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The Chase Freedom Unlimited® card is a fantastic addition to its family of fantastic cards. Plus, it’s already a major contender, not only in the cash back category, but also in the overall market.
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Initially, it presents itself as a very simple, straightforward card offering a flat cash back rate as opposed to the Chase Freedom Flex. However, as we begin to analyze further, we can understand why it’s already such a popular card.
New cardholders can enjoy earning a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. In addition, you can earn up to 5% cash back on your purchases, enjoy no annual fee, and the opportunity to increase the value of rewards.
*Chase also offers fantastic bonuses with their checking & savings accounts.*
| PROMOTIONAL LINK | OFFER | REVIEW |
| Chase Business Complete BankingSM | $300 Cash | Review |
| Chase Total Checking® | $225 Cash | Review |
| Chase Secure BankingSM | $100 Cash | Review |
Chase Freedom Unlimited Card Summary
| Bonus Available | Earn $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. |
| *Bonus Value | $400 |
| Ongoing Rewards/Benefits | Earn 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (not including Target or Walmart purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year.
Earn 5% on Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1.5% on all other purchases. Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. (additional value when paired with other select Chase cards) |
| Foreign Transaction Fees | 3% |
| Annual Fee | $0 |
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by HustlerMoneyBlog and not the card issuer.
View our latest valuations here.
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Recommended Free Credit Score (Get Free Score) 690 – 850 (Good – Excellent)
Convert to Ultimate Rewards Points for More
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® alone is a fantastic cash back card compared to its competitors based on just the return rate alone.
However, when complimented with the Chase Sapphire cards -- the Chase Sapphire Preferred® or Chase Sapphire ReserveSM -- it overtakes the competition and may quite possibly be the best cash back card.
To increase the Chase Freedom Unlimited card's rewards value, transfer the points earned to Chase Sapphire cards to convert to Ultimate Rewards points. Then, redeem them through Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.
In terms of points, you'll be earning 1.5 points for every dollar.
Redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards for travel and the value of those points are worth 20% more.
For example, the 15,000 points is worth $180 towards flights, hotels, and car rentals.
Compile your cash back rewards with either Chase Sapphire card. Then, transfer to other Chase partner reward programs at a 1 to 1 ratio.
By doing this, you can enjoy greater flexibility out of your points.
This is highly valuable, especially when you need a few more points to redeem a reward flight or hotel night.
Chase Freedom Unlimited Benefits
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® Card is the go-to card for these reasons:
- Earn $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
- Cash back on every purchase. Most credit cards allow you to earn just 1% on all purchases made. However, you get unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase automatically with this card.
- Transfer points. With your Freedom Unlimited points, you can pool them with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Ink Business PreferredSM Card which earn Ultimate Rewards points. Earn even more value if you like to travel or go on a lot of business trips. You can transfer the points 1:1 to a travel partner. Or, even get 20% off travel when you redeem your points travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.
- No minimum redemption. No need to hit a required threshold to start redeeming your rewards. With the Freedom Unlimited, you can redeem for cash back in any amount — even for as little as 1 cent. It's a pretty rare benefit among cash back cards.
- Cash back rewards don't expire. No need to worry about losing rewards if you forget to redeem them. Points will never expire as long as your account is kept open and it stays in good standing.
- Accepted worldwide. Not all cards are accepted everywhere. However, if you're out of the U.S., the Freedom Unlimited is accepted almost all over the world. This will serve you well if this is the credit card you choose to carry. Plus, get peace of mind when you travel because you're protected with $0 fraud liability, purchase protection, and auto rental collision damage waiver.
- Travel & Purchase Benefits - The Chase Freedom Unlimited® also includes purchase protection, price protection, zero liability protection, auto rental collision damage waiver and chip-enabled security. When making purchases outside the U.S., avoid the 3% foreign transaction fee by using the Chase Sapphire Preferred® or another card that doesn't charge a fee.
- No annual fee.
Chase Freedom Unlimited Pitfalls
You may not like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® Card due to these reasons:
- A foreign transaction fee. Unfortunately, if you are traveling, the Freedom Unlimited will charge a foreign transaction fee of 3% for each transaction in U.S. dollars every time you make a purchase in another country. For frequent travelers, check out a card with no foreign transaction fee, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. If you travel but don't want to play the points and airline miles game, consider the Barclaycard Arrival Plus® Card, which earns you 2x miles on every purchase.
- Potentially earn better cash back. With the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, you can earn 5% on travel purchased through Chase; 3% on dining at restaurants and drugstores; 1.5% on all other purchases.
