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Chase Freedom Flex(SM) vs Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Honestly, you can’t go wrong when choosing between these two stellar cash back cards, but there are some important differences. Our goal is to help you earn the most possible points on your purchases. Adding either, or both, of these cards to your wallet can help you earn a ton of additional points. In order to do that, let me describe the strategy I employ in achieving my own travel goals and recommend you consider. This strategy will ultimately help you choose between the Chase Freedom Flex(SM) and Chase Freedom Unlimited®.
The Strategy of carrying these cards in tandem with a premium Chase credit card
First, both of these are technically cash back credit cards, but their real potential is unlocked when you pair them with a Chase Sapphire Preferred®, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or Chase Ink Business Preferred®. How does this work? The 3 cards mentioned earn premium Chase Ultimate Rewards and Chase allows cardmembers to combine points – read this article to learn how this is done – which allows you to combine the points earned from these cards into those cards. Let me explain further.
The cash back you earn from a Chase Freedom Flex(SM) and/or Chase Freedom Unlimited® is actually earned as Ultimate Rewards that can be redeemed for various things, but they can’t be transferred to travel partners. This is an exclusive benefit for cards that earn premium Ultimate Rewards. But, this is what I love, the points earned from a Chase Freedom Flex(SM) and Chase Freedom Unlimited® can be combined with the points in premium card account. When you combine points they take on the traits of the account they’re merged into, and thus can instantly be transferrable.
Combining with a Chase Sapphire Preferred®, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or Chase Ink Business Preferred®
For instance, if you were to take the points earned from your Chase Freedom Flex and merge them into your Chase Sapphire Preferred, they could then be transferred into Ultimate Rewards transfer partners or redeemed at 1.25c in Chase Travel ( SM ) . This action unlocks a bevy of redemption possibilities, but also increases the value of your points if you simply want to use them in Chase Travel (SM). Read this post to learn how
Adding a Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex to your wallet can help you earn a ton of Ultimate Rewards by leveraging high category bonuses, but then combining them into premium accounts for higher valuation and transfer options.
How the Chase Freedom Flex (SM) and Chase Freedom Unlimited® welcome offers
The Chase Freedom Flex(SM) Reader Referral
Information about this card has been collected independently by Monkey Miles. Card issuer is not responsible for the information or accuracy
- 20k Points ( $200 cashback ) after spending $500 in the first 3 months
- This bonus 5x category has been known to change over time
They both have very similar bonus categories. Each card earns the following rate of return on these categories
- Earn 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel(SM)
- 5x on Bonus Quarterly Categories – each quarter members can activate a 5x category bonus on purchases up to $1500 per quarter on the selected categories
- 3% on dining
- 3% back on drugstores
- 1% everywhere else
- Best of 2023
*Reader Referral
Information about this card has been collected independently by Monkey Miles. Card issuer is not responsible for the information or accuracy.
Chase Freedom Flex(SM)
The Chase Freedom Flex(SM) is an all out beast of card. Hands down, it’s one of the best on the market and offers a rotating 5x category bonus that allows helps you earn a ton of points.
Make sure you pair this card with a Chase Sapphire Preferred®, Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Chase Ink Business Preferred® for max value
Welcome Offer
$200 or 20k Ultimate Rewards + 5x on combine gas and grocery store purchases ( up to $12k ) see card benefits for terms
Note this is a non-affiliate reader referral offer
Annual Fee
$0
Points Earned
Cash Back or non-transferrable Ultimate Rewards unless paired with a premium Chase card
- No Annual Fee
- Earn $200 or 20k Ultimate Rewards after $500 spend in 3 months
- 5x on combined gas station and grocery store purchases (not including Target® and Walmart®)opens overlay to offer details** on up to $12,000 spent in the first year (that’s $600 cash back!)
- 5x on Bonus Quarterly Categories – each quarter members can activate a 5x category bonus on purchases up to $1500 per quarter on the selected categories
- 5x on Travel purchased through Chase Travel
- 3x on Dining including take out/eligible delivery services.
- 3x on Drugstore
- 1x unlimited cash back on all other purchases.
Additionally, you’ll get World Elite Mastercard benefits, including
- Mobile Phone Insurance – Up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per year on mobile phone protection
- theft and damage on users listed on the phone bill paid by the cardholder
- Lyft – $10 in credit for every five rides taken in a calendar month
- This gets applied to the next ride
- 1x per month
- ShopRunner – free membership
- 2 day shipping at over 100 stores
- Fandango – 2x VIP+ points on movie tickets bought on the Fandango app or Fandango.com
- Mobile Phone Insurance – Up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per year on mobile phone protection
The best offer we’ve consistently seen is via reader referral= $200 after $500 spend in 3 months + an additional 5x category for 12 months
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists what the highest offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
When you carry a Chase Sapphire Preferred® or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, the The Chase Freedom Flex (SM) works exceptionally well in tandem.
