Chase Freedom Flex℠ Review

Chase Freedom Flex℠ benefits

• Signup bonus. Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 in the first 3 months of account opening. This is one of the highest bonuses you can earn with a 5% cashback card. Similar cards either have no signup bonus or let you earn up to $150.
• Cash back. No other 5% cashback card with rotating categories earns such a high rewards rate on diverse categories outside the rotating ones. With this card, you earn 5% back on travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, 5% back on Lyft rides through March 2022 and 5% back on up to $1,500 on rotating categories each quarter. You’ll earn 1% back after reaching the cap. You also earn 3% back at restaurants, including takeout and delivery, and on drugstore purchases. Everything else you buy earns 1% back.
• Intro APR period. Get 0% intro APR period on purchases for 15 months. This is basically an interest-free loan for large purchases. But after the intro period expires, a variable APR of 14.99% to 23.74% applies. This is inline or slightly higher compared to similar 5% cashback cards.
• Cell phone protection. This is a rare perk with this types of cards. Pay your phone bill with the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and get up to $800 protection per claim and $1,000 per year against theft or damage. You can have a maximum of two claims in a 12-month period, with a $50 deductible per claim.
• DoorDash benefits. Get three months of DashPass, DoorDash’s subscription service. This comes with an unlimited $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees on orders of $12 or more. DashPass typically costs $9.99 per month, which makes this benefit worth $29.97.
• No annual fee. This card has no annual fee at all.

Chase Freedom Flex℠ 2021 cashback calendar

What to watch out for

• You don’t get 5% cash back on rotating categories automatically. To earn 5% cash back, you need to activate it every quarter. You can do so online, by email, over the phone, at an ATM or at a Chase branch. Chase will let you know when to activate your cashback bonus categories when you opt in for email reminders.
• Foreign transaction fees. A 3% fee per transaction is applied to all international purchases.
• Hidden rotating 5% categories. Unfortunately, you won’t know what your 5% rotating categories will be at the start of the year. Chase only reveals them as each quarter draws near.
• Pay Yourself Back feature is limited. For this card, the Pay Yourself Back feature only applies to contributions made to eligible charities.

Compare Freedom Flex to similar credit cards

Compare the Chase Freedom Flex℠ to the Chase Freedom Unlimited® and the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express card. Look at the annual fees, welcome offers, intro APR periods and cashback rewards to make sure you choose the right card for your needs.

Chase Freedom Flex℠

★★★★★

Finder Rating: 4.7 / 5

Terms apply, see rates & fees

Go to site
Minimum credit score 670
Annual fee $0
Purchase APR 0% intro for the first 15 months (then 14.99% to 23.74% variable)
Balance transfer APR 14.99% to 23.74% variable
Rewards 5% back in rotating categories up to $1,500 combined each activated quarter (then 1%), 5% on travel purchased through Chase, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases
Welcome offer $200 after spending $500 in the first 3 months

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

★★★★★

Finder Rating: 4.7 / 5

Terms apply, see rates & fees

Go to site
Minimum credit score 670
Annual fee $0
Purchase APR 0% intro for the first 15 months (then 14.99% to 23.74% variable)
Balance transfer APR 14.99% to 23.74% variable
Rewards 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase, 5% on Lyft, 3% on dining and drugstores and 1.5% on all other purchases
Welcome offer $200 after spending $500 in the first 3 months

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

★★★★★

Finder Rating: 4.3 / 5

Terms apply, see rates & fees

Go to site
Minimum credit score 670
Annual fee $0 intro annual fee for the first year ($95 thereafter)
Purchase APR 0% intro for the first 12 months (then 13.99% to 23.99% variable)
Balance transfer APR N/A
Rewards 6% on select US streaming services, 3% on transit and US gas stations, 6% at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 annually, then 1% after that and on all other purchases (redeem as statement credit)
Welcome offer 20% back on Amazon.com purchases in the first 6 months for up to $200 back, plus $150 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in the first 6 months

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Does the Chase Freedom Flex℠ earn cash back or points?

Even though Chase markets the card as a cashback card, it actually earns Chase Ultimate Reward points. This is the same “currency” earned by the Freedom Unlimited card and the two Sapphire cards.

This makes the card ideal for pairing with any of these three cards. Because once you pair them, you can move your points between cards and maximize the redemption value. The most common combination of Chase credit cards is known as the Chase trifecta.
Note: Before you start applying to multiple Chase credit cards, take the Chase 5/24 rule into consideration. This unwritten rule says Chase will automatically decline your credit card application if you have opened five or more credit cards within the last 24 months.

Chase Freedom Flex℠ reviews and complaints

Cardholders are generally thrilled with the Chase Freedom Flex℠‘s bonus categories and 1% cash back. However, some customers say they’ve had trouble with Chase autopay.

JPMorgan Chase Credit Card is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau but it has an A+ rating and a composite score of 1.18 out of 5 stars based on 229 customer reviews as of October 2020. Most customer complaints revolve around poor customer service and hidden costs Chase credit cards in general. Make sure you read your card’s terms and the rewards agreement to avoid issues with your account.

As of October 2020, Chase earns a Trustpilot score of 1.3 out of 5. Most negative reviews cite slow responses to fraud complaints and less-than-helpful customer service. Positive reviews cite the bank’s great mobile app and quick resolutions to their issues. Overall, your mileage may vary with Chase customer support.

What interests you most about this credit card?

Based on a survey of 66 people (out od 100 respondents) on finder.com

• Visual
• Chart

Answer choices	Responses
Rewards	56.06%
Signup bonus	12.12%
Features and benefits	21.21%
APR	10.61%

I got the card. Now what?

• Manage your account online. Register with the Chase website to keep an eye on your spending and payments.
• Activate your 1% cash back. To get the 1% cashback premium, activate your bonus every quarter. If you don’t take this step, you’ll earn only 1% cash back.
• Steer clear of penalties. Late payments and returned checks can attract fees of up to $39.
• Consider using the card less often overseas. You pay foreign transaction fees each time you use this card outside the US. Learn more about cards that have no foreign transaction fees.
• Contact customer service. Contact Chase Credit Cards support with any questions you have at 1-800-432-3117.

Earn more with Shop Through Chase

With Shop Through Chase, you can click through to select Chase partners and earn even more cash back through your Chase Freedom Flex℠. For example, you might earn 6% extra cash back at Neiman Marcus, 8% extra cash back at Under Armour and more.

Earnings and offers vary by time period and cardholder, so log in to your Chase account to see your offers.

Bottom line

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is currently one of the best credit cards for earning rewards you can get. It comes with a generous signup bonus and massive cashback rates on everyday categories. Consider pairing this card with the Chase Freedom Unlimited® and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® to maximize your rewards.