March 15, 2024
185 Comments
by Chuck
Update 3/15/24: Two things have been officially confirmed to us through Chase media channels:
- Amazon and Whole Foods are both included in the 5% category. “The Amazon.com category includes purchases made at Amazon.com (including digital downloads, Amazon.com Gift Cards, Amazon Fresh orders, Amazon Prime subscriptions, and items sold by third-party merchants through Amazon.com’s marketplace) and Whole Foods Market (including physical Whole Foods Market and Whole Foods Market 365 stores, and the website accessible at
www.wholefoodsmarket.com). The Amazon.com category does not include (i) purchases from merchants using Amazon Pay, (ii) purchases made at international Amazon retail sites…(iii) purchases made at international Whole Foods Market sites, (iv) purchases of Whole Foods Market or Whole Foods Market 365 products or services through third-party sites such as Eventbrite, Instacart, Google Express and Shipt, (v) online purchases of Whole Foods Market or Whole Foods Market 365 gift cards (including through buyatab.com), event tickets or classes, (vi) purchases from certain third-party vendors operating at Whole Foods Market sites, (vii) purchases of massage services at any Whole Foods Market site, or (viii) purchases from Spa@Ink, in each case in Amazon’s sole discretion. - Chase also wanted to highlight to their customers that, “This quarter is particularly exciting for Freedom Flex cardmembers, who can stack quarterly cash back offers on top of always-on cash back to earn 9% total cash back on hotel stays booked through Chase Travel and 7% total cash back on restaurants”
Original Post 3/14/24 (now updated)
Chase released the 5% categories on the Freedom and Freedom Flex cards for the second quarter of 2024:
- Restaurants – Restaurants is always a useful category. Those who have the Freedom flex card always earn 3x on Restaurants; this quarter you’ll earn 7x (1x base point + 2x Flex bonus + 4x quarterly category bonus).
- Hotels – Nice for spring/summer travel. Hotels stays booked through Chase Travel always earn 5x on the Freedom Flex card and so it will now earn 9x for hotel stays booked via Chase Travel (1x base point + 4x Chase Travel bonus + 4x quarterly category bonus).
- Amazon – Some people will value 5x Ultimate Rewards even more than 5% back which Prime members get on their Amazon Prime Visa card. You can also reload up your Amazon balance (that’s an affiliate link) with $1,500 and spend it down after the quarter is over.
- Whole Foods – Grocery store deals are always nice. You can usually buy third party gift cards at Whole Foods stores as well.
These are not yet showing publicly, but they already appear in the Chase login. They’ll show at the public link in a few hours, presumably.
Today, 3/14/24, is also the final day to activate the Q1 2024 categories.
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185 Comments
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oldest most voted
Larry(@guest_1817700)
March 21, 2024 07:42
#1817700
Seems they removed Whole Foods, now its just Amazon.com.
Reply
Gaurav(@guest_1815734)
March 18, 2024 09:21
#1815734
Wait, what is the Freedom Flex bonus? I did a Google search but didn’t see it mention on the Chase product page. I only 3x for restaurant, as an example.
Reply
Gaurav
Reply
Gerald(@guest_1815051)
March 16, 2024 20:53
#1815051
Despite all the detail that Chase provided, they didn’t mention whether it works at Amazon Fresh brick and mortar stores.
Reply
anita(@guest_1814908)
March 16, 2024 14:57
#1814908
Does the 7% math apply to the original Freedom as well, or only the Flex?
Reply
Author
Chuck(@chucksithe)
March 16, 2024 20:56
#1815058
anita
Only Flex
1
Reply
Bill(@guest_1816825)
March 19, 2024 23:07
#1816825
Chuck
Is there any downside to converting to the Flex card? I have three original Freedom cards and never converted to them, but it seems like I should.
Reply
Bill
The only downside is that the card will change from a Visa to a MC so you won’t be able to use it at Costco or any other places where only Visa is accepted.
Other than that, there is really no advantage that I can think of that the CF has over the CFF.
1
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Bill(@guest_1817358)
March 20, 2024 17:32
#1817358
Eric 🔗
Thanks. I did not realize that they are only MC’s. Will convert one and leave the others as Visa.
Reply
Mark(@guest_1815659)
March 18, 2024 01:39
#1815659
anita
You can easily get your OG Freedom product changed to Freedom Flex – I just changed mine in anticipation of Q2 bonuses
2
Reply
Beachfan(@guest_1814894)
March 16, 2024 14:29
#1814894
Any update on the Pay Yourself Back feature on Ink Premier? Currently, 1.25 % on Charitable contributions through 3/31 – haven’t seen anything better in a while.
Reply
Frey(@guest_1814912)
March 16, 2024 15:09
#1814912
Beachfan
Chase seems to wait until the very last moment to update PYB.
Reply
Beachfan(@guest_1814965)
March 16, 2024 16:42
#1814965
Frey
Yea, I’ll just go to cash back if there isn’t anything juicy. With interest rates at 5%, no point leaving my 100k balance from the SUB sitting there any longer.
Reply
Miriam(@guest_1814821)
March 16, 2024 12:40
#1814821
Just to be crystal clear—the Amazon category and the Whole Foods category cannot EACH be used for $1500 per CFF, correct? They combine into one category for total of $1500? Would love to be incorrect on this!! Thanks!!
