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In this review of the Chase Freedom Flex℠ credit card, we take a look at whether or not the benefits of the card and its cash back categories will make sense for your spending habits. Cardholders have a variety of cash back categories to earn on and several new cardholder perks make this a card worth considering.

Card Details to Know Up Front
- Bonus, Fee or FeatureHas or Not
- Has Annual Fee
- Has Balance Transfer Offer
- Has APR Offer
- Cash Back Rewards
- Travel Rewards
Chase Freedom Flex℠ at a Glance
If you are looking for a cash back card, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ offers generous earning on popular categories such as dining, travel, drugstore purchases and other rotating categories. You can earn up to 5% cash back on the quarterly rotating categories and travel purchases you make using Chase Ultimate Rewards. You’ll also earn 3% cash back on dining, takeout, and delivery purchases and 3% cash back on drugstore purchases. You can also take advantage of the generous welcome bonus offers, which include a 0% intro APR for purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months. In addition, you can get $200 cash back for spending just $500 in the first three months, and 5% cash back on grocery purchases up to $12,000 for the first year the account is open.
>>MORE: BALANCE TRANSFERS WITH CHASE — HERE'S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Chase Freedom Flex℠
An easy-to-use cash back card with quarterly rotating bonus categories
- Good–ExcellentRecommended Credit
- $0Annual Fee
- 1–5% Cash Back*Rewards Rate
- 5xRewards Rate on Air Travel
- 3xRewards Rate on Dining
Pros & Cons Explained
While the Chase Freedom Flex℠ card comes with many benefits, you need to study its pros and cons to get a clearer idea of whether it is the right card for you.
Pros
- BenefitsDescription
- Generous welcome offerYou can earn $200 cash back if you spend $500 or more with your card in the first three months. This is a generous introductory offer for a card with no annual fee.
- Rotating bonus categoriesApart from the 1% base rate for cash back, you can earn substantially more through quarterly rotating bonus categories. These come with 5% cash back.
- High cash back rateYou also get 5% on Chase Ultimate Rewards travel purchases and 3% on eligible delivery, dining and drugstore purchases.
- Grocery store perksYou can earn 5% cash back on eligible grocery store purchases during the first year of use, up to $12,000 spent.
- Customer-friendly featuresThe card comes with several other customer-friendly features, including important consumer and travel protections. You can benefit from trip interruption and cancellation insurance and cell phone protection plans.
Cons
- DrawbacksDescription
- Modest base cash back rateThe base rate for cash back not covered under the bonus categories is only 1%. Some competing cards with similar fee structures offer better baseline cash back returns.
- Foreign transaction feesFor those looking to use this card for foreign transactions, there is a 3% fee applied to each transaction. Other cards with similar features offer zero foreign transaction fees.
- Rotating bonus categories limitationWhile the high rate of cash back for the rotating bonus categories is a plus, the options are limited. You have to activate these categories manually and there is a $1,500 purchase limit on the bonus cash back on these categories every quarter, meaning you can only earn up to $75 cash back on the rotating bonus categories each quarter.
Through analyzing current data, MoneyGeek regularly updates its recommendations of credit cards across several popular categories. You can check out our top recommendations for cash back credit cards in 2022 to see what fits your needs.
Bonuses & Rewards Explained
The Chase Freedom Flex credit card offers several benefits and rewards. First up, you get a welcome offer of $200 cash back for $500 spent during the first three months. You can also activate quarterly rotating bonus categories that bring you 5% cash back for all purchases up to $1,500 in these categories. You can get 3% cashback on eligible delivery, dining and drugstore purchases, and 5% cash back at grocery stores and on travel purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Here are some ways to redeem your rewards:
Travel bookings made through Chase Ultimate Rewards
Direct deposit and statement credits
Gift cards
Pay with points for Amazon purchases.
Other Features Explained
Here are some other important benefits and features that come with the Chase Freedom Flex℠ credit card:
- Card FeatureDescription
- Cell phone protectionThe card includes cell phone protection against damage and theft, with a coverage of up to $1,000 per year with a maximum of two claims per year and $800 per claim. To qualify, you need to pay your cell phone bill with your credit card.
