Link: Apply now for the Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The no annual fee Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a great card for everyday spend.
In this post:
Chase Freedom Unlimited Bonus
The Chase Freedom Unlimited is offering a welcome bonus that’s a bit different than the ones we typically see. With this bonus, you can earn an additional 1.5% in rewards on your purchases within the first 12 months, up to $20,000 in spend.
Who is eligible for the Chase Freedom Unlimited bonus?
If you’re looking to earn the welcome bonus on the Chase Freedom Unlimited, note that this product is available to you if you don’t currently have this card, and haven’t received a new cardmember bonus on this card in the past 24 months.
Eligibility is otherwise unrelated to having any other Chase card. Furthermore, Chase’s standard application restrictions apply.
Read my guide to getting approved for the Chase Freedom Unlimited.
Why the Chase Freedom Unlimited is worth it
Having the no annual fee Chase Freedom Unlimited should be a no-brainer as part of a bigger Chase Ultimate Rewards strategy. The Chase Freedom Unlimited is the best personal Chase credit card for everyday spending, as it offers the following:
- 3x points (or 3% cash back) at drugstores
- 3x points (or 3% cash back) at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- 1.5x points (or 1.5% cash back) on all other purchases
That doesn’t factor in the welcome bonus.
As you can probably tell, this card is marketed as offering cash back. However, there’s another way I prefer to use the card. In conjunction with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review), Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review), or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review), points earned on this card can be converted into Ultimate Rewards points, and be transferred to the Ultimate Rewards airline and hotel partners.
I value Ultimate Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, which to me increases the value of these rewards by 70%. That’s because of all the great ways there are to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
Read my review of the Chase Freedom Unlimited.
Bottom line
The Chase Freedom Unlimited is offering a welcome bonus where you can earn an additional 1.5% back for the first 12 months (up to $20,000 total in spend). If you’re involved in the Chase Ultimate Rewards ecosystem and spend a decent amount, then it should be a no-brainer to take advantage of this bonus.
Anyone plan to pick up the Chase Freedom Unlimited with this huge bonus offer?
I’ve been informed that this offer will be ending soon, so if you’re interested, you’ll want to apply ASAP.
Can you be just a bit more specific about your definition of "soon"?
I closed this card one week ago today. With the long holiday weekend that just passed, a lot of the days between when I closed the card and today were not "business days" so I was hoping/planning to wait a few more days...
I’ve been informed that this offer will be ending soon, so if you’re interested, you’ll want to apply ASAP.
Can you be just a bit more specific about your definition of "soon"?
I closed this card one week ago today. With the long holiday weekend that just passed, a lot of the days between when I closed the card and today were not "business days" so I was hoping/planning to wait a few more days to let the electrons settle before re-applying (was probably going to apply over the weekend, or possibly on Monday). But now I'm worried...but don't want to jump the gun needlessly...
Isn't the most value here:
1) Travel through Chase at 2x5 = 10%
2) non bonus categories (which for taxes could be quite meaningful for people) at 1.5x2=3 (less CC fees at least for taxes)
Then if have the Chase SR, would receive 1.5x bonus on travel redemptions - so for travel becomes 15% return vs 7.5%
Can you explain the 1.5x bonus on travel redemptions? I can convert my UR cashback at 1.5 cents instead of 1 cent if I spend the points on travel?
UR redemptions for CSR holders are at 1.5c (similar to Amex Platinum for business class travel). For example, a flight costs $900 to buy through Chase travel - it would only cost 60,000 UR points for a CSR holder, which is a 50% value bonus over the 1% cash back value.
Thanks! This is insanely lucrative then. Assuming I get a CSR too then I'm effectively 9% cashback (at a minimum) on restaurants for a year....
yup. this is an amazing offer at no cost (for anyone with an existing CSR card). a no-brainer for pretty much all spending, even where CC fee applies - unless need the spending elsewhere for a specific reason (such as airline loyalty points or to reach some threshold that provides a different benefit)
You have to be a REALLY big spender in order for this bonus to pay off, in relation to other SUBs you might otherwise earn. If you spend $20k on the card in the first year in non-bonused categories, that nets you 60k URs. But compared to what you would earn WITHOUT the 2x, it's really only 30k. And that's if you don't consider other cards you might use for the same spend that would...
