Best for Flexible Cash Back Rewards
- Annual Fee: $0
- Intro Offer/Welcome Offer: Earn $200 cash back after spending $500 on your card within the first three months of opening account.
- Intro APR: NA
- Regular APR: 14.99% to 23.74% APR
- Credit Score Requirements: Good to Excellent (670 - 850)
OUR RATING: 3.25 stars out of 5
Why We Love the Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Chase Freedom Unlimited® comes with a solid welcome offer and flexible cash back redemptions. The card features excellent cash back rates in several categories, with no purchase earning less than 1.5% cash back. It’s also the perfect card to pair with one of Chase’s premier travel cards for even greater redemption options.
Highlights of the Chase Freedom Unlimited® Credit Card
- $200 cash bonus when you spend $500 on your card in the first three months
- 5% cash back on Lyft purchases through March 2022
- 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 3% cash back on dining
- 3% cash back on drugstore purchases
- 1.5% cash back on all other purchases
- Three free months of DashPass
- Tap-to-pay contactless payment card
- No annual fee
Does Chase Freedom Unlimited Have Rotating Categories?
No, Chase Freedom Unlimited® earns cash back for fixed categories like travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, dining, and drugstore purchases.
Does Chase Freedom Unlimited Earn Ultimate Rewards?
Chase Freedom Unlimited® points can be converted to Chase Ultimate Rewards when paired with one of Chase’s premier travel cards – like Chase Sapphire Preferred® or Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
Is Chase Freedom Unlimited® a Visa Signature Card?
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® card can be a Visa signature card or a standard visa card. If you’re approved for a credit line of $5,000 or more, you’ll receive Visa signature benefits. If not, you’ll automatically receive traditional card benefits.
What Are Chase Freedom Unlimited® Points?
Chase Freedom Unlimited® points are the cash back rewards earned as purchases are made with your card. You can cash in your points for statement credits or redeem them for other redemption options. 100 Chase Freedom Unlimited points are equal to $1 in cash back rewards.
Who is The Chase Freedom Unlimited® Credit Card Best For?
Chase Freedom Unlimited® is for individuals who like earning cash back on all their spending – especially travel and dining. This no-fee Chase credit card provides bonus rates on specific spending categories while still offering a generous 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
With several redemption options available, the card is perfect for those who want choices when they cash out their rewards. Plus, rewards become even more valuable when they’re paired with one of Chase’s cards in the Ultimate Rewards program.
The Full Breakdown of the Chase Freedom Unlimited® Card
The benefits of Chase Freedom Unlimited® may not be as large as other cards, but it’s still one of the best credit cards due to its high earning rates and flexible reward structure. To determine whether it’s right for you, keep reading to learn more about this cash back credit card.
Annual Fees
With high rewards rates in several categories, you might expect to pay an annual fee with Chase Freedom Unlimited® – but there isn’t one. Paying an annual fee can cut into the value of your rewards and benefits. Since the Freedom Unlimited® card has no fee, there’s nothing keeping you from enjoying the full value of the card.
Intro APR Offer
Chase Freedom Unlimited® currently doesn’t come with an intro APR offer. Introductory 0% APR offers are great for individuals planning a big purchase or people who want to transfer a balance from another card and pay it off over time (without interest fees).
Ongoing APR
Chase Freedom Unlimited® comes with an ongoing variable APR between 14.99% to 23.74%, based on your creditworthiness.
Welcome Bonus
Earning a welcome bonus is a great perk, especially when it arrives with a relatively low spending requirement. Currently, you can earn a $200 cash bonus with Chase Freedom Unlimited® when you spend $500 on your card within the first three months.
This welcome bonus is only available to new cardholders who haven’t received a new cardmember bonus (for this card) within the past 24 months.
Credit Score Requirements
Although there’s no annual fee, you’ll still need to meet credit requirements if you want to add this Chase card to your wallet. A good-to-excellent credit score (670-850) is required to qualify for the Chase Freedom Unlimited® card.
Other credit cards may have less demanding requirements, so if your credit isn’t where it needs to be, you can always wait and try to build up your credit before applying. One way to boost your credit score is by making payments in full and on-time each month. Doing so will also help you avoid costly late fees.
Point Conversion/Redemption
There are several options to redeem cash back rewards earned with the Freedom Unlimited® card. Cash back rewards come in the form of points, and each point is worth roughly $0.01.
