Introduction
A straightforward credit card with considerable earning potential is Chase Freedom Flex. The card provides bonus categories with 5% cashback or 5x points per quarter. For the card to have the most power, these areas must be utilised to their fullest potential. This post discusses the bonus categories for Q3 2023 and provides advice on how to make the most of the card’s advantages.
New 2023 Q3 Bonus Categories Declared
Chase offers Q3 bonus categories for qualifying purchases in Gas Stations, EV Charging, and Select Live Entertainment. Between July 1st and 30th, 2023, customers can receive 5% cash back on purchases up to $1.500, while those over $1.500 but not at bonus stores receive 1% cash back.
Benefits of the Freedom Flex Card
Chase said that the Q3 bonus categories are: Gas Stations, EV Charging, and Select Live Entertainment. That means if you make a qualifying purchase in any of these categories between July 1st and 30th of 2023, up to a total of $1.500, you’ll get 5% cashback. If you make a purchase in these categories that’s over $1.500 but not at any of the bonus stores, you’ll get 1% cashback.
Welcome Bonus
Freedom Flex offers a $200 welcome bonus for spending $500 on purchases within 3 months.
How Does Your 5% Cash-back Function?
Each quarter, a bonus category is available on the Freedom Flex card, offering 5% cashback up to $1,500. 1% cash-back is given to purchases over $1,500. The option is appealing to those who don’t pay a yearly fee because using the bonus to its full potential results in $75 in cash back every three months or 30,000 Ultimate Rewards points annually.
How To Activate Your Bonus?
Beginning on June 15, 2023, activate bonus categories each quarter to be eligible for a 2023 Q3 bonus with a few clicks. Two weeks before the start of the next quarter, the categories will be available.
- Open your Chase digital account and select the Freedom Flex card from the list on the left.
- Continue using Flex by clicking the link to activate the Flex bonus on the Freedom Flex card dashboard.
- See a detailed explanation of selected bonus categories, click the green ‘Activate Now’ button, and complete activation.
Chase offers four options for activating your Freedom Flex bonus: using an ATM, visiting a bank, or calling 800-524-8200. The deadline for activating is every quarter, and qualified purchases result in bonus points. The extra categories will become active and show up in your Freedom Flex card’s online dashboard.
How To Ensure Your Development on the $1,500 Maximum?
- You may follow the development of your Freedom Flex card by clicking the blue ‘Details’ icon in your online account. Chase displays an approximate monetary amount rather than your specific Freedom Flex card information.
- Choose Time Period, enter the start and end dates of the current quarter and the current day, and finally press the Search button to find a certain date range.
To choose purchases in bonus categories for Freedom Flex transactions in the current quarter, manual math is necessary because there isn’t much quick access.
Freedom Flex Card Bonus Categories – 2023
Q1: January-March
- Grocery stores (excluding Walmart)
- Target
- Fitness clubs & gym memberships
Q2: April-June
- Amazon
- Lowe’s
Q3: July-September
- Gas stations
- EV charging
- Choice live entertainment
Q4: October-December
- TBD
The Freedom Flex card has taken the place of the Freedom card and now offers a variety of bonus categories, including Amazon, car rentals, department stores, drugstores, eBay, fitness centres, gas stations, grocery stores and home improvement stores, besides internet, cable, phone, live entertainment, Lyft, mobile wallets, movie theatres, PayPal, restaurants, some streaming services, tolls, Walgreens, Walmart and Whole Foods. These categories are repeatable, making it a useful choice for people thinking about getting the Freedom card.
How To Maximize the Value Of Your Freedom Flex Card?
The best way to get the most out of this card is by maxing out your bonus category every quarter. For every $1,500 you spend in your bonus category, you’ll earn $75 in cashback. That’s about 7,500 points each quarter.
Here are a few tips on how to get to $1,500 without overspending:
- Use Chase Pay, Amazon.com, petrol stations, grocery stores, mobile wallets (Chase Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Android Pay), PayPal, Walgreens, and home improvement projects and gift cards to their full potential.
- Gift cards and basic groceries are both eligible for 5% cash back at petrol stations, while gift cards for other retailers are available at grocery stores.
- Because so many merchants accept mobile wallets like Chase Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Android Pay, they are very simple to use.
- Connect your Freedom Flex card account to your PayPal account since PayPal is growing in popularity.
- Gift cards are a simple way to maximise the 5% bonus category at Walgreens because they carry essential grocery, health, beauty, and pharmaceutical goods.
Is it Possible to Turn My Cashback Into Points?
If you use the Freedom Flex card, you’ll get a penny for every point you earn. You can use those points to get cashback, or you can use them to book travel through Ultimate Rewards. But if you switch to a premium card, you can get even more cashback.
Pair With a Premium Card
To maximize the worth of your Freedom Flex card, transfer the points earned to a premium Chase Ultimate Rewards card, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred card, or Ink Business Preferred Credit Card. This will increase their value when used to book travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal. For instance, transferring 7,500 points to the Chase Sapphire Preferred card or the Ink Business Preferred card would make them worth $93.75, $112.50, or $112.50. Additionally, when holding a premium card, you can transfer your points to any of Chase’s transfer partners, maximizing the value of your points by earning 2, 3, or more cents per point.