Chase Freedom Unlimited (why you should have this card)
The Chase Freedom Unlimited (Why You Should Have This Card)
When it comes to earning points and miles the Chase Freedom Unlimited is among one of the best. Having the right set of cards can easily help you to capitalize on returns and get huge monthly rewards with the Chase Ultimate Rewards Program. Many people are under the assumption that they only need one card to help them earn on returns. That is a severe misfortune of a mindset to have. In fact, having multiple cards that work together and earn the same type of points currency is what you need to be a pro at this game. You may have a great travel card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which earns 3x the Ultimate Rewards points on all travel and dining purchases. Combined with the Chase Freedom Unlimited you will be able to really bump up your earning potential for Chase Ultimate Rewards.
While travel cards give you a great return on categorized spending, they don’t cover you on all of your everyday spendings. Enter the Chase Freedom Unlimited card. This is a card that earns 1.5% back on all of your everyday purchases. That equates to 1.5 points. This card will cover all of your non-bonus spendings. This gives you the ability to earn more than 1 point per $1 on spending. Definitely a tactic you should be practicing to capitalize on your return in order to get the most out of purchases. I use this card a lot with my purchases and get a SOLID return from it, and one of the best things about this card is the NO ANNUAL FEE.
In This Post we will cover:
- 1. Card Basics, Sign-up Bonus, Eligibility
- 2. Chase 5/24 Rule
- 3. Card Benefits
- 4. Using The Card to Its True Potential
- 5. Card Caveat
Freedom Unlimited Card Basics
First of all, let’s not confuse this card with the Chase Freedom card. Which is another “no annual fee” card from chase. The Freedom earns 5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories for particular merchants. That is only up to 5% on up to $1500 on quarterly spend. After you hit $1500, the Freedom Card earns 1% back on all spend.
The Freedom Unlimted card is a No Annual fee Card from Chase Bank that earns 1.5% cash back on ALL SPENDING. With this card your points add up quickly.
Sign-up Bonus
Chase is currently offering their best sign-up bonus ever with the Freedom Unlimited. $200 back after you spend $500 within the first 3 months of opening your account. It will show up in your account as 20,000 points.
Chase originally had a sign-up offer of $150 however that is not the case anymore.
Freedom Unlimited Card Eligibility
If you haven’t signed up for this card within the last 24 months, or haven’t received a sign-up bonus within the past 24 months, you are potentially eligible to get the card and the new welcome offer of $200. So if you have this card currently and received it within that timeframe, you will not be eligible.
If you have good standing credit you will be highly considered. Most people I know that I have referred this card to, were almost all instantly approved. It’s a great starter card if you have established some credit as well.
If you have opened more than 5 credit cards from any credit card issuer and not just chase cards, (not including business cards) within the last 24 months. You may be ineligible due to Chase’s strict 5/24 rule.
Chase 5/24 Rule
Chase has something that’s known as the 5/24 rule. It’s highly unlikely to be approved for the card, if you’ve opened five or more new card accounts within the past 24 months. So If you are going to apply for this card, you better make sure you’re under that limit. You can sign up for a free account with CreditKarma.com. You can check your status on all of your accounts and monitor your credit score using this.
It’s an annoying rule that has kept many patiently waiting to get under that 5 card limit in 24 months to apply for another Chase card.
Freedom Unlimited Card Benefits
I have already mentioned a few of the benefits the card has. But just to add the rest and reiterate:
- $200 Sign-up Bonus;
- 1.5% back on all purchases;
- Ability to turn points into Ultimate Rewards by combining points with your Sapphire card;
- 0% APR for the first 15 months from opening the card;
- Earn 5% back when using your Freedom Unlimited card for LYFT rides;
- 3 months complimentary Dashpash with Doordash, and 50% off Dashpass for the next 9 months after signing up;
- Extended Warranty protection for new purchases up to 120 days against damage or theft up to $500 per claim, and $50,000 per account;
- Chase offers, which has increased bonus spending at selected merchants that rotate often;
- Zero Liability Protection for fraudulent purchases made on your account.
The Freedom Card has numerous benefits that make this card lucrative.
Using The Freedom Unlimited To Its True Potential
One of the best ways to earn extra points is to check “Chase Offers.” Which is simply where you can earn extra points with select merchants by activating the offer through the Chase Freedom Unlimited portal. I have seen offers where you can earn 10% back for purchases at starbucks, 5% back for purchases at Petco, offers like that.
Another great way to maximize this card is to utilize the Chase Shopping Portal. You can shop there, online, and have a plethora of merchants to shop from. Potentially, you can earn way more points than the normal 1.5% back.
My favorite benefit I get from this card however, is the ability to cover my everyday spend on non bonus spend categories. Then having the ability to combine my points with my Sapphire Reserve card making my points worth 50% more if I book travel through the Chase travel rewards program. Or use my points to then transfer to one of Chase’s airline loyalty programs to score an awesome Business Class seat on my next trip.
You can combine points with the Sapphire Preferred card as well, making your points worth 20% more when redeeming travel through the Chase travel rewards program. You can still make transfers to Chase’s Frequent flyer loyalty programs as well using your Preferred account.
If you really want to boost your points acquisition, combine the Freedom Unlimited, with the Freedom and a Sapphire card. A Card like the Sapphire Reserve to really make a killing on earning points. These three cards are known to me as the holy trinity, “The Chase Tri-Force.“
TIP: If you want to earn an extra $500 worth of points in a year, you can use Chase’s refer a friend bonus.
Card Caveat
If you plan to travel, I wouldn’t use this card outside of the US. It comes with a foreign transaction fee of 3%. This would absolutely negate the 1.5% return you get on the card. Not worth it at all to use abroad.
Bottom Line
This has been one of my favorite cards for awhile now. I use this all the time and exponentially boosted the amount of Chase UR points I acquired within the past year. I recently signed up for the Citi Double Cash card however and have found it to be a slightly better card, but only in comparison to certain aspects.
The Freedom Unlimited card was a card I was really excited to get when I first was approved. It holds A LOT of value in my wallet and I still am using it to its full potential. I would fully recommend this card to anyone.
You can sign up for the Chase Freedom Unlimited using this link and start earning the heck out of Chase UR points in order to redeem for flights to get you to your next adventure…Let’s Go!!!
Finance disclosure
Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
