After a strong start to the year with the Q1 and Q2 categories, Chase Freedom (no longer available to new applicants) and Chase Freedom Flex℠ cardholders have another chance to easily earn bonus points in this year’s Q3 categories : petrol stations, charging electric vehicles (EV) and select live entertainment.
You can earn in these bonus categories now through September 30th. Once activated, cardholders can earn 5% back (or 5 points per dollar spent) on up to $1,500 on spend in these categories in the third quarter – and 1% (or 1 point per dollar spent) thereafter.
But you need to hurry if you haven’t activated yet: you must activate before September 14 to take advantage of these Q3 bonus categories.
Here’s how it all works.
Chase Freedom and Freedom Flex Q3 2023 Categories
Now through September 30, Chase Freedom and Chase Freedom Flex cardholders can earn 5% cash back (or 5 points per dollar) on spend in the following categories:
- Petrol station.
- EV charging.
- Select live entertainment.
As mentioned above, you must activate your card to unlock the bonus potential in these categories.
You can easily complete this process online through your Chase account – using your last name, the last four digits of your card, and zip code. Registration is now open.
Analysis of the bonus categories for the third quarter
Summer is the season of fun, and these categories allow ticket holders to earn bonus points wherever the season takes them. Whether you head out to the beach or snag tickets to this season’s event, you’ll experience even more summer magic while earning bonus points along the way.
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Here are the bonus details:
- Petrol station: When you’re getting ready to head out on your next road trip or just your daily commute, you’ll earn bonus points every time you fill your gas tank. Please note, however, that truck stops, marinas and oil distribution are excluded from this bonus.
- EV charging: For the first time, people with an electric car can benefit from the road trip bonus. If you charge instead of buying gas to hit the road, you’ll still earn bonus points when you use your Freedom or Freedom Flex card.
- Select live events: Earn even more when you buy tickets to see your favorite artist perform or your favorite team play. Please note that bowling alleys, cinemas, gambling facilities and purchases from third party suppliers are excluded from this bonus.
Keep in mind that Chase limits the 5% back (or 5 points per dollar) to the first $1,500 you spend in combined bonus categories each quarter you activate the bonus. After you reach the maximum, you will earn 1% back on these purchases.
Frequently asked questions about the Chase Freedom and Chase Freedom Flex bonus categories
How do rotating categories work?
Each quarter, Chase announces a group of bonus categories that will earn 5% cash back (or 5 points per dollar) over the next three months. Generally, these categories are announced mid-month before the new quarter so that cardholders have time to activate new categories in advance. However, you can activate your categories until the middle of the last month of the quarter.
The categories tend to repeat periodically. For example, grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations are all common categories that you’ll find appear regularly on the cashback calendar. So depending on the categories and whether you can maximize them, these two cards can provide quite a bit of cash back or bonus points over the course of a year.
Related: Check out our full Chase Freedom Flex card review
How much cashback can I earn per quarter?
Chase limits the 5% back (or 5 points per dollar) to the first $1,500 you spend in combined bonus categories each quarter you activate the bonus.
While that may not sound like much, that cash back adds up over time. By maximizing cashback categories every quarter, you’ll earn $75 in cashback every quarter and up to $300 annually. For a credit card with no annual fees, that’s a lot of value.
Alternatively, since the cashback you earn comes in the form of Ultimate Rewards points, you’re looking at a potential of up to 30,000 bonus Ultimate Rewards you can earn each year. Suppose you also have a premium product, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. In that case, you can combine the Ultimate Rewards points you earn with your Chase Freedom or Freedom Flex card with the points you earn with your premium Ultimate Rewards earning card and they become fully transferable.
In that case, TPG values Chase points at 2 cents each, so the 30,000 you could earn in a year would be worth about $600.
How do I activate my 5% categories every quarter?
You can go to the Chase site to activate your 5% cash back (or 5 points per dollar) for this quarter. You can also sign up through your Chase mobile app, which means you won’t have to visit one credit card website this year.
How to register:
- Visit the Chase bonus activation page or log into your Chase account.
- Enter your last name, the last four digits of your card number, and your billing zip code. If you don’t have your card with you, log into your Chase account to get these numbers.
- Click on “Activate your 5%” to register.
- If you have multiple Chase Freedom cards, make sure you register them all.
- Save a screenshot of your activation, in case any problems arise later, but you should also see a “You’re activated!” must receive. confirmation email.
Can I get both the Chase Freedom and Chase Freedom Flex to double my earning potential?
Yes, you can have both cards. So if you already have the Chase Freedom and want to add the Chase Freedom Flex to your wallet, you are free to do so. Please note that the original Freedom card is no longer open to new applicants.
