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finder.com’s rating: 4.7 / 5
★★★★★
$300
Welcome offer
Up to 6.5%
Cash back
$0
Annual fee
0%
Intro purchase APR
for the first 15 months (then 20.49% to 29.24% variable)
Annual fee | $0 |
---|---|
Welcome offer | Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back |
Rewards | 4.5% on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services, 4.5% on drugstore purchases, 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, Unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases |
Purchase APR | 0% intro for the first 15 months (then 20.49% to 29.24% variable) |
Balance transfer APR | 0% intro for the first 15 months (then 20.49% to 29.24% variable) $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater in the first 60 days |
Minimum credit score | 670 |
Issuer | Visa |
Review by
Megan Horner is head of publishing at Finder, where she leads a team that's focused on publishing personal finance guides and reviews that help readers make informed financial decisions. She's passionate about helping you find the best financial accounts to meet your needs — whether that's earning great rewards or improving your credit score. Megan's expertise has been featured on Lifehacker, CreditCards.com, American Banker and news broadcasts across the country. She has a longstanding background in surfacing the best deals and helping people make decisions, including a start as a writer at a comparison website and editing credit card and credit score content at Credit Karma. She earned a degree in English and editing from Brigham Young University.
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is the beefed-up version of its former self. In the past, you could only earn 1.5% back on all purchases, which is the industry-standard for unlimited cashback cards. But now you also earn 6.5% back in new categories — including Lyft rides and travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.
Purchases made at drug stores and restaurants, including takeout and delivery, also earn 4.5% back. These are rates and categories you’d typically find on a category cashback card, and they’re often limited by spending caps.
The simple fact that the Unlimited earns at least 1.5% on all purchases and can reach as high as 6.5% — including on eligible groceries on up to $12,000 during your first year — makes it one of the most valuable cashback cards on the market.
What’s more, the one feature the Chase Freedom Unlimited® was missing, a 0% APR intro period on balance transfers, was recently restored. That means this card can do nearly anything you’d want a credit card to do. Perhaps the only drawback is the recent removal of the welcome offer that let you earn 5% back on grocery store purchases up to a cap for the first year — this was a sizable $600 value on top of the card’s other perks and perhaps just too good to last.
All this makes the Chase Freedom Unlimited® one of the most rewarding cashback credit cards you can currently get. If earning rewards on everyday purchases is your priority, you don’t want to miss this card.
A good to excellent credit score will increase the chances of your application being approved.
You typically find out about your application’s status minutes after you submit it online if everything can be immediately confirmed. If approved, you’ll get your card in the mail within 10 business days.
The Freedom Unlimited is a strong cashback card, but the Chase Freedom Flex℠and the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express are competitive as well. Compare annual fees, welcome offers and other features to find the card that’s best for you. (Terms apply, see rates & fees).
Chase Freedom Unlimited® |
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card |
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express |
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★★★★★ |
★★★★★ |
★★★★★ |
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Minimum credit score 670 |
Minimum credit score 670 |
Minimum credit score 670 |
Annual fee $0 |
Annual fee $0 |
Annual fee $95 after the first year intro |
Purchase APR 0% intro |
Purchase APR 0% intro |
Purchase APR 0% intro |
Balance transfer APR 0% intro for the first 15 months (then 20.49% to 29.24% variable) $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater in the first 60 days |
Balance transfer APR 0% intro for the first 15 months (then 19.99% - 29.99% variable) (Fee: 3% for the first 15 months or at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer you at any other time. No fee for amounts transferred at the Transfer APR) |
Balance transfer APR 0% intro for the first 12 months (then 19.24% to 29.99% variable) Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater |
Rewards Up to 6.5% cash back |
Rewards Up to 1.5% cash back |
Rewards Up to 6% cash back |
Welcome offer Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back |
Welcome offer $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening |
Welcome offer $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 in the first 6 months |
Compare even more credit cards
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a solid card on its own. Combine it with other Chase credit cards and you get a rewards powerhouse. The most common combination of Chase cards is the Chase trifecta, which consists of:
Before you start applying for the Chase trifecta, keep in mind that Chase has an unwritten 5/24 rule that says Chase will automatically decline your credit card application if you opened five or more credit card accounts in the past 24 months.
This includes personal and business credit cards issued by Chase and other card providers.
Here’s a look at how much cash back you can earn in one month with your new Chase Freedom Unlimited given a few average spending values:
Category | Money spent in a month | Cash back rate | Cash back earned |
---|---|---|---|
Groceries | $1,200 | 5% (on up to $12,000 total your first year. 1.5% back after that) | $60 |
Dining and takeout | $300 | 4.5% | $9 |
Gas | $250 | 3% | $7.50 |
Lyft rides | $30 | 6.5% | $1.50 |
Travel (with Chase travel portal) | $250 | 6.5% | $12.50 |
Total | $2,030 | $90.50 |
If you clear the standard signup bonus, that’s another $300 on top for the first year. For more tips on making the most of your Chase Freedom Unlimited, check out our Chase Ultimate Rewards earning guide.
Despite being marketed as a cashback card, you actually earn points, which you can redeem for cash. Also, redeem your Chase points for other rewards. Here’s how:
Many cardholders praise the Chase Freedom Unlimited®‘s 1.5% cashback feature. However, a few customers expressed that they had trouble getting their credit limit increased.
JPMorgan Chase Credit Card is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau but it has an C+ rating and a composite score of 1.18 out of 5 stars based on 229 customer reviews as of December 2021. 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 December 2021, Chase earns a Trustpilot score of 1.6 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.
After reviewing your application Chase will issue you either a Signature or Platinum card. If approved for a Signature account, your credit access line will be at least $5,000. If approved for a Platinum account, your credit limit will be at least $500.
If you’re interested in earning cash back on all of your purchases, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is the best cashback card you can currently get. With the addition of new 6.5% and cashback categories, this card rises high above flat-reward cards and even shoots beyond category cashback cards in some cases. No matter what kind of spender you are, you’ll find the Chase Freedom Unlimited® well worth the spot in your wallet. If you’re looking for a different kind of cashback card however, you’ll want to compare all cashback card options to find the one that brings you the most value on your spending needs.
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
Our team evaluates credit cards to determine their value against similar cards on the market.
We rank card types — travel, cash back, business — on a set of factors that are most relevant to that type of card. We create these rankings to help you narrow down a credit card that best suits your spending and budget.