. However, you could earn more cash back if you apply for other cards. - No bonus categories. The point of a flat-rate cash back card is to increase your rewards earnings across the board not just in one category. However, for those who spend a lot in one area, a card with bonus categories may offer better value, like the Chase Freedom Flex Card. Of course, you'd have to keep up with the categories and register to get this benefit. With the Freedom Unlimited, there's nothing to keep track of every quarter. However, that certainly doesn't mean you can't use both types of cards. Get a flat-rate card for everyday purchases and a card with tiered rewards for purchases within a certain category.
- High credit requirement. If you have low or don't have good credit, you may not be able to qualify for this card. Chase usually requires good to excellent credit for their cards.
Maximizing Travel Rewards
By itself, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® Card is a terrific option. In addition, this card will only reward you cash back.
To get the most out of this card and redeem towards travel with more reward options and at a higher redemption rate, you should consider pairing it up with one of the premier Ultimate Rewards cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire ReserveSM Card, or the Chase Ink Business PreferredSM Card.
By doing so, you can pool your points onto your Ultimate Rewards account. Then, use them on a card that'll give you the highest redemption value.
Redeem rewards through Chase’s travel portal, for a value of 1.25 - 1.50 cents per point. You also have the option to transfer them at 1:1 to your favorite major loyalty program to potentially get even more value.
Maximizing Chase Freedom Unlimited Rewards
To help maximize your rewards and get the best value, you're able to pair your Chase Freedom Unlimited card with other cards that earn Ultimate Rewards (UR) points. These cards include the following: the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, & Ink Business Preferred Credit Card.
Now, there are additional cars that earn UR points, but the previous listed are the best value when redeemed through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.
The other cards that earn Ultimate Rewards listed below - these cards may be used to maximize a specific rewards category that they the other cards may not.
This broadens your redemption options allowing for more flexibility in the rewards you earn & value with your Chase Freedom Unlimited rewards. With that being said, you can transfer your UR points to one of the cards below to get more value (with respect to earn card) - see point values below.
| Paired Ultimate Rewards Card | Point Value |
| Sapphire Preferred | $0.0125 per point |
| Sapphire Reserve | $0.015 per point |
| Ink Business Preferred | $0.0125 per point |
As shown above, you can extended your rewards when paired with one these cards. Your 20k points can now be worth $250 up to $300 when you redeem for travel through the Ultimate Rewards portal.
Now, you're wondering, how do these points hold the $400 value? With your paired card, you're able to transfer your UR points at a 1:1 ratio to one of Chase’s list of airline/hotel partners. Through this method, you'll potentially earn even more value through your bookings.
This has been tested when transferring UR points to United MileagePlus. To the success, the number of UR points had more value when booked via United.
When pairing your card with other UR earning cards, you're able to transfer points to the following partner loyalty programs:
Is Flat-Rate Cash Back Better?
Here’s how the Chase Freedom Unlimited® Card stacks up against the Chase Freedom Flex Card, a cashback Chase card with different reward percentages.
 The Chase Freedom Flex offers a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. You'll earn: • Earn 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (not including Target or Walmart purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year. • Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter! • Earn 5% on Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases. You cash back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open and there is no minimum to redeem for cash back. You'll be able to new 5% categories each quarter! This card has no annual fee. |
The Chase Freedom Unlimited Card offers a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases. In addition, you can earn: • Earn 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (not including Target or Walmart purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year. • Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. • Earn 5% on Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1.5% on all other purchases. There is no minimum to redeem for cash back & your cash back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open. This card comes with no annual fee and you'll get a free credit score that is updated weekly with Credit JourneySM. |
However, the Freedom rotating bonus categories offer 5% back when you make a purchase in that category. Keep in mind that there's a $1,500 per quarter limit and the bonus requires activation.
If you're thinking about getting just one credit card and earning another 3.5% back on specific quarterly purchases is more beneficial to you, you might want to opt for Chase Freedom Flex Card instead.
Bottom Line
Though the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is Chase's crowd-pleaser, it's important to note Chase's 5/24 rule. Essentially, you're limited up to five credit card applications within two years with most Chase-branded credit cards.
If you already own the Chase Freedom® but feel that the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a better fit, request to switch and avoid a hard credit pull.
If you like your Chase Freedom® card, you can open up a Chase Freedom Unlimited® card today.
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is great alone, but is more dynamic and remarkably valuable when accompanied with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
If you're interested, review our complete list of credit card promotions for other cards to compare. Be sure to check back for the latest promotions from Chase Bank!
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Hustlermoneyblog has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Hustlermoneyblog and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
