Chase Freedom Flex Credit Card: New Card Design! 25,000-Point Sign-Up Bonus, No Annual Fee

The card design has been refreshed, and the welcome bonus has been increased for a limited time to 25,000 UR points. For a no-annual-fee card that you can keep long term, that is pretty solid. The 5x quarterly bonus categories on this card are generally quite useful and easy to max out. In particular, Q4 offers 5x directly on grocery stores and dining; combined with the card’s regular 3x at restaurants and drugstores, restaurants earn 7x points! This card also earns Ultimate Rewards, and when paired with CSP or CSR for point transfers, you can potentially get even more value.

• Chase Freedom Flex application link

The 5x categories for Q4 2026 have been announced: grocery stores, dining, and American Red Cross. I think these are much easier to use than the Q3 categories, especially grocery stores and dining. They are basically everyday spending categories that make it easy to gradually use up the $1,500 quarterly cap.

• Grocery Stores: 5x at grocery stores; Walmart and Target do not count. This is very useful for regular grocery shopping. If your normal spending is not enough, you can also check whether your usual grocery store sells gift cards that make sense for you.
• Dining: This is the most interesting part of Freedom Flex’s Q4 categories. The card already earns 3x on dining, and the quarterly 5x is effectively an additional 4x, so you can earn a total of 7x Ultimate Rewards. With Paze, this can stack up to 17x: if your account has the current targeted Paze 10x offer and the restaurant supports Paze payments, then in theory 10x from Paze + 7x on dining can earn up to 17x. The Paze promotion currently runs through December 31, 2026, with up to $1,500 in spending counted each month.
• American Red Cross: Eligible donations can earn 5x.
• The Q4 5x categories still apply to up to $1,500 in total purchases, and you must activate first: activation link

The 5x categories for Q3 2026 can still be used through September 30: gas and EV charging, public transit, select live entertainment, and United Way. These are useful for summer travel, but they are not especially easy to max out since there are not many obvious places to buy high-value gift cards. The details are as follows:

• Gas Stations and EV Charging: You may just have to use this organically. Some gas stations may sell gas cards or other gift cards.
• Public Transit. Merchants in this category include operators of passenger trains, buses, ferries, toll bridges and highways, and parking lots and garages.: Loading funds onto a public transit card may be a way to lock in these 5x earnings in advance.
• Select Live Entertainment. Merchants in this category sell tickets for live in-person entertainment such as major sporting events, zoos and aquariums, concerts, theatrical productions, museums, tourist attractions and exhibits, amusement parks, circuses, carnivals, bands, and entertainers. Ticket agencies selling on behalf of the entertainment venue are included. Some merchants that sell tickets for in-person entertainment are not included in this category; for example, movie theaters, bowling alleys, horse racing tracks, casinos, and dance hall/clubs. Purchasing from a hotel/concierge is not included nor excursions or purchases as part of a travel package. Tickets for attractions, concerts, and similar events count; movie theaters do not. Overall, this is favorable for people going out and traveling.
• United Way: charitable organization.
• activation link

Chase Freedom Flex Credit Card Overview

Benefit Analysis

• Earn points quickly with 5x categories: Grocery stores, online shopping, department stores, gas, and other categories appear in different quarters each year. If you max them out for the year, you can earn 30,000 Ultimate Rewards points. For the 5x categories and detailed analysis, see: Credit Card Quarterly 5x Bonus Summary
• Shop and Earn cash-back portal: Chase’s own Shop and Earn shopping portal lets you earn extra Ultimate Rewards points on top of your regular card rewards. There are currently more than 1,000 merchants, and the earning rates change often, so it is worth checking before making purchases.
• 3% cash back on dining and drugstores (3x points): Many drugstores, such as CVS and Walgreens, sell a wide range of third-party gift cards, including Amazon, eBay, and Visa gift cards. You can buy them with this card to effectively earn 3x points for other merchants.
• 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal: Eligible travel booked through Chase Travel earns 5x points. The price will not always be the lowest, so it is still a good idea to compare with airlines, hotel websites, and other booking platforms before using it.
• No foreign transaction fees: Starting September 20, 2026, the foreign transaction fee is removed, so this card can be considered for spending while traveling outside the United States.
• Cell phone protection will be removed on September 20: Eligible losses are covered only through September 19, 2026. The previous benefit provided up to $800 per claim, up to two claims per 12 months, with a total maximum of $1,000 and a $50 deductible per claim.
• Travel insurance: If your flight is delayed or canceled for a covered reason, you may be eligible for certain reimbursement.

