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While there is really no such thing as a fun credit card, spending on the Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the Chase Freedom Flex℠ comes as close to fun as you can have with a credit card.
No, the cards don’t come with fancy lounge access or luxury department store purchase credits, but there’s a lot to love each time you pull either card from your wallet to make a purchase.
We’ll talk about how these cards can fit perfectly into your daily routine and also how the cards partner well with premium Chase cards to elevate the value you receive.
Warning — it may be difficult to select just one of these cards but we’ll attempt to lay out all the facts so you can ultimately determine if there’s a winner, or if perhaps both cards are winners.
Let’s find out.
This all-purpose cash-back card offers great bonus categories, including bonus points for every purchase you make!
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is easily one of the best cash-back credit cards on the market. There aren’t many no-annual-fee credit cards that offer multiple great bonus categories like 5% back on travel purchased through Chase, 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1.5% back on all other purchases.
When paired with other Chase cards in the Ultimate Rewards family, you can transfer that cash back into points if you wish – making it one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet.
Don’t forget too, there’s 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24%.
The Freedom Flex card is an excellent no-annual-fee card that still earns big with 5% cash-back on travel and other bonus categories.
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ sure does pack quite a punch — especially for a no-annual-fee card.
The Freedom Flex card is an incredible option for those looking for a well-rounded cash-back card, or a powerful point-earner when paired with a premium card in the Ultimate Rewards family.
A welcome bonus is a unique opportunity to jumpstart your rewards earning. And, while these welcome bonuses can fluctuate, it’s always a good opportunity to meet minimum spending requirements in the first 3 months after card approval and earn this initial bonus.
Currently, both of these no-annual-fee cards are offering a $200 welcome bonus after spending $500 within the first 3 months. A $200 welcome bonus is obviously worth $200, but if you have a premium Chase credit card, the bonus could be worth much more. We’ll explain how that works when we cover redemption options shortly.
The card with the best welcome bonus may differ depending on when you apply. Be sure to check for current welcome bonuses, pricing, and terms and conditions at the time of application.
Bottom Line: If a welcome bonus is important to you, be sure to check each card’s current offering before applying as amounts do fluctuate. A common welcome bonus for each of our featured cards is around $200 after spending $500 within the first 3 months after card approval.
Both of our featured cards earn cash-back in the initial form of Ultimate Rewards points that can be redeemed for cash-back, travel, and other options we’ll tell you about momentarily.
Right now, let’s look at how the cards compare when it comes to earning potential.
| Earning Categories | Freedom Unlimited Card | Freedom Flex Card |
| Travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards travel | 5% cash-back | |
| Quarterly bonus categories | N/A | 5% cash-back, up to $1,500 in purchases each quarter |
| Dining | 3% cash-back | |
| Drugstores | 3% cash-back | |
| Lyft ride purchases | 5% cash-back through March 2025 | |
| All other purchases | 1.5% cash-back | 1% cash-back |
If you were to maximize the quarterly bonus earnings, you would receive $300 in earnings each calendar year with the Freedom Flex card. It would take $20,000 in annual spending at 1.5% cash-back to equal that amount with the Freedom Unlimited card — less if your spending mix includes the 3% and 5% categories.
If your spending mix is more in non-bonus categories, you may fare better earning 1.5% on all purchases with the Freedom Unlimited card.
It’s also worthy to consider having both cards in order to take advantage of both quarterly bonus category earnings and earning 1.5% on all other purchases.
Bottom Line: The card that wins in the earning category will depend on your spending mix and whether you are able to utilize quarterly bonus categories. Sample quarterly bonus categories in the past have included home improvement stores, gas stations, grocery stores, drugstores, warehouse clubs, restaurants, Amazon, and streaming services.
Redeeming rewards may seem simple as you’re earning cash-back, right? Actually, both of our featured cards do earn cash-back but it is earned in the form of Ultimate Rewards points.
The Ultimate Rewards points you earn on either card can then be redeemed in several ways, including cash-back or statement credits.
Redemption options for your points include:
Note that some redemption options could result in less than 1 cent per point in value and may not be a good choice.
While the redemption value of Ultimate Rewards points earned on our featured cards is generally around 1 cent each (you may receive more when redeeming for gift cards), you can leverage those same points into a greater value with a premium Chase credit card.
Transferring points to either of these premium Chase cards could deliver value for your Ultimate Rewards far beyond 1 cent per point.
A fantastic travel card with a huge welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® card is one of the best travel rewards cards on the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.
Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance. With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.
A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.
If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is one of the best options out there.
The card combines elite travel benefits and perks like airport lounge access, with excellent point earning and redemption options. Plus it offers top-notch travel insurance protections to keep you covered whether you’re at home or on the road.
