Chase Freedom Q1 Rotating Bonus Categories
Today, Chase officially revealed the rotating bonus categories for Freedom (no longer available) and Freedom Flex cardmembers for the fourth quarter of 2023. The new categories include select grocery stores, fitness club & gym memberships, and self-care and spa services. Cardmembers can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in these categories from January 1 through March 31, 2024. Let’s take a look at the full details of the bonus categories for this upcoming quarter.
Earn 5%
Starting January 1 through March 31, 2023, Chase Freedom and Freedom Flex cardmembers can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases on the following:
Grocery Stores:
Merchants in this category include supermarkets, merchants that offer a full-service grocery line of merchandise including a deli and bakery as well as smaller grocery stores. Some merchants that sell grocery items are not included in this category; for example, larger stores that sell a wide variety of goods and groceries, such as warehouse clubs, discount stores and some smaller merchants such as drugstores, and merchants that specialize in only a few grocery items. Purchases made at gas stations from merchants who also operate grocery stores are not included in this category. Delivery service merchants will be included if they classify as a grocery store merchant. Excludes Walmart and Target.
Fitness Club & Gym Memberships:
Merchants in this category include health clubs, exercise, or athletic facilities requiring membership and offering access to services related to physical fitness, such as fitness clubs, fitness centers, fitness studios, gyms, aerobics, cardio fitness and other services such as yoga and cross fit training. Merchants that specialize in offering personalized or therapeutic services such as massage therapy, dietary and weight management counseling and personal training are not included in this category. In addition, some merchants that sell a wide variety of general goods, which may include fitness or athletic apparel, sporting goods, dietary food, health food or similar supplements are not included in this category. Also, certain lodging, hotel, motel, resort and central reservation services offering access to third party facilities that include fitness clubs or gyms are not included in this category unless they classify as a fitness club or gym membership merchant.
Self-Care & Spa Services:
This category includes self-care and spa services, such as massages, spa treatments, manicures, tanning, and barber and salon services, purchased at merchant locations that specialize in providing these services. Self-Care and spa services are typically provided by licensed professionals, however, services provided by medical professionals will not qualify. Purchases of self-care and spa services at merchants that classify their location in another category, for example spa services purchased in a hotel, will not be included unless the merchant classifies the transactions in this category. Purchases of related products and services, for example hair and skincare products purchased at a salon or an overnight stay at a spa, will also not be included unless the merchant classifies the transactions in this category.
You can activate the new categories here, starting on December 15, 2023. Must activate by March 14, 2024.
Chase Freedom Cards
The Chase Freedom and Freedom Flex cards earn 1% on all purchases but also 5% on rotating quarterly bonus categories, up to a combined $1,500 in purchases. So you can earn up to $75 every quarter, if you maximize the eligible categories. You can even have more than one Freedom card.
But it gets much better than that, since the cashback can be used as Ultimate Rewards points. To use the cashback as Ultimate Rewards points, you need to have one of the premium cards from Chase. That’s Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Ink Business Preferred or Ink Business Plus. You can then use points you earn with Chase Freedom cards as Ultimate Rewards. That gives you the ability to transfer to travel partners.
Along with 5% rotating categories, Freedom Flex cardmembers also earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase’s Ultimate Rewards, 3% cash back on dining and drugstores and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Freedom Flex cardmembers also receive World Elite Mastercard Benefits, including cell phone protection and discounts with Lyft, Shoprunner and more, in addition to Priceless Experiences.
If you don’t have the Chase Freedom Flex card, you can sign up and earn a $200 bonus cash back when you spend $500 within the first three months. Chase Freedom is no longer available for new applications. You can also product change other Chase cards to Freedom Flex. This is a good option if you don’t want to apply for a new card.
Guru’s Wrap-Up
The only exciting category for the upcoming quarter is grocery stores. Many people shop have considerable monthly expenses for groceries, plus many supermarkets carry third party gift cards.
Don’t forget to maximize this quarter’s categories as well, which are much better. You then have until the end of December to spend $1,500 (check your progress) on the following categories:
- PayPal payments
- Wholesale Clubs
- Select Charities.
- Learn more
Let me know what you think. Are you excited with the Q1 options? How do you plan to maximize your spending? Leave a comment below!
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