by CNN Underscored Money: Chase Freedom Flex℠, Discover it® Cash Back, Discover it® Cash Back, Citi Custom Cash® Card and U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Adblock test (Why?)

"freedom" - Google News
December 15, 2023 at 08:00PM
https://ift.tt/hM78p5t

Chase Freedom 5% cash back calendar 2024 - CNN Underscored
"freedom" - Google News
https://ift.tt/5GBmZFr
https://ift.tt/5r7F62a

Bagikan Berita Ini

Search