But if you’d rather have just one, the Freedom Flex is available as a product change.
And of course, you’ll also want to make sure you qualify for a new Chase card.
How do I maximize my Freedom and Freedom Flex cards?
The most important thing is to make sure you activate your card to earn 5% cash back (or 5 points per dollar) in the specific categories every quarter, and then actually use your card for purchases in those categories.
You can set a recurring reminder on your calendar, or sign up for the TPG newsletter (we’ll send a quarterly reminder when it’s time to activate – plus tips and tricks for maximizing your card strategy and scoring a number of excellent reward redemptions).
Better yet, when combined with a Chase credit card that earns fully transferable Ultimate Rewards points, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, the Chase Freedom Flex’s 5% cash back effectively becomes 5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar , as you can all learn about this in our guide detailing the “Chase Trifecta.”
In that case, you can transfer the points earned with the Freedom Flex to Ultimate Rewards points and to travel partners such as Southwest, Hyatt and United.
What are common bonus categories for the Freedom and Freedom Flex?
Of course, you’ll also want to make sure you can potentially maximize other bonus categories throughout the year. For reference, here are the previous Chase Freedom quarterly categories all the way back to 2012, so you can decide if common categories make sense for your spending habits:
Year/Quarter | Bonus Categories |
---|---|
2023 – Q3 | Gas stations, EV charging and selected live entertainment. |
2023 – Q2 | Amazon and Lowe’s. |
2023 – Q1 | Grocery stores, gym memberships and fitness clubs, Target. |
2022 – Q4 | PayPal and Walmart. |
2022 – Q3 | Gas stations, rental cars, movie theaters and selected live entertainment. |
2022 – Q2 | Amazon.com and select streaming services. |
2022 – Q1 | eBay and supermarkets. |
2021 – Q4 | PayPal and Walmart. |
2021 – Q3 | Supermarkets and selected streaming services. |
2021 – Q2 | Gas stations and hardware stores. |
2021 – Q1 | Wholesale clubs, select streaming services and internet, cable and telephone services. |
2020 – Q4 | PayPal and Walmart. |
2020 – Q3 | Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market. |
2020 – Q2 | Grocery stores, gym and fitness club memberships, and certain streaming services. |
2020 – Q1 | Petrol station; internet, cable and telephone services; and select streaming services. |
2019 – Q4 | Chase Pay, PayPal and department stores. |
2019 – Q3 | Gas stations and streaming services. |
2019 – Q2 | Supermarkets and home improvement. |
2019 – Q1 | Gas stations, drugstores and tolls. |
2018 – Q4 | Wholesale Clubs, Department Stores and Chase Pay. |
2018 – Q3 | Lyft, Walgreens and gas stations. |
2018 – Q2 | Groceries, PayPal and Chase Pay. |
2018 – Q1 | Mobile wallets, gas stations, and internet, cable, and phone service merchants. |
2017 – Q4 | Walmart and department stores. |
2017 – Q3 | Restaurants and cinemas. |
2017 – Q2 | Supermarkets and drugstores. |
2017 – Q1 | Gas stations and local commuting. |
2016 – Q4 | Wholesale clubs, drugstores and department stores. |
2016 – Q3 | Restaurants and wholesale clubs. |
2016 – Q2 | Supermarkets and wholesale clubs. |
2016 – Q1 | Gas stations and local commuting. |
2015 – Q4 | Amazon.com, Zappos.com, Audible.com and Diapers.com. |
2015 – Q3 | Gas stations and Kohl’s. |
2015 – Q2 | Restaurants, Bed Bath & Beyond, H&M and Overstock.com. |
2015 – Q1 | Supermarkets, cinemas and Starbucks. |
2014 – Q4 | Amazon.com, Zappos.com and department stores. |
2014 – Q3 | Gas stations and Kohl’s. |
2014 – Q2 | Restaurants and Lowe’s. |
2014 – Q1 | Gas stations, movie theaters and Starbucks. |
2013 – Q4 | Department stores and Amazon.com. |
2012 – Q3 | Gas stations, theme parks and Kohl’s. |
2012 – Q2 | Restaurants and cinemas. |
2012 – Q1 | Gas stations, drugstores and Starbucks. |
In short
Chase Freedom and Freedom Flex cardholders can now earn 5% back (or 5 points per dollar) on gas stations, EV charging and select live entertainment purchases upon activation.
In addition to the rotating 5% cash back bonus categories, the Freedom Flex gets 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% cash back on drugstores, 3% cash back on dining (including eligible delivery services), and 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases.
Activate before September 14 to take advantage of these third quarter bonus categories.
Official application link: Chase Freedom Flex with a $200 cash back sign-up bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.