You have to be a REALLY big spender in order for this bonus to pay off, in relation to other SUBs you might otherwise earn. If you spend $20k on the card in the first year in non-bonused categories, that nets you 60k URs. But compared to what you would earn WITHOUT the 2x, it's really only 30k. And that's if you don't consider other cards you might use for the same spend that would earn you more than 1.5x URs.
As far as the bonused categories go (restaurants and drugstores), there are several cards out there that can get you 4x (Amex MRs, Capital One miles, etc.) at restaurants. So if you value the transferrable currencies on an apples-to-apples basis (for the sake of argument, although the actual value will vary from person to person), your net on the CFU is 2x. For a $10k/year restaurant spender that's a difference of 20k URs.
The only sector you can really take advantage is drugstores, with the 6x (which is a net 3x over non-bonused CFU), far above any available card that I'm aware of. So if you're a heavy consumer of Grape-Flavored Children's Benadryl, or Pantene for Stringy Blond Hair (I made those up) -- or perhaps if you're partial to some of their products from the gift card section -- you might come out ahead. But that's really the only way, IMHO.
Having said that, the CFU is a great card to have regardless. I'm just not as compelled by the current offer.
Great point, the value of the bonus isn’t what you get at the end of the billing cycle. Rather, you have to subtract out the opportunity cost of what you would have additionally earned if you were putting the spend on a different card. For me, I put restaurants and drugstores on my CFU anyway, so no adjustment. But if I put ordinary spend on my Amex BBP, I would have to subtract out half a point per dollar on bonus points earned from ordinary spend at years end.
Any idea how long this offer will be around for?
I currently have this card (in fact, have all 3 flavors of the Freedom cards), so would need to cancel it, and then would need to wait a decent interval (I'm assuming that's somewhere from a few days to a full month?) before applying again.
Also - does anyone know how long between closing the old card and then re-applying again for the same card one needs to wait?
Thanks.
I PC’d my old CFU to a Visa Slate & approved for new within 5 business days
Too bad it is not open also to existing users
Can I get the bonus if I change my freedom flex for a freedom unlimited? Or do I need to apply for a new card?
I don't think product changes qualify. Also if you got a SUB within 24 months, you might not qualify.
Can I pair this card with my authorized user sapphire reserve card? Or do I need my own sapphire card as well to get points instead of cash back?
I have a CHase Freedom Unlimited. What do i do to get this bonus ?
Can i downgrade and apply OR do i cancel the card and apply ? And how long should i wait after the downgrade or cancellation. Please advice
Just moved to the US, have opened this and been approved for it as my first card! Awesome offer. Opening my checking account with Chase paid off. Will do this for a few months and then apply for the Sapphire Reserve. Welcome to the land of the points.
Wish it was also open as a benefit to current members
Just thought I'd throw in my experience. Of course I've had the card for years since I can never get enough Hyatt points, and P2 was an authorized user. So, I had P2 apply for the card and make me an authorized user. No issue and instant approval. Have my screen shots and confirmed with Chase that the 3x offer was attached to the card. Then had Chase link P2's credit card to my Sapphire...
Just thought I'd throw in my experience. Of course I've had the card for years since I can never get enough Hyatt points, and P2 was an authorized user. So, I had P2 apply for the card and make me an authorized user. No issue and instant approval. Have my screen shots and confirmed with Chase that the 3x offer was attached to the card. Then had Chase link P2's credit card to my Sapphire Reserve with no issues, and transfer 1,000 points as a test. Then, I transferred more points from P2's Freedom Unlimited to my Sapphire Reserve on-line with no issues. So, both my old Freedom Unlimited and my Bilt credit card (2x points on Rent Day up to $5K) will end up in the sock drawer for a year as we earn at least 3x points on P2's Freedom Unlimited. Almost as good as (or might even be better than ) the old 15x small business offer with Resy. This is why I love "the Hobby"!
Love it, DSK! We are also putting our beloved Bilt (we got thanks to your data) on the back burner for a year. Kinda nice not having to shove spend to Rent Day for most of 2024 & drastically streamlimes the number of cards in my husband’s wallet (points scored there!). I had the double points CFU when it first came out in 2018 but not 3x drugstores & dining back then - this is going to be an amazing year to rack up the URs once again. Merry Christmas!
Most of us already have a card that earns at least 3x for dining, so a card that earns 6x only nets you, at best, extra 3x (not full 6x). Is this card worth an application (instead of another card with a big initial spending bonus)? Maybe. It depends on how much in the first year on drugstore purchases, IMO. Personally, I wouldn't bother with this card.
