Chase Freedom Flex℠ Credit Card – Full Review [2020]

The information regarding the Chase Freedom Flex℠ Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. 

The Freedom Flex℠ Credit Card is Chase’s newest credit card offering and boy does it 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.

So let’s have a look at what makes the new Freedom Flex card so compelling.

• Powerful point/cash-back earner: 5% back on quarterly categories and travel purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1% back on all other purchases
• No annual fee
• Ability to pool points
• Mastercard World Elite benefits

• 3% foreign transaction fees

There are 2 types of people that will be the best fit for a card like the Freedom Flex card.

The first is anyone looking for a strong cash-back card that also charges no annual fee. With 5% cash-back on quarterly categories (up to $1,500 in spend) and travel purchases and 3% back on dining and drugstores, the amount of cash-back you can earn can amount to significant savings.

The second type is people looking to earn as many points as possible to maximize travel rewards by pooling points with a premium Ultimate Rewards card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card.

How is this possible? When you transfer the points earned from your Freedom Flex card to a premium Ultimate Rewards card, your points are then worth 25% to 50% more when redeemed through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal, or even more when transferred to one of the Chase airline or hotel transfer partners.

• You want a card with a strong point/cash-back earning structure
• You want a card with no annual fee
• You want a card that earns flexible rewards

• You want a premium credit card that offers travel benefits and perks

Rotating Bonus Categories

Just like the original Chase Freedom® card, the Freedom Flex card allows you to earn 5% cash-back/5x Ultimate Rewards points on quarterly rotating bonus categories on up to $1,500 in purchases — equivalent to $75 in cash-back or 7,500 Ultimate Rewards points if you hit the $1,500 cap.

Chase Travel Portal

When you book travel through the Chase Travel Portal and pay with your Freedom Flex card, you’ll earn 5% back on the purchase. This isn’t just limited to flights and hotels, but also rental cars, cruises, vacation packages, and any other travel experiences offered through the portal.

Dining Purchases

With the Freedom Flex card, you’ll also earn 3% back on all dining purchases, including take-out or eligible delivery services like Uber Eats or DoorDash.

Drugstore Purchases

Freedom Flex cardholders will also earn 3% back on drugstore purchases. The Freedom Flex card is one of the select few credit cards on the market to offer a drugstore bonus category, so the card is a perfect option for someone with significant prescription expenses, or who regularly shops at stores like Walgreens and CVS.

Chase Shopping Portal

All Chase cardholders have access to the Chase shopping portal. Chase has partnered with several brands like Apple, Nike, and Samsung to offer anywhere from an extra 2x to 20x points per $1 spent.

Adding Additional Ultimate Rewards-Earning Cards

As we mentioned before, the Freedom Flex card is technically a cash-back card, but when paired with a premium Ultimate Rewards-earning card can offer massive value towards travel — making for a great 1-2 punch card combo.

Hot Tip: Interested in learning more about Chase’s Ultimate Rewards cards that will allow you to pool your points for huge value? Our favorites include the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, and the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.

One of the best things about earning Chase Ultimate Rewards points is all of the options you have when it comes time to redeem your points. So which redemption options are best and which should you avoid?

Cash-Back

Naturally, seeing that the Freedom Flex card is a cash-back card at heart, so redeeming your points for cash-back is the most obvious and straightforward option.

You can receive your cash-back via a statement credit to offset purchases you’ve made, or get a deposit straight into the bank account you have linked with your account at a rate of 1 cent per point.

Redeeming for Gift Cards

Chase also gives the option for cardholders the redeem their points for gift cards with over 150 different merchants. However, it offers the same 1 cent per point rate that you receive with cash-back, so you really should opt for that instead of tying up your points with just 1 merchant.

Shop With Points on Apple and Amazon

If your Freedom Flex card is linked as your payment method on your Apple and/or Amazon account, Chase will allow you to use your points toward purchases their products at a rate of 1 cent per point.

Chase Experience Portal

Cardholders can also use their points to book one-of-a-kind experiences through the Chase Experiences Portal, like fine dining experiences, sports, or music tickets.

While these experiences are only available to Chase cardholders, you’ll often be better off just booking them with cash, since using your points will offer just 1 cent per point in value.

Redeeming Points Through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal

You could use your points through Ultimate Rewards travel portal to offset travel purchases like airfare or hotel stays.

Like other redemption options, your points will be worth 1 cent per point toward such purchases, and you can enjoy perks like no blackout dates. However, if you also hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred card your points are worth 25% more, and 50% more with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Pair With Other Ultimate Rewards Cards to Transfer to Airline and Hotel Partners

Those who hold a premium Ultimate Rewards card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred card or Chase Sapphire Reserve card not only receive a bonus in point value through the travel portal but also receive access to all of Chase’s airline and hotel transfer partners. And using the transfer partners can offer cardholders massive value.

Through these transfer partners, your Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be turned into first/business class flights or 5-star hotel stays!

Bottom Line: When redeeming your points, we recommend you opt for the most flexible and or high-value options. Namely, using utilizing the Chase transfer partners or cashing out your points for cash-back will be your best options. 

Wells Fargo Propel American Express®

The Wells Fargo Propel card is another great no-annual-fee cash-back card option that earns 3% back on a wide variety of categories like dining, gas stations, rideshares, transit, travel, and streaming services.

Capital One® Savor® Rewards card

If you’re someone who spends a lot on dining and entertainment purchases, then consider the CapOne Savor card that earns 4% cash-back on dining and entertainment, 2% at grocery stores, and 1% on all other purchases.