Update 4/24: We’ve now received word this increased offer on the Chase Freedom Unlimited card will end at 9 AM EST on 5/01/2025. This is a very good offer for the amount of spend required, but not terribly noteworthy from the perspective of total points (especially when compared to the Sapphire Preferred 100K). If you were looked at the card already, it’s a great time to get it, but there’s no need for FOMO if not.
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The Chase Freedom Unlimited card is unique among Ultimate Rewards-earning cards in that it earns a minimum of 1.5x for all spend, while also earning 3x-5x within bonus categories, including dining and drugstores. This can make it a very useful companion to the issuer’s premium cards.
The welcome offer for the Freedom Unlimited improved this week, and now offers 25K Ultimate Rewards points after only $500 in minimum spend, a return of 50%+.
The Offers & Key Card Details
For more information about these cards and to find a link to apply, click the card information below to go to our individual card pages.
| Annual Fee Ongoing | 1st Year Value Sortable | CARD NAME | welcome bonus min spend or expected spend | Bank | Consumer or Business Card | Base | Card Offer and Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | 9990296 | Chase Freedom Unlimited® | $500 | Chase | Consumer | Base: 1.5X (2.25%) |  ⓘ $296 1st Yr Value EstimateClick to learn about first year value estimates $200 cash back* ⓘAffiliateThis is an affiliate offer. Frequent Miler may earn a commission if you are approved for this offer Earn $200 (*awarded as 20,000 points) after spending $500 in the first 3 monthsNo Annual Fee This card is likely subject to Chase's 5/24 rule (click here for details). Recent better offer: Unlimited Double Cash Back for 12 month (expired 1/11/24) FM Mini Review: Great for 3x categories and 1.5X everywhere else. Excellent companion card to Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire Preferred, or Ink Business Preferred. Click here for our complete card review Earning rate: 5x travel booked through Chase Travel℠ ✦ 3x dining ✦ 3x drugstores ✦ 2% cash back total on qualifying Lyft products and services purchased through the Lyft mobile application through 09/30/2027 ✦ 1.5X everywhere else Card Info: Visa Signature or Platinum issued by Chase. This card imposes foreign transaction fees. Noteworthy perks: Free DoorDash DashPass for 6 months upon activation ✦ $10 quarterly credit for non-restaurant DoorDash orders See also: Chase Ultimate Rewards Complete Guide |
Quick Thoughts
Note that Chase advertises the Freedom cards as cashback cards. This means that it phrases the offer as $250 cash back — but the bonus is awarded in the form of 25,000 Ultimate Rewards points.
If you only have the Freedom Unlimited card, then you would be limited to using those points for a statement credit at $0.01 per point (or similar redemptions for gift cards / travel), but if you have a card that allows transfers to partners (like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Chase Ink Business Preferred), you can move points to that card and then onward to partners.
Outside of getting it for the welcome offer, the Freedom Unlimited can be an appealing card. There’s better cashback cards out there, but if the it’s paired with a premium card that unlocks the ability to transfer to partners, the points that it earns become significantly more valuable. In that context, we value Ultimate Rewards at 1.5 cents each, so the Freedom Unlimited effectively brings in between 2.25% (1.5 cents per point X 1.5 points per dollar) and 7.5% in rewards. Pretty good for a card with no annual fee.
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