If you don’t eat out or make many drugstore purchases, then get it for the 3x “everything else” which pretty much translates to .045
I wad approved for this card after applying through the link on this site.
However, there is no mention of this promotion (2x after 12 months) or any other promotion when I login to my Chase account. How can I verify that I am going to get the double points? Hesitant to put a lot of spend on this otherwise
I got the card last week and had the same concern. I called Chase and the rep looked at the account and assured me that I will get the matching points at the end of the year. You may want to check with Chase.
Thanks. I received the card today. Called and confirmed as you said.
you should always screenshot every page of a credit card application all the way through the approval process
I am getting this card, that is an amazing sign up bonus. I applied through the OMAAT link. By the way, another well known points website posted two days ago that: "This special offer on the Freedom Unlimited is arguably the best in the card's history, but it's only available through our exclusive link." Hmmm...
My wife applied for this card as it’s a perfect time for spending to maximize to get the most points on everyday spend. She ended up getting stuck with just a $2000 credit limit so it’s now pretty much pointless to take advantage of big spend ding needed with the 18 month 0% APR. we tried to ask for a credit limit increase which got denied as well. She has great credit any suggestions on how to get a higher limit?
If she has other Chase cards it should be easy to transfer some of their credit limits to the Unlimited.
Would be great if this applied to current card holders too.
Current cardholders will get a pony on their birthdays.
Thanks Ben, my spouse just applied and was confirmed via email a day later (I already have the card). A question: You say you can combine points with a business Ink Card. How do you do that? I see my Chase Business Ultimate Rewards Points in a separate account from my Chase personal Ultimate Rewards. Is that just because I have a separate Taxpayer ID for my business?
When you are logged into your *business* account, go under your settings and find "linked accounts" and select all of them to be viewable. Then, log out and log in again. They should all appear. Then, click on your Ultimate Reward button in the upper right and select any of your cards. In the Rewards drop-down, the last item should be Combine Points. Select it and the next screen is the straightforward process to move points.
I got approved even though I failed the 5/24 rule.
I'm not seeing this offer on the card when I go into my Chase account. All I see is the $200 blnus + 5% on gas/groceries. How can I be sure i'm getting this matching offer and not the gas/grocery bonus offer?
@ brandon -- You have to apply for a link that shows that offer. There's also the offer out there that you describe, which isn't as good for most. The link in this post leads to the offer that's described.
Thanks Ben. I used the direct link so hopefully we're good! Thank you for the heads up on this. I have a ton of uncategorized spend on my other cards right now, so this is great.
Hi Ben,
I went through your link, but when I called, they told me I got the
other offer of $200 + cash back. Hopefully they are mistaken.
Same here - I called to make sure before using the card after applying via this link and she said it was for the $200 bonus offer. I have to send screenshots and appeal to my Chase Private Client representative now. What a hassle - if they don't give me the double point offer I signed up for, I will never use this card.
Because of these comments I called to doubled check my approval…the first person (general customer service) said I received the $200 bonus offer. When I asked to specifically speak to the credit card department they let me know the double cash back offer was what is attached to my account. I am going to call once more when I confirm once my card arrives. Just be sure to speak to card services specifically.
Does this work through refer a friend link?
@ Nick -- The refer a friend link seems to show a different offer.
Don't get me wrong, this is a nice offer, but I don't think it's a cancel-your-current-CFU-and-reapply offer for everyone. It seems significantly worse than the current Ink offers, especially considering you have to wait a year to receive the bonus. I suppose it could make sense if you're planning to do a ton of spending at restaurants and drug stores, but that seems like a pretty thin use case given how high the spend would have to be to justify it.
I think you're missing the 3x points on everything else. That's incredibly valuable for typically non-bonused spend. For example, Target and Amazon purchases now get 3x points and people typically spend large amounts there over a year.
I understand the offer. I had the unlimited, in-branch-only offer in 2018. In addition to my normal spend, I bought a car, paid for an out-of-state move, and got Lasik surgery. Just do the math compared to the Ink Unlimited. If you're only doing-non bonused spend, the breakeven point is $60k. And 90k of those points for the CFU won't be awarded for 12 months. That's a little unfair to the CFU, because most folks...