Don’t forget the $300 annual travel credit which really helps to reduce the annual fee!
When redeeming points for travel via the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you will receive 1.25 cents per point via the Chase travel portal. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card allows you to redeem for travel via the portal at 1.5 cents per point.
Also, once transferred to either of these premium cards, Ultimate Rewards points can then be transferred to airline and hotel partners where you may receive even greater potential value. For examples of some of the best ways to redeem your Ultimate Rewards points with the Chase transfer partners, we’ve put together some inspiring redemption options.
Hot Tip: While it’s common to transfer Ultimate Rewards points between personal Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning cards, you can also transfer points between Chase personal and Chase business cards, and vice versa.
You’ll receive these benefits with both the Freedom Unlimited card and the Freedom Flex card.
Bottom Line: Both cards carry equal travel protections and benefits including secondary car rental coverage, trip cancellation/interruption coverage, travel and emergency services, and roadside dispatch services.
Both of our featured cards come with several of the same shopping protections and benefits:
In addition to the above protections and benefits, the Freedom Flex card offers cell phone protection. Pay for your monthly wireless bill with your card and receive up to $800 for theft or damage. Claims are limited to 2 each year and a $1,000 maximum annual benefit. There is a $50 deductible for each claim.
Bottom Line: Both of our featured cards come with the same level of shopping protections and benefits, including purchase protection, extended warranty, and elevated earnings and savings when shopping through the Chase Shopping Portal and with Chase Offers. You’ll also find a 0% APR on purchases and complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership with both cards. The Freedom Flex card has the edge here, however, with the addition of cell phone protection.
While our featured cards are very similar, let’s see how they stack up when we look at the features and benefits side by side.
Here’s how the cards compare in each category:
| Card Feature or Benefit | Freedom Unlimited Card | Freedom Flex Card |
| Earnings |
|
|
| Redemption Options |
| |
| Travel Protections and Benefits | Secondary car rental insurance; trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage; travel emergency assistance; roadside dispatch | |
| Shopping Protections and Benefits |
| |
| Cell Phone Protection | N/A | Up to $800 per claim/$1,000 per year with a $50 deductible per claim |
Our featured cards count toward Chase’s 5/24 rule that states you cannot have 5 or more credit cards opened from any issuer in the past 24 months. You will be denied a new card if you are in this situation.
For this reason, you’ll want to plan your card applications accordingly.
It’s also worth noting that both of our featured cards charge 3% foreign transaction fees on all foreign purchases.
The Freedom Unlimited card utilizes the Visa network while the Freedom Flex card is a Mastercard.
Expectations might be low for a no-annual-fee card, but the Freedom Unlimited card and Freedom Flex card bust that myth with robust earning potential, flexible redemption options, and travel/shopping benefits that can save you money.
And, when paired with a premium Chase rewards card such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred card or Chase Sapphire Reserve card, Ultimate Rewards earned on either Freedom card are worth up to 50% more for travel. Plus, once Ultimate Rewards are in your Sapphire card account, transferring to a travel partner can yield even more potential value.
If you’re just getting started or want to add to your Chase card portfolio, either of our featured cards could be a good choice for earning lots of additional Ultimate Rewards points.
The information regarding the Chase Freedom Flex℠ was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
Both the Freedom Unlimited card and Freedom Flex card do not charge an annual fee, have the same flexible redemption options, and have similar travel and shopping protections and benefits.
The Freedom Flex card, however, has rotating quarterly 5% bonus categories that could potentially deliver faster earnings if you can maximize spending in these categories.
Additionally, the Freedom Flex card offers cell phone protection which is not offered by the Freedom Unlimited card.
The better card for you will depend on your spending mix and whether you value cell phone protection.
Yes, you can have several Chase-issued credit cards, including both the Freedom Unlimited card and the Freedom Flex card.
Chase has a rule, however, that you will not be approved for a card if you have obtained 5 or more cards from any issuer within the past 24 months.
Both cards earn Ultimate Rewards points on every purchase you make. These points are deposited into your account at the end of each statement period and are then available to be redeemed for cash-back, statement credits, for travel via the Ultimate Rewards travel portal, gift cards, shopping at Amazon and Apple, and for experiences.
Points do not expire as long as you have an Ultimate Rewards earning card active. Points can also be transferred to premium Chase credit cards and redeemed for more value toward travel or transferred to airline or hotel partners.
Neither card has primary car rental insurance. Both cards come with secondary car rental insurance that kicks in only after you have first submitted a claim to other insurance that would apply to the loss.
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Christine ran her own business developing and managing insurance and financial services. This stoked a passion for points and miles and she now has over 2 dozen credit cards and creates in-depth, detailed content for UP.
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