Chase Freedom® cashback rewards calendar 2019

Chase Freedom® is a strong credit card for earning accelerated rewards with your purchases. You can earn cash or points to use on Amazon or for travel in rotating categories. The catch: You must activate the 5% cashback categories every three months, and you’re capped at $1,500 in combined purchases each quarter. For all other purchases, you earn unlimited 1% cash back.

Our pick for rotating cashback

Chase Freedom®

• Earn $200 bonus after you spend $500 in your first 3 months when you open your account.
• Earn 5% cash back on rotating categories each quarter on up to $1,500 in combined purchases, 1% cash back after reaching the cap and on all other purchases.
• Use a 0% intro APR period on purchases and balance transfers within your first 15 months of card membership; after that, a variable APR of 16.74% – 25.49% applies.
• No annual fee.
• No cash back redemption minimum.

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More Info

Quarters	January–March 2019	April–June 2019	July–September 2019	October–December 2019
Primary 5% category	Gas stations	Grocery stores — excludes Walmart and Target	Gas stations	Department stores
5% sub category	Tolls and drugstores	Home improvement stores	Select streaming services	PayPal and Chase Pay

What’s new

Grocery stores remain unchanged as a 5% cashback category in the April to June 2019 quarter, gas stations remain unchanged in July to September and Department stores and Chase Pay remain unchanged in October to December.

The main difference appears to lie with subcategories. Last year, you could earn 5% cash back on PayPal and Chase Pay purchases in the second quarter and on Lyft and Walgreens in the third. In 2019, Chase removed these subcategories and added home improvement stores and select streaming services instead. But now Chase added PayPal back in the last quarter of 2019.

Steps to activate your Chase Freedom® cashback categories

Getting 5% cash back on your purchases is a solid deal. But you must activate each category to get your rewards.

When to activate

You can activate your Chase Freedom® cashback categories two weeks before the quarter starts until the 14th day of the final month of the quarter.
This means for the October through December quarter, you can activate the 5% category by Saturday, December 14, and get cash back retroactively on all qualifying purchases.

How to activate

Choose among four ways to activate your categories:

• Visit the Chase Freedom® or Chase Ultimate Rewards website. Provide your email and get notifications when it’s time to activate
• Call the number on the back of your card
• Visit a Chase bank branch
• Use an ATM while making a cash withdrawal if you’re a Chase checking customer

What counts as a 5% cashback category purchase?

Up to $1,500 in combined purchases each quarter in the accelerated categories earn 5% cash back. After that, and for everything else you buy, you earn 1% cash back. If you maximize your categories, you can earn $300 annually on these categories alone.

Compare cashback credit cards

Tips to maximize your Chase rewards

• Clear the signup bonus.
  Spend $500 on purchases within your first 3 months of card membership to earn bonus cash back.
• Add an authorized user.
  Another cardmember on your account can help you quickly clear the signup bonus and reach the 5% cap on quarterly categories.
• Pair your card.
  The Chase Freedom® is an excellent credit card by itself. But pair it with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® for a solid points-earning combo.
• Transfer your points.
  If you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, transfer your points to that card for redemption through Chase Ultimate Rewards at 25% higher value. Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® let you transfer your points at a 1:1 ratio with Chase hotel and airline partners.
• Link your card to PayPal.
  Quickly reach the cap when PayPal is listed in the 5% categories.
• Use a digital wallet.
  When Chase Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay or a similar service is listed in the quarterly categories, use them to pay for purchases that otherwise don’t fall into the category for 5% back, instead of the base 1%.

Compare Chase Freedom® vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Bottom line

The Chase Freedom® can be a solid choice if you’re looking to get the highest cash back on multiple categories that rotate throughout the year. It can be an even better choice if you pair it with either the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® to maximize your rewards.

If you use a digital wallet — especially Chase Pay — you can earn 5% cash back on categories that aren’t listed in the quarters. Similar cashback cards don’t have this option.

Not sure if this card is right for you? Consider other cashback credit cards to find the strongest you’re eligible for.
The 3 types of cashback credit cards explained

Frequently asked questions

• What can I redeem my points for?

  Redeem your points for:

  • Cash as a statement credit or direct deposit into most US checking and savings accounts
  • Amazon.com purchases after you’ve linked your card to your Amazon account
  • Gift cards
  • Travel bookings

• Do I need to activate the 5% categories if I have multiple Chase Freedom cards?

  Yes, you must activate the categories on all cards to earn accelerated cash back.

• Which digital wallet purchases get 5% cash back?

  Every purchase you make with your Chase Freedom® card through Chase Pay, Google Pay, Apple Pay or Samsung Pay at checkout will earn 5% back if you’re enrolled in the quarterly category.