I understand the offer. I had the unlimited, in-branch-only offer in 2018. In addition to my normal spend, I bought a car, paid for an out-of-state move, and got Lasik surgery. Just do the math compared to the Ink Unlimited. If you're only doing-non bonused spend, the breakeven point is $60k. And 90k of those points for the CFU won't be awarded for 12 months. That's a little unfair to the CFU, because most folks will do spending at restaurants and drug stores. But the return isn't that great and waiting a year is a big negative. 3x at Target and Amazon is only marginally better than 5% cashback from a Red or Amazon card. This works if you're doing big MS numbers, especially at drug stores (or have a lot of organic spend). But compared the the "standard" CFU offer currently available (20k signup bonus, $12k @ 5x for grocery and gas) with the ability to refer from a P2, this offer is good but not great. No one should be experiencing FOMO because they applied for the card 6 months ago. The Ink offers are way better.
The issue is that not everyone has a real or fake business to apply for the ink cards. If you don’t, like me, then this offer is definitely worth cancelling existing CFU and reapplying.
Why is this a binary choice? Get both.
Does anyone know if the bonus is applied monthly or at the end of the year?
Also, would one qualify for the card/bonus if they still hold a chase freedom (not unlimited or flex but the discontinued original freedom card)?
I looked through the responses but didn’t see this info. Thanks.
@ Keith -- Yes, you're eligible if you have the old Chase Freedom. The bonus is applied retroactively at the end of the year, as it's a one-time bonus.
I just cancelled my freedom to try to get the new offer. It needs to come off your credit report before you can reapply. That takes 30-45 days I was told.
Did you try to re apply anyway? I’ve closed/re opened a chase card within days and it worked for me.
@ Damon -- To be clear, if you just have the old Freedom Card, you're eligible for this. Unless you're referring to the Freedom Unlimited?
I had the same issue--already had a FU card; product changed to Freedom Flex and applied. Got denied and told to try again in ~60 days after I'm no longer registered as an FU card holder. I might try again a bit sooner than that--hopefully the offer will still be open!
Chase told me 45 days, too, but I was approved 5 business days after I PC’d my old CFU to a Slate (couldn’t PC to Freedom Flex since it’s a MC not a Visa).
When I PC's a few days ago, rep told me it takes a few days for their internal systems to 'drop' you from Unlimited. I think I did it on Thursday so a bit too soon for me to try. I'm hoping the deal lasts until about the 15th of the month like other Chase offers ending date.
Would be great if they extended it for current members.
Product change and reapply in a week.
I have had an unlimited for YEARS. If i were to cancel it right now and then re-open it in a few days, would I get this offer?
No, I think you would have had to cancel it and wait a certain period of time before you could qualify for a new welcome offer
Product change your card instead of canceling. Wait 30 days.
Thanks for the flag, Lucky – great offer. Think it would be worth mentioning that unlike usual earning on rewards credit cards, this bonus pays out the extra bonus points in one payment after your 12th month with the card. Still worth it IMO, but different than earning and being able to redeem the extra points as you go.
"With this offer you will receive a one-time bonus equal to all Cash Back rewards earned during...
Thanks for the flag, Lucky – great offer. Think it would be worth mentioning that unlike usual earning on rewards credit cards, this bonus pays out the extra bonus points in one payment after your 12th month with the card. Still worth it IMO, but different than earning and being able to redeem the extra points as you go.
"With this offer you will receive a one-time bonus equal to all Cash Back rewards earned during your first 12 monthly billing cycles from account opening with your Chase Freedom Unlimited card. Please allow 6 to 8 weeks from the end of your 12th monthly billing cycle for bonus Cash Back rewards to post to your account."
You did not even mention about combining points so if you hold the CSR card then you could have an even better return.
You didn't even mention that this card seems to also have a 15 month 0% APR as well. That's worth quite a bit when you can earn over 5% in a bond or CD.
Maybe I need a second coffee but I'm not quite following how the two things are related. Can you please explain?
Do a large overpayment of taxes. Collect refund and reinvest. Pay minimum fee on CC for 12 months while you are collecting interest and large UR bonus for the initial overpayment. Cash out from investments at 12 months and pay off CC.
So, presuming you got a $40k credit line on this (either at issuance or from moving CLs over) and just dumped the $40k that you ran through the IRS into a money market account, that'd be...$2000 or so in interest at current interest rates, I think, plus 120k UR points (or $1800-ish), so call it $3800 on the basis of 1.5 cents/UR point.
If you "cycled" the overpayments (e.g. did them quarterly), you'd be looking...
