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Credit Card Spotlight

Chase Freedom Flex®

A no-fee rotating-category card that earns 5% on what you buy most, now with no foreign transaction fees.

✦ Personal Card

Chase Freedom Flex®

Earn a $250 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.

Learn More → Limited Time Offer Limited-time offer; terms apply. See the issuer’s site for rates, fees, and full offer details.
$250
Bonus
$0
Annual Fee
Good–Exc.
Credit Score
Cash Back
Reward Type
Earning Rates

Where it earns

5%
Rotating Categories
Up to $1,500 combined each quarter you activate
5%
Chase Travel
Booked through Chase Travel℠
3%
Dining & Drugstores
Restaurants and drugstores worldwide
1%
Everything Else
All other purchases

Cash back that becomes travel. Chase pays the Freedom Flex’s rewards as Ultimate Rewards points. On its own it earns cash back, but combine it with a Sapphire or Ink card and those points become fully transferable to airline and hotel partners like Southwest and Hyatt, useful for Hawaii trips near and far.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Chase Sapphire Reserve® Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Rotating 5% Categories

What earns 5% this quarter

Activate each quarter to earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in that quarter’s bonus categories.

JUL–SEP 2026
Previous Quarter
  • Gas Stations, Public Transit & EV Charging
  • Select Live Entertainment
  • United Way®
Activation closed
OCT–DEC 2026
Current Quarter
  • Grocery Stores**
  • Dining 7x total
  • American Red Cross®
Activate starting September 15, 2026
JAN–MAR 2027
Next Quarter
  • Grocery Stores**
  • Top Streaming Services
Activate starting December 15, 2026
APR–JUN 2027
Spring Quarter
  • Coming soon
Activate starting March 15, 2027
Dining earns 7x total on the Freedom Flex this quarter: 3x base dining plus the 4x quarterly bonus, on up to $1,500 in combined category purchases.
** Excluding Walmart® and Target®
Scottie Kobayashi
Scottie’s Take
Opinions are Scottie’s own and have not been reviewed or endorsed by any bank or card issuer.

Best free card for people who will actually activate

The Freedom Flex is the most hands-on of the no-fee Chase cards. Activate the rotating 5% categories each quarter and it can out-earn almost anything in your wallet on that spend. Skip the activation and you leave real money on the table, so it rewards people who like to stay a little organized.

What makes it more than a cash-back card is the same trick as the Freedom Unlimited: the rewards are really Ultimate Rewards points. Combine them with a Sapphire or Ink card and they transfer to airline and hotel partners, which is where a grocery run quietly becomes a Southwest interisland seat or a Hyatt night. And now that the foreign transaction fee is gone, it finally earns cleanly on trips too.

My view: if you will actually activate the categories each quarter, this earns its place as a no-fee everyday card. If you know you will forget, the flat-rate Freedom Unlimited may serve you better. Either way, pair it with a card that has transfer partners so the points reach their full value.

Card Benefits

What you get

🔄

5% Rotating Categories

Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate.

🌎

No Foreign Transaction Fees

Earn rewards worldwide with no added fee on purchases made outside the United States.

📈

Points Boost

Redeem points for up to 10% more value on select hotel bookings through Chase Travel℠.

💰

No Annual Fee

Earn cash back on every purchase with no yearly fee to keep the card.

🔗

Combine With Chase Points

Rewards are earned as Ultimate Rewards points you can combine with your other Chase cards to unlock transfer partners.

🛡

Purchase Protection

Coverage for eligible new purchases against damage or theft, plus extended warranty protection.

The welcome bonus is not available if you are a current cardmember of this card, or if you have received a new cardmember bonus on it in the past 24 months. Chase’s 5/24 guideline also applies. Credit score ranges are estimates only and approval is not guaranteed.