Chase Freedom Unlimited Review 2024

• Introducing the Chase Freedom Unlimited
• Chase Freedom Unlimited Quick Facts
• What Is Chase Freedom Unlimited Best For?
• Chase Freedom Unlimited Rewards
• 0% Introductory Rates
• Other Chase Freedom Unlimited Benefits
• How To Maximize Chase Freedom Unlimited Rewards
• Chase Freedom Unlimited Transfer Partners
• Fine Print
• How the Chase Freedom Unlimited Card Stacks Up
• Is the Chase Freedom Unlimited Card for You?
• Methodology
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® card has a fantastic earn rate for a card with no annual fee. You’ll earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on eligible dining and drugstores and 1.5% on all other purchases, plus an additional 1.5% cash back on the first $20,000 in purchases the first year. And, if you pair the Chase Freedom Unlimited® with select Ultimate Rewards-earning cards, you can pool your points for even greater value.

The points, called Chase Ultimate Rewards®, that you earn with the Freedom Unlimited card are redeemable for 1 cent per point either through Chase Travel℠ or as a statement credit. But if you also have a premium Chase credit card—like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®—then you can combine your Chase Ultimate Rewards® points. Once pooled, you can redeem them for an increased rate or transfer them to one of Chase’s travel partners for potentially higher value.

For example, if you have both the Chase Freedom Unlimited® and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, your points will be worth 25% more when combined with the Sapphire Preferred and then redeemed for travel through the Chase travel portal. This means that your 5% earnings on travel booked through Chase are effectively worth 6.25% back toward travel, your dining at restaurants and drugstore spending will be worth 3.75% and your everyday spending rakes in a respectable 1.875%.

• $0 annual fee
• Earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on eligible dining and drugstores and 1.5% on all other purchases, plus an additional 1.5% cash back on the first $20,000 in purchases the first year
• Visa benefits including rental car coverage for collision or theft

The Freedom Unlimited is a solid option if earning Chase Ultimate Rewards is a priority and you don’t want to juggle multiple cards. With its elevated earn rate on all spending and a handful of bonus categories., it ranks highly on these lists:

• The Best Chase Credit Cards
• Best Credit Cards for Good Credit
• Best 3% Cash Back Credit Cards
• Best Cash-Back Credit Cards

Earning Rewards

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® earns 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on eligible dining and drugstores and 1.5% on all other purchases, plus an additional 1.5% cash back on the first $20,000 in purchases the first year.

You’ll also earn a welcome bonus of: an additional 1.5% cash back on up to $20,000 spent in the first year, worth up to $300 cash back.

Redeeming Rewards

Ultimate Rewards points are generally worth a penny per point. You can redeem your rewards on the Chase Freedom Unlimited® for:

• A statement credit or direct deposit at 1 cent per point
• Gift cards at 1 cent per point
• Travel booked through Chase at 1 cent per point
• Amazon purchases at 0.8 cent per point
• Purchases using Pay With Points at 0.8 cent per point

The hidden power of owning the Chase Freedom Unlimited® card comes from pairing it with a premium Chase card, like the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Then you can pool your rewards and redeem for a value of up to 1.5 cents per point for the Sapphire Reserve or 1.25 cents per point for the Ink Preferred and the Sapphire Preferred for travel booked through Chase Travel℠.

By combining your Freedom Unlimited with a premium Chase card, you can maximize the value of your points. Not only can your points be redeemed at a greater value this way, but you can also transfer your rewards to Chase’s airline and hotel transfer partners at a 1:1 rate. The Freedom Unlimited Card alone does not offer that privilege.

Rewards Potential

To determine the rewards potential of the Chase Freedom Unlimited® card we have to look at the bonus categories and calculate what an example American household might spend in those areas. Forbes uses data from various government and industry reports in order to determine both baseline income and spending averages across various categories. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households bring in $118,438 annually and we base spending on that number.

Chase Freedom Unlimited® Rewards Potential
Category	Earning Rate	Estimated Annual Spend	Estimated Annual Earnings
Travel (Booked Through Chase)	5X	$8,573	42,865
Dining	3X	$4,622	13,866
Drugstore Purchases	3X	$781	2,343
All Other Purchases	1.5X	$25,361	38,041
			Total: 97,115 Ultimate Rewards points

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The Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers a 0% introductory APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24% applies. An intro transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies in the first 60 days of account opening. After that, a fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer applies.

The Freedom Unlimited comes in two versions, Visa Platinum (Traditional) or Visa Signature, which offer different levels of benefits. The front of your card and the card agreement will indicate which version you have.