So, presuming you got a $40k credit line on this (either at issuance or from moving CLs over) and just dumped the $40k that you ran through the IRS into a money market account, that'd be...$2000 or so in interest at current interest rates, I think, plus 120k UR points (or $1800-ish), so call it $3800 on the basis of 1.5 cents/UR point.
If you "cycled" the overpayments (e.g. did them quarterly), you'd be looking at something like...
(($160,000*3)*$0.015)-($160,000*0.0185)=
$7200-$2960=$4240-ish
If you bump the value of UR points to $0.02, that's $4400 in the first case and $6640 in the second case. And of course, the second case presumes you don't do anything else in the interim.
[This is reminding me of how the biggest tax bill of my life coincided with a 5x-on-all-spend bonus on my DL Amex...]
If I go on Chase I do not see this new double points offer. I only see the 20K bonus. I do not want to apply for this card without the double points bonus. Can you advise or assure me that If I click your link and am approved I will get this bonus
I would do the incognito and it would show as it did for me
When I received the card there was no mention of double points offer. So I messaged Chase and they confirmed in writing that indeed I was set to earn the double points bonus.
I’m over 5/24 and have a freedom flex. Does anyone know if I product change the card to the unlimited , would I be eligible for the double points promotion?
@ John -- The welcome bonus is only available to those who apply outright, and not those who product change. Keep in mind there are some reports of people being approved for Chase cards despite being over the 5/24 limit. That's not a guarantee, but...
Ok. Just tried and “ no soup for you !!!”
Oh well
Hey Lucky,
I just applied for and got the chase ink cash business card last week. Do I need to wait 30 days to apply for this?
@ Luckyladyd -- Personal and business cards are considered separately as far as the 30 day rule with Chase goes, in my experience.
Thanks Lucky! I'm in. You're the best:-)
Can you get the bonus if you are an AU on someone else's Freedom Unlimited?
@ Sue -- You sure can!
No 20k sign-on bonus, which I think is the usual for this card... but if you're going to spend more than $13,300 in the first year, that outweighs the usual bonus.
Or much less than that if you use this as a dining card for a year
@ snic -- Yep, or if you spend more in one of the bonus categories, as noted by betterbub.
So if I charge on the card 100k the frist year I will make minimum 230,000 points?
Wouldn't you make a minimum of 300,000 points? $100k x 1.5 points x 2 = 300k points
My mistake I calculated 1.15
@ Eli -- Indeed, you'd earn a minimum of 300K points with $100K in spending (and potentially more if spending in a bonus category).
Eli, make sure to weigh the opportunity cost of putting $100k on a single card instead of opening new cards and getting sign up bonuses.
So Chase Freedom sees Discover as direct competition and Discover of course offers double cash back in the first year of membership. Question - if you have a legacy Chase Freedom (Visa) can you also get a Chase Freedom Unlimited and a Chase Freedom Flex?
Yes
Yes you can; I have all 3 Freedoms.
@Ben - Like a lot of your readers, I have the Chase Freedom Unlimited and have for many years. For this deal, I would love to cancel it and reapply. Will that work to get these benefits? Do I need to wait a certain amount of time after cancelling before I reapply?
Evan, if You took the time to read the post: He clearly states that this is not open to anyone who 1: Currently has the card and 2: Has received a bonus for this card in the last 24 months.
Hi not-so-friendly guy. I read the post. I read it twice, actually. If you read it too, maybe you can point me to the part where it addresses my question. As I said, I've had the card "for many years," i.e., I got the bonus for this card more than 24 months ago, and I would cancel the card before reapplying, so I wouldn't "currently have the card" when I submit my application. So the question remains. Back over to you.
@ Evan -- Good question! I addressed a similar topic in this post about the Sapphire Card 48-month rule, so hope that answers your question (at least as well as I can):
https://onemileatatime.com/insights/chase-sapphire-48-month-bonus-rule/
Thanks!
I would assume you can cancel and reapply since you wouldn’t have the card and you haven’t received the SUB in over 24 months.
However, would suggest product changing your card to the Chase Freedom Flex if you want to keep the card/credit line open.
I tried but FF is a MC (rather than a CFU Visa) & Chase will not PC one to the other. They allowed Slate, however, since it’s a Visa
If you have had the card for many years, the 24 months limitation on SUB/deal probably would not apply. You don't have to cancel - you can do a product switch + keep the credit line available for moving to another card later.