It gives you the ability to earn 5x on rotating category bonuses each quarter which really expands your ability to earn points faster.
The base rate on the card is 1x though, so I’d recommend using this for the rotating category bonuses, but using a card that earns 1.5x or 2x for all your non-bonus spend. Like a Capital One Venture X, Venture Rewards, or Chase Freedom Unlimited
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® has two offers
The first is the Affiliate offer
This offer effectively yields double the cashback/Ultimate Rewards you earn in the first year.
At the end of your first 12 months, Chase will match the total amount of cashback you earn without a cap. This means that you could effectively earn 3x on all of your purchases the first year since the Chase Freedom Unlimited® earns 1.5x on all purchases without limit as a base rate.
- 3x cash back on all purchases
- 1.5x up front when you purchase
- 1.5x bonus first year up to $20k total combine purchases
- 4.5x cash back on drugstore purchases
- 3x up front when you purchase
- 1.5x bonus first year up to $20k total combine purchases
- 4.5x cash back on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- 3x up front when you purchase
- 1.5x bonus first year up to $20k total combine purchases
- 6.5x cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- 5x up front when you purchase
- 1.5x bonus first year up to $20k total combine purchases
- No annual fee
- Member FDIC
The second is the reader referral
- Earn $200 or 20k Ultimate Rewards after $500 spend in 3 months
- 5x on Travel purchased through Chase Travel(SM)
- 3x on Dining including take out/eligible delivery services.
- 3x on Drugstore
- 1.5% or 1.5x points on every purchase
- No annual fee
- Best of 2023
Reader Referral
Information about this card has been collected independently by Monkey Miles. Card issuer is not responsible for the information or accuracy.
Affiliate Link
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a no annual fee card that earns an unlimited 1.5x on all purchases and is a great everyday card in the USA.
It’s a fantastic card for those who prefer cash-back, OR to pair with either the Chase Sapphire Preferred® or Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
Welcome Offer
2 offers:
See benefits
Annual Fee
$0
Points Earned
Cashback/ Non-transferrable Ultimate Rewards
Reader Referral Offer
- Earn $200 ( 20k Ultimate Rewards ) after $500 spend in 3 months
- No Annual Fee
- 5x on Travel booked through Chase Travel(SM)
- 3x at Dining
- 3x Pharmacies
- 1.5% or 1.5x points on every purchase
Affiliate Offer
- 3x cash back on all purchases
- 1.5x up front when you purchase
- 1.5x bonus first year up to $20k total combine purchases
- 4.5x cash back on drugstore purchases
- 3x up front when you purchase
- 1.5x bonus first year up to $20k total combine purchases
- 4.5x cash back on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- 3x up front when you purchase
- 1.5x bonus first year up to $20k total combine purchases
- 6.5x cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel(SM)
- 5x up front when you purchase
- 1.5x bonus first year up to $20k total combine purchases
- No annual fee
- Member FDIC
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists what the highest offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
Everyone needs a credit card that earns more than 1 point per dollar. The Chase Freedom Unlimited® earns an unlimited 1.5x on all purchases + has bonus categories for dining, pharmacies, and travel.
Points that you earn from this card can be combined with those from a Chase Sapphire Preferred®, Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Chase Ink Business Preferred® and then transferred to partner programs. You can read more about that here.
Chase Freedom Flex(SM) is a Mastercard and Chase Freedom Unlimited is a Visa
There are different benefits associated with each and you should be aware of them. Perhaps you see more value in one vs the other.
The Chase Freedom Flex (SM) is a Mastercard World Elite
That means the card comes with these additional perks just because it’s a Master World Elite
- Mobile Phone Insurance – Up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per year on mobile phone protection
- theft and damage on users listed on the phone bill paid by the cardholder
- Lyft – $10 in credit for every five rides taken in a calendar month
- This gets applied to the next ride
- 1x per month
- ShopRunner – free membership
- 2 day shipping at over 100 stores
- Fandango – 2x VIP+ points on movie tickets bought on the Fandango app or Fandango.com
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a Visa Signature
Visa Signature benefits include traditional Visa benefits and add on a few perks
- Extended Warranty – add on an additional year of the manufacturer’s warranty if that that warranty is less than 3 years
- no added benefits, whatever is included in that original manufacturer’s warranty
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver – Car rentals are protected against damage and theft when you rent for less than 15 days in the USA and fewer than 31 days abroad ( certain countries are excluded ).
- This is secondary coverage to your own insurance
- Personal Injury isn’t covered
- Some vehicles, including minivans, SUVs, and luxury/exotics
- Read the full details here
- Zero Liability
- You won’t be held liable for unauthorized transactions
5x rotating categories or 1.5x everywhere?
This is the biggest distinguishing characteristic in my opinion – will you earn more points on rotating categories or 1.5x everywhere? Only you can make that decision and it’s the biggest difference between the Chase Freedom Flex(SM) and Chase Freedom Unlimited®.