In general, cards with a credit limit of at least $5,000 are more likely to be Visa Signatures and will come with the following benefits:

• Purchase protection. Covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.
• Extended warranty protection. Extends the time period of the U.S. manufacturer’s warranty by an additional year, on eligible warranties of three years or less.
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance. Get reimbursed up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip for your prepaid, nonrefundable passenger fares, if your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather and other covered situations.
• Auto rental collision damage waiver. Receive secondary coverage for damage due to collision or theft. To activate, complete the entire rental transaction with your eligible Visa card and decline the rental company’s coverage.
• Visa Signature travel benefits. Elevate your travels with access to the Visa Signature Hotel Collection and selected Rental Car company discounts.

Read more: Chase Freedom Unlimited Benefits

With a good welcome bonus the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a strong everyday card. After that, the card might still deserve a spot in your wallet if earning Chase Ultimate Rewards is a priority. The unlimited 1.5% back on all purchases beats many other cards for non-bonus spending.

If you have a large purchase on the horizon, putting it on this card could help you max out the welcome bonus spending requirement and give you time to pay it off with a 0% introductory APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24% applies. An intro transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies in the first 60 days of account opening. After that, a fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer applies.

Travelers who know the value of Chase Ultimate Rewards can use them in the Chase travel portal. For even more value, transfer these extra earnings to a higher-tier Chase card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® to redeem for 25% to 50% more. Transfer to travel partners and each point could be worth double or more.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® does not offer any air or hotel transfer partners on its own. But if you also hold an eligible premium Chase card, you can combine your points into one account to gain the ability to transfer your rewards to Chase partners. Chase cards that allow 1:1 points transfer include the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. Another way to use your Freedom Unlimited points toward travel is to book directly through the Chase travel portal.

Interest Rates

• Regular APR: 20.49% - 29.24% Variable
• Purchase intro APR: 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 15 months
• Balance transfer intro APR: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers for 15 months

Fees

• Annual fee: $0
• Balance transfer fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
• Foreign purchase transaction fee: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars

Chase Freedom Unlimited® vs. Chase Freedom Flex℠

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is the Freedom Unlimited’s sibling, however, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ earns 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in categories that rotate quarterly (requires activation), 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on dining and drugstores and 1% cash back on all other purchases.

The Freedom Flex runs on the Mastercard network and the Freedom Unlimited on the Visa network. Each comes with its own set of benefits. The Freedom Flex also requires quarterly activation for the highest category earning. Ultimately, the choice between the two cards will come down to your personal preferences and spending habits.

Read more: Chase Freedom Unlimited vs. Freedom Flex

Chase Freedom Unlimited® vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

If the travel gods set out to design a perfect travel card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card would be pretty close to heaven. For a relatively low annual fee of $95, the card comes jam-packed with a solid rewards rate of 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. This may not be quite as generous as the Freedom Unlimited, but the real power with this card is that rewards are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel through the Chase Travel portal or for eligible Pay Yourself Back purchases.

The card also comes with other perks, like trip cancellation and interruption coverage, baggage delay insurance and primary rental car insurance coverage. It’s a worthy contender in a field crowded with cards costing hundreds of dollars more a year to own. Use it on its own as a starter or low-cost travel card, or pair it with another in the Chase family—like the Freedom Unlimited—to maximize your returns on every dollar spent.

Read more: Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Freedom Unlimited

Chase Freedom Unlimited® vs. Citi Double Cash® Card

If you’re searching for an easy rewards card without an annual fee, consider the Citi Double Cash® Card which offers 2% cash back on all purchases—1% when purchases are made and another 1% when they’re paid off. There are no categories to track—it’s the same earnings rate on everything you buy.

Like the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, you can also combine the rewards from the Citi Double Cash® Card with another premium Citi card for a potential increase in points value. Premium Citi cardholders get access to a long list of transfer partners, but even if you only hold the Citi Double Cash® Card, you can still transfer your points to a few select hotel and airline loyalty programs.

Read more: Chase Freedom Unlimited vs. Citi Double Cash

If you’re looking to squeeze the maximum value out of your credit card spending, then the Chase Freedom Unlimited® used in conjunction with at least one other Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning card can be part of a powerful strategy to maximize point potential. Even if category tracking or using more than one card strategically sounds unappealing, the Chase Freedom Unlimited®’s generous rewards structure makes this card worthy of a spot in your wallet.

Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors, including:

• Annual fees
• Welcome bonus offers
• Ongoing earning rates
• Value of individual points or miles
• Included travel or merchant credits
• Additional cardholder benefits

Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors come together to provide a star rating for each individual card.

Read more: How Forbes Advisor rates credit cards