Menu
Aaron Morris
  • Publications by Aaron Morris
  • Best Financial Hacks
  • Loving the Law
  • All Articles
Aaron Morris

Game Changer — Chase Freedom Flex Credit Card Review

Posted on September 20, 2020January 16, 2023

Chase Freedom Flex Review

If you are into earning cash back or travel points on your credit card purchases (as you should be), the Chase Freedom card has always been a no-brainer. Cards with high annual fees may offer 4% on certain categories year round, but the Chase Freedom is free, and offers 5% on usually desirable rotating categories, such as grocery stores, gas stations, Amazon, Walmart, and PayPal. If the current categories are not your cup of tea, you can just keep it in your sock drawer until a useful category comes around.Chase Freedom Flex Review

But now comes the Chase Freedom Flex to take the place of the Chase Freedom. It offers the same 5% arrangement, but also offers a fixed 3% on dining and drugstores, along with 5% on travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Reward portal. (One percent on everything else.)

At the time of this article, all this credit card goodness comes with a sign-up bonus of $200 (if you spend $500 in the first three months), and 5% on up to $12,000 in grocery spending for the first year. All told, you could net about $1,100 in cash back your first year with this free card. Additionally, you get trip cancellation and interruption insurance, and cell phone protection for up to $800 per claim, up to $1,000 per year, with a $50 deductible.

Best strategy if you have the Chase Freedom card.

Even though Chase won’t be offering the Freedom card to new applicants, that doesn’t mean it is going away. It will simply become a legacy card, and people who already have can continue to use it. If you have the Chase Freedom card, you could product switch over to the Flex, and avoid taking up a 5/24 slot. (Chase has an unwritten rule whereby they will decline you if you have obtained five or more personal credit cards in the prior two years.) But personally, I think it is worth taking the hit on the 5/24 front in order to have both the Freedom and Freedom Flex. The 5% rotating category feature is capped at $1,500 in spending per quarter, so if the category is Best Buy and you spend $1,500 on an 80″ television, you are done for the quarter. By keeping the Freedom, you double your 5% limit.  Additionally, if you switch to the Flex, you’ll give up the sign-up bonus and the 5% on groceries for the first year.

Best strategy if you don’t have the Chase Freedom card.

If you don’t have the Chase Freedom card, then your choice is clear. The Freedom is no longer offered, so you’ll need to go straight to the Freedom Flex. Alternatively, the Freedom Unlimited is still available, and while it does not offer the 5% on rotating categories, it still offers 5% on travel and 3% on dining and drugstores, plus 1.5% on everything else. Some prefer the 1.5% on everything over the 5% rotating categories.

To apply for the Freedom Flex or Freedom Unlimited, use this referral link to get all the sign-up benefits, and support this site in the process. If you are just beginning your credit journey, this link also offers the Chase Freedom Student card, which is much easier to get.

 

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Contact Aaron Morris

Aaron Morris
Random Thoughts Publishing
Orchard Technology Park
11 Orchard Road, Suite 106
Lake Forest, CA 92630

(951) 339-1500
Email Aaron Morris

Useful Information?

Buy me coffee logo

From Best Financial Hacks

  • 0% credit cards calculationsThe 0% Credit Card Strategy – Best Financial Hacks
  • social securityThe Gonzo Guide to Social Security
  • Instant GratificationWhy Instant Gratification can be Financially Savvy
  • spend points on amazonNever Spend Your Points on Amazon (or Cash Them Out)
  • fly free to hawaiiHow to Fly FREE to Hawaii, First Class, Every Year, for the Rest of Your Life!
  • woman with credit cardWhy You Need this Credit Card – Discover It Review
  • 35 percent offSave 35% On All Your Purchases!
  • cash taxStop Wasting Money on the Cash Tax!
  • side hustleThe Importance of a Side Gig and Why You Need to Know Your “Hourly Rate”
  • fired woman with box9 Employment Myths that Will Bite You in the Butt
  • cash tax on laptop purchaseShove Your Financial Statistics; I Choose Not to Participate
  • Woman with Credit CardThink Twice Before You “Upgrade” Your Credit Card
  • guide to benefits6 Crazy Good Credit Card Benefits You are Missing
  • How to Get FREE Audiobooks

From Loving the Law

  • You’ve Got to Know When to Hold Them, Know When to Fold Them
  • man in treeHow I Defeated an anti-SLAPP Motion by Doing Almost Nothing
  • angry attorneyThe Case of the Posturing Attorney — Loving the Law
  • Morris & Stone Wins $3.9 Million Defamation Judgment
  • cease and desist letter through mail slotHow to Respond to a Cease and Desist Letter
  • MichiganThe Case of the Motorhome Snob — A Jurisdictional Tale
  • The Case of the Thin-Skinned Councilman — Loving the Law
  • Big lawyer over small lawyerBest Testimony of the Week
  • super heroes making the law betterMaking the Law Better, One Crazy Case at a Time
  • Botox partyYou Got Me in Trouble With the Law, so Now You Have to Pay
  • Putting the “Alternative” Back Into Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • greedy businessmanThe Case of the Greedy Investor – Loving the Law
  • lending moneyThe Case of the Man Who Needed Some Tough Love — Loving the Law
  • posturing attorneyPosturing Attorney Perils

Disclaimer

3D illustration of "DISCLAIMER" title on legal document

NOTICE PURSUANT TO BUSINESS & PROFESSIONS CODE SECTION 6158.3: This is not a legal site. In my “Loving the Law” series, I tell stories that illustrate why I enjoy practicing law. While I sometimes use my litigation victories as the basis for a story, the outcome of any case will depend on the facts specific to that case. Nothing contained in any portion of this web site should be taken as a representation of how your particular case would be concluded, or even that a case with similar facts will have a similar result. The result of any case discussed herein was dependent on the facts of that case, and the results will differ if based on different facts. And of course, nothing here should be taken as legal advice.

©2025 Aaron Morris | WordPress Theme by Superb WordPress Themes