Reply
Author
Chuck(@chucksithe)
March 16, 2024 20:57
#1815060
Miriam
Right, all 4 options combine for a single $1,500 limit
Reply
Admin
William Charles(@will)
March 16, 2024 22:35
#1815101
Miriam
It’s $1,500 across all spend.
Reply
Bulba(@guest_1814778)
March 16, 2024 11:27
#1814778
I have freedom visa. Is it time to change to freedom flex (mc)?
Any benefits to keep my freedom visa besides to have the ability to pay for gas at Costco when 5% gas is on?
1
Reply
Rhybon(@guest_1814852)
March 16, 2024 13:30
#1814852
Bulba
Keep the Freedom Visa and open a separate Freedom Flex. That way you can double-up on quarters where a rather useful category is on (Paypal, etc) and still keep the flexibility of using a Freedom card at Costco.
Reply
Jay(@guest_1814964)
March 16, 2024 16:41
#1814964
Bulba
Have both to double dip.
Reply
Dave_B(@guest_1814998)
March 16, 2024 18:20
#1814998
Bulba
Why not both? You can open a Freedom flex even if you already have a Freedom card.
1
Reply
Bulba(@guest_1815280)
March 17, 2024 11:48
#1815280
Dave_B
Yes… But every 3 months I open ink cards (1 card every 3 months) and if I open any other chase card in between it can be too soon / too many in a short period of time.
And if I open freedom flex instead, will lose 80k points ( 20k vs 100k sub).
So my options are:
1. Upgrade freedom visa
2. Downgrade S pref , signup for new S pref when 80k bonus is back
2
Reply
KatyTX(@guest_1815640)
March 18, 2024 01:00
#1815640
Bulba
Wow good to know you can open ink cards every three months. How many ink cards do you have now? Do you close old cards?
2
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Bulba(@guest_1815676)
March 18, 2024 03:10
#1815676
KatyTX
I rotate 3 mostly. I do close old cards since not sure if it’s only me or because I apply as sole prop, I have to have total credit of 35k between all ink cards.
1
Reply
Qwyx(@guest_1814638)
March 15, 2024 23:26
#1814638
As a Prime member, for multiple-item orders during Q2, I’m probably gonna use Chase Freedom / Freedom Flex to get 5% + “no-rush credit”, instead of the Chase Amazon Prime VISA for “6% cashback”.
2
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Jan W(@guest_1814632)
March 15, 2024 23:11
#1814632
Is restaurant category international? I don’t see it listed either way…
Reply
ross(@guest_1814780)
March 16, 2024 11:29
#1814780
Jan W
This card is not for international use, there is a 3% foreign transaction fee.
2
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Kafka(@guest_1815175)
March 17, 2024 02:37
#1815175
ross
7x minus 3% is still pretty respectable. Also, the FTF is waived for military.
Yes, Chase includes international restaurants. It’s mainly only Amex that limits bonus categories by country.
Reply
whirlaway(@guest_1814593)
March 15, 2024 21:58
#1814593
For me, only the 7% on restaurant spend makes sense. I already get 5.25% on Amazon.com (BofA CCR card) and 5% on Whole Foods groceries – via my Citi Custom Cash (if I add a Citi R+ card as I have been planning to, and hang on to the points I earn now, it will be 5.55% on groceries).
1
Reply
DWhite(@guest_1814597)
March 15, 2024 22:06
#1814597
whirlaway
Many people would take 5x Ultimate Rewards over 5.25% cash due to the ability to transfer to partners or redeem via Chase’s portal for 1.25 or 1.5 CPP depending on whether they hold a CSP, CSR or Ink. (With a fallback of getting 5% cash if their travel plans changed).
Why not use your Custom Cash category for one of the non-grocery categories instead while the Freedom Q2 categories are in effect?
4
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whirlaway(@guest_1814641)
March 15, 2024 23:39
#1814641
DWhite
I understand. But I have no intention of using the points for travel. I did have a CSP that I used once for a trip (using the SUB) and I then PC’d it to a CFF because I didn’t want to pay the $95 annual fee.
1
Reply
atexit(@guest_1814742)
March 16, 2024 09:39
#1814742
whirlaway
Where did the extra 0.05% with the Citi Custom Cash and Citi Rewards+ come from? I thought it was 5% + 0.5%
Reply
Kafka(@guest_1815176)
March 17, 2024 02:43
#1815176
atexit
It’s a rebate in points, so you can then redeem those points with a 10% rebate.
It’s also as marginal a benefit as it sounds, capped at a $100/yr benefit if you spent >$90,000 on 3 CCCs. Pretty far down the list of reasons to open a new card, unless you have so many Citi cards you’re PCing to no-fee that it doesn’t matter.
Reply
DWhite(@guest_1814759)
March 16, 2024 10:32
#1814759
whirlaway
That makes sense. Cash, for the win!
Hopefully your area has started getting local dining Chase Offers at a place that you like and your stacks will profit.
2
Reply
 Chase Freedom Categories For Q2 2024: Restaurants, Hotels, Amazon, Whole Foods - Doctor Of Credit (2024))