Drawbacks

• If you want to convert points into airline miles or hotel points, you need an annual-fee Ultimate Rewards card, such as the Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, etc.

Points System Overview

• Point value: The average value is 1.6c/p, so 100 UR = $1.6 (Point Values and Analysis)
• Direct redemption: Cash redemptions are worth 1c; travel redemptions are worth 1c (without a premium card). Premium hotel redemptions or business/first class flights can yield 1.75c (with Ink Preferred or Sapphire Preferred), and 2c with the Sapphire Reserve.
• Point transfers: Transfer 1:1 to United miles (good for China–US economy, domestic US economy, and one-way tickets); transfer 1:1 to British Airways miles (good for China–Japan and short-distance domestic US redemptions); transfer 1:1 to Hyatt points (great for Hyatt hotel stays, with value up to 1.8 cents per point).
• Point features: Ultimate Rewards points can be freely moved among your own cards. They can also be transferred to one designated spouse or partner. To transfer points to airline miles or hotel points, you need support from Ink Preferred, Sapphire Preferred, or Sapphire Reserve. You can also transfer to the mileage or points account of an authorized user.
• My take: UR’s main airline transfer partners are United Airlines, British Airways, Aeroplan, and Air France. UA can book most Star Alliance award tickets, while BA covers some domestic US AA flights. On the hotel side, Hyatt is the best option and can often deliver about 1.6c in value per point, but Hyatt has a relatively small footprint in the US, so your choices may be limited. If you have the Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve, booking flights, hotels, and activities through Chase Travel can get you 1.25c/1.5c in value, which is one of the best high-value options for beginners. Cash/gift card redemptions are worth 1 cent.
• Detailed analysis: Ultimate Rewards Guide >>

My Take:

This card is the revamped version of the original Chase Freedom credit card. It keeps the 5x quarterly cash back and adds 3x on dining and drugstores plus 5x through the Chase Travel portal. These benefits make the card worth keeping in your wallet long term as an everyday card. After all, there are not many no-annual-fee cards that earn 3x on dining, which is roughly equivalent to 5% cash back.

Dining has returned as a 5x category for Q4, so Freedom Flex’s regular 3x on dining can again stack with the quarterly additional 4x, for a total of 7x points. Previous reader data points have already confirmed this stacking method, and restaurants in Japan were also able to trigger it. What makes it more interesting now is that starting September 20, this card also removes its foreign transaction fee, so when traveling outside the United States, you can consider trying this card at restaurants. However, whether an overseas merchant is correctly recognized as a quarterly 5x category still depends on the actual merchant category code.

Application

• The application difficulty for this card is moderate. I recommend applying if you have more than one year of credit history or have a Chase checking account.
• If you already have the old Freedom card, it should not affect your ability to apply for this card or receive the welcome bonus. However, if your Freedom has already been converted to the Flex, then you cannot apply again.

• Chase application status check link (login required). Or call: 888-338-2586
• The 5/24 rule: if you have opened more than 5 new cards in the past 2 years (including cards from other banks), you will not be approved for a new Chase card
• You can be approved for at most two Chase credit cards within any 30-day period
• If you have received the welcome bonus on this card within the past 24 months (48 months for the Sapphire family), your application will be automatically denied
• You can call the reconsideration line (800-453-9719) to expedite credit card approval or request another review of a denied application.
• Having a Chase Checking account can help with getting approved for a credit card
• More information on applying for Chase credit cards

Application Link

• Chase Freedom Flex application link