- Travel perksWith this card, you get trip interruption and cancellation insurance with reimbursements of up to $6,000 per trip and $1,500 per person for prepaid and non-refundable fares. You also get a secondary coverage auto rental collision damage waiver.
- Purchase and warranty protectionsThe card comes with a warranty extension on applicable purchases for a further year for warranties of three years or less. It also includes protection for your new purchases against theft or damage for a period of 120 days with a limit of $5,000 per account and $500 per claim.
"When paired with a Chase travel card that offers Ultimate Rewards, you can transfer the cash back earned from this card to a card that earns Ultimate Rewards and redeem those rewards for travel. Ultimate Rewards tend to be very valuable, so transferring your cash back into Ultimate Rewards makes a lot of sense." - Alene Laney, Credit Card Journalist
Understanding the Fine Print
- Card FeatureAmount or Rate
- APR19.49% –28.24% Variable
- Annual Fee$0
- Cash Back Rewards
- Rewards Rate1–5% Cash Back*
- Airline Benefits
Regular APR
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ credit card comes with an introductory offer of 0% APR for purchases and balance transfers. This is valid for 15 months. Once the offer period is over, you will be charged a variable APR of 19.49% –28.24%. For cash advances, you will pay a variable APR of 29.49%.
Important Fees
The card comes with no annual fee, but there are other fees to consider. For foreign transactions, the card account charges a fee of 3% for every transaction. For cash advances, you will pay either $10 or 5% of each transaction, whichever is higher. There is also a balance transfer fee of $5 or 3% of each transfer within 60 days of opening the account. After that, it’s the greater of $5 or 5%.
To know if this card is right for you, you can compare it with other similar card offerings or our list of the top recommended cash back cards. If you want to compare the terms with an existing card you use, just go through your last billing statement or use the website or mobile app of the card provider. You can also find important information through the credit card agreement database maintained by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
Who Should & Shouldn’t Consider Chase Freedom Flex℠?
Other Considerations for Chase Freedom Flex℠
Before zeroing in on the Chase Freedom Flex℠ as your credit card of choice, there are several other factors to consider. These might change depending on whether you want this to be your only card or if you’ll add it to an existing collection of cards.
Things to Consider if This Will Be Your First or Only Credit Card
If this is going to be your only card, you need to pay attention to the moderately high APR and the foreign transaction fee. You also need to think about the bonus categories for cash back and consider if your needs and wants are in similar categories. Finally, you need to be aware of the limits and manual bonus activations involved with this card.
Things to Consider if This Will Be an Additional Card in Your Wallet
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ can be a good additional card in your wallet if you are looking for a card that focuses on cash back and has a strong welcome offer with no annual fee. It might be a good idea to couple this with another Chase card as the Ultimate Rewards points can be used in conjunction.
Our methodology for reviewing credit cards is well-defined, streamlined and transparent. We use standardized data points for fair comparisons, estimate average spending profiles, determine the long-term value and re-rank cards regularly. We collect information from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau database.
How Chase Freedom Flex℠ Compares to Other Cards
While the Chase Freedom Flex℠ can be a good cash back card, you can check out competing offerings to understand whether this will truly be the right choice for your needs and expectations.
In-Depth Credit Card Comparisons:
Quick Comparison of Chase Freedom Flex℠
Chase Freedom Flex℠
- Annual Fee: $0
- APR: 19.49% –28.24% variable
- Base Cash Back Rate: 1%
- Intro offer: $200 cash back, 0% intro APR
- Best For: Targeted cash back categories
Citi® Double Cash Card
- Annual Fee: $0
- APR: 18.49% – 28.49% variable
- Base Cash Back Rate: 2%
- Intro offer: None
- Best For: Simple cash back structure
Other Helpful Decision-Making Q&As
Here are some frequently asked questions about the Chase Freedom Flex℠ that you might want to look at before you decide on this card.
Still not sure about this card? Consider these options.
If you are still unsure, check out our top recommended cash back cards. If you do not want a cash back card, you can look at travel cards or balance transfer cards.
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sources
- Chase Credit Cards. "Freedom Flex Card." Accessed September 5, 2021.
- Consumer Finance Protection Bureau. "Credit card agreement database." Accessed September 5, 2021.
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