You can redeem your points for cash back, which is deposited into eligible checking/savings accounts in the form of a statement credit or direct deposit. There is no minimum requirement to redeem cash back points.
Other redemption choices include Amazon shopping, gift cards, and travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program.
Card members can maximize their points further by combining them with another Chase credit card that uses Ultimate Rewards. For example, when paired with a Chase Sapphire Reserve® card, your points are worth 50% more when redeemed for travel through Ultimate Rewards. Points redeemed for travel have 25% more value with Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Member Perks
Chase Freedom Unlimited® comes with some decent benefits, but it’s by no means a premium rewards card. The card perks are good, however, considering it carries no annual fee. Here’s an overview of the benefits that come with the Freedom Unlimited® :
- Free credit score through Chase Credit Journey
- Zero liability protection
- 24/7 fraud protection and alerts
- Purchase protection
- Extended warranty protection
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
- Auto rental collision damage waiver
- Travel and emergency assistance services
Partner Benefits
Chase Freedom Unlimited® also comes with additional limited-time perks through partnerships with Door Dash and Lyft.
Cardmembers get three free months of DoorDash’s subscription service, DashPass. With DashPash, you get unlimited deliveries with no delivery fees on eligible DoorDash and Caviar orders over $12.
Note that after three months, you are automatically enrolled in DashPass (at a 50% discounted rate) for the following nine months. To qualify, the offer must be activated by December 31, 2021.
Freedom Unlimited® cardmembers also earn 5% cash back on Lyft rides now through March 2022.
Foreign Transaction Fees
While Chase Freedom Unlimited offers great rewards rates on most purchases, it’s not the best card to use when traveling outside of the US. Chase Freedom Unlimited charges a 3% foreign transaction fee on international purchases.
Reward Expiration
Points earned with your Chase Freedom Unlimited® card don’t expire as long as your account is open. If your account is closed for any reason, however, all of your points will be lost.
Customer Service/Ease of Access
Like other Chase customers, Freedom Unlimited® card members have access to several support options through the popular card issuer.
Chase phone support is available 24 hour hours per day, seven days per week. You can also send secure messages through your online account, send messages via Facebook, or tweet @ChaseSupport on Twitter.
Chase’s highly-rated mobile app provides card members with complete account access from almost anywhere in the world. Through the app, you can check your card balance, view transactions, make payments, and more.
How The Chase Freedom Unlimited® Compares to Others
Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers tons of value – but it might not be right for everyone. Here’s how it stacks up against other cash back credit cards:
Chase Freedom Flex® vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Chase’s other Freedom credit card is the Chase Freedom Flex. The cards offer the same welcome bonus and other benefits (like no annual fee).
While Flex does offer cash back for a few of the same spending categories, users can also earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in rotating categories each quarter. Card members must activate the offer each quarter to earn the special rate. The Freedom Flex® card earns 1% on general purchases instead of the elevated 1.5% offered with Freedom Unlimited®.
Chase Freedom Flex offers something that the Freedom Unlimited card is missing: an intro APR offer. Freedom Flex card members get an introductory 0% APR on purchases for 15 months from card opening.
Capital One Quicksilver® vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Chase isn’t the only card issuer which offers valuable cash back rewards. The Capital One Quicksilver® card earns an unlimited 1.5% on all purchases. While it doesn’t earn higher rates in popular categories, there are no categories to track. The no-fee Capital One card offers the same $200 cash back welcome offer (after spending $500 on your card in the first three months), and like the Freedom Flex card, Quicksilver comes with a 0% 15-month intro APR offer on new purchases.
Is The Chase Freedom Unlimited® A Good Card?
Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a top choice among cash back credit cards, but there are benefits and drawbacks to consider before applying:
Pros
- Generous welcome bonus
- Great cash back rates in several popular spending categories
- Above-average cash back rates on general purchases
- No annual fee
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Cons
- Foreign transaction fees
- Few travel perks
- No intro APR offer
Our Final Take on the Chase Freedom Unlimited®
If you’re a fan of cash back rewards, few cards offer more value than Chase Freedom Unlimited®. Although it doesn’t come with many travel perks, you can use rewards to book travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Chase Freedom Unlimited is an excellent choice for many people, but might not be right for you. Decide what features are most important to you and compare cards to find the best credit card offers.