The Chase Freedom Flex(SM) has rotating 5%/5x category bonuses
Every quarter Chase Freedom Flex(SM) cardholders can activate their card to earn a category bonus of 5% or 5x points on their purchases up to $1500. These categories rotate every 3 months. If you max out all of your quarterly bonuses for the year, you can earn 7500 points every quarter, or 30k Ultimate Rewards. That’s an amazing haul for just $6k worth of purchases.
Take a good look at these categories and see if you already spend quite a bit on these purchases as this could be the deciding factor of whether you get a Chase Freedom Flex(SM) or Chase Freedom Unlimited®
- Best of 2023
*Reader Referral
Information about this card has been collected independently by Monkey Miles. Card issuer is not responsible for the information or accuracy.
Chase Freedom Flex(SM)
The Chase Freedom Flex(SM) is an all out beast of card. Hands down, it’s one of the best on the market and offers a rotating 5x category bonus that allows helps you earn a ton of points.
Make sure you pair this card with a Chase Sapphire Preferred®, Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Chase Ink Business Preferred® for max value
Welcome Offer
$200 or 20k Ultimate Rewards + 5x on combine gas and grocery store purchases ( up to $12k ) see card benefits for terms
Note this is a non-affiliate reader referral offer
Annual Fee
$0
Points Earned
Cash Back or non-transferrable Ultimate Rewards unless paired with a premium Chase card
- No Annual Fee
- Earn $200 or 20k Ultimate Rewards after $500 spend in 3 months
- 5x on combined gas station and grocery store purchases (not including Target® and Walmart®)opens overlay to offer details** on up to $12,000 spent in the first year (that’s $600 cash back!)
- 5x on Bonus Quarterly Categories – each quarter members can activate a 5x category bonus on purchases up to $1500 per quarter on the selected categories
- 5x on Travel purchased through Chase Travel
- 3x on Dining including take out/eligible delivery services.
- 3x on Drugstore
- 1x unlimited cash back on all other purchases.
Additionally, you’ll get World Elite Mastercard benefits, including
- Mobile Phone Insurance – Up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per year on mobile phone protection
- theft and damage on users listed on the phone bill paid by the cardholder
- Lyft – $10 in credit for every five rides taken in a calendar month
- This gets applied to the next ride
- 1x per month
- ShopRunner – free membership
- 2 day shipping at over 100 stores
- Fandango – 2x VIP+ points on movie tickets bought on the Fandango app or Fandango.com
- Mobile Phone Insurance – Up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per year on mobile phone protection
The best offer we’ve consistently seen is via reader referral= $200 after $500 spend in 3 months + an additional 5x category for 12 months
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists what the highest offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
When you carry a Chase Sapphire Preferred® or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, the The Chase Freedom Flex (SM) works exceptionally well in tandem.
It gives you the ability to earn 5x on rotating category bonuses each quarter which really expands your ability to earn points faster.
The base rate on the card is 1x though, so I’d recommend using this for the rotating category bonuses, but using a card that earns 1.5x or 2x for all your non-bonus spend. Like a Capital One Venture X, Venture Rewards, or Chase Freedom Unlimited
2024 calendar
2023 Calendar:
2022 Calendar:
2021 Calendar
2020 Calendar
Chase Freedom Unlimited® will get 1.5x doubled at the end of the first year
This is the big deal with the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. You’re guaranteed a minimum of 1.5x everywhere you spend, without limit, and with the latest affiliate offer, that base rate would be doubled at the end of the first year.
Can I hold both a Chase Freedom Flex(SM) and Chase Freedom Unlimited® concurrently
Absolutely. Both cards carry no annual fee, and if you’re really looking to optimize the number of points you earn, carry them both. That way if you’re spending money at a place that hits one of those rotating category bonuses…you’ll earn 5x. If you’re not…you’re guaranteed to earn 1.5x. Carrying either, or both of these cards alongside a Chase premium card will increase the number of points you earn on every dollar you ordinarily spend.
If you were to hold both cards alongside a Chase Sapphire Preferred® perhaps you’d spend this way:
- 5x rotating category Bonuses – Chase Freedom Flex
- 5x on Travel with Chase Travel(SM) – Any of the 3
- 3x on Dining – Any of the 3
- 3x on Pharmacies – Either Chase Freedom Flex or Chase Freedom Unlimited
- Foreign Transactions – Chase Sapphire Preferred – no fx fees
- Rental Cars – Chase Sapphire Preferred gives primary rental car coverage
- 1.5x All other purchases – Chase Freedom Unlimited
That is a lot of category bonus points for $95 total annual fee spend.
Overall – you can’t go wrong
Both of these cards are stellar cards and I highly recommend them. Team them up with a Chase premium card and you’re well on your way to earning having a killer point balance come end of year.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 60k points after $4k spend in 3 months
- Worth $750 in Chase Travel℠ and way more if you maximize transfer partners
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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