2025 Chase Freedom Flex Card 5% Bonus — New Q1 Categories [January to March]

The Chase Freedom Flex^® is a simple card that could easily get overlooked in your wallet. But that would be a mistake, because it has tremendous earning potential.

Each quarter, the Freedom Flex card has bonus categories that earn 5% cash-back (or 5x points — see below for details). The key to this card’s power is knowing how to use the bonus categories for maximum benefit.

In this post, we’ll review the new 5x bonus categories for Q1 2025 (January to March) and offer tips on how to get the most out of your Freedom Flex card.

New 2025 Q1 5x Bonus Categories

Chase announced that the bonus categories for 2025 Q1 will be Norwegian Cruise Lines, grocery stores, fitness clubs, and hair, nail, and spa services. That means qualifying purchases made in these categories from January 1 through March 31, 2025 (up to $1,500) will earn 5% cash-back. Any purchases made in these categories over $1,500, plus all purchases at nonbonus stores, will earn 1% cash-back.

Benefits of the Freedom Flex Card

Chase Freedom Flex^®

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

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.

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Chase Freedom Flex^®

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.

Welcome Offer

Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.

$200

Annual Fee

$0

APR

0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.74% - 28.49%

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

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.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.74% - 28.49%.
• Powerful 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

Cons

• 3% foreign transaction fees in U.S. dollars

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Card Highlights

• Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
• 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter!
• 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more
• 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
• No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
• 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.74%-28.49%.
• No annual fee – You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Flex^® card
• Keep tabs on your credit health - Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, real-time alerts, and more.
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.74% - 28.49%
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

The Freedom Flex card is a simple but powerful credit card. This $0-annual-fee card offers bonus categories that rotate quarterly. Any purchases in the specified category will earn 5% cash-back (up to $1,500 in purchases each quarter). There are also additional categories that earn 3% to 5% cash-back. All other purchases will earn 1% cash-back.

• Earn 5% cash-back in quarterly rotating categories (up to $1,500)
• Earn 5% cash-back on travel purchased through the Chase Travel portal
• Earn 5% cash-back on Lyft rides (through March 31, 2025)
• Earn 3% cash-back on dining (including food delivery services)
• Earn 3% cash-back at drugstores
• Earn 1% cash-back on all other purchases

In addition to these valuable bonus categories that help you earn tons of cash-back, the Freedom Flex card also has great additional benefits, including trip cancellation and interruption insurance, purchase protection, and cell phone protection.

Welcome Bonus Offer

The Freedom Flex card is currently offering the following welcome bonus offer: Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months.

Hot Tip:

The Freedom Flex card is not the same as the Chase Freedom^® card. The Freedom Flex card replaced the Freedom card, which is no longer available for new applicants. If you already have a Freedom card, you can still get a Freedom Flex card.

How Your 5% Cash-Back Works

Each quarter, your Freedom Flex card features a different bonus category that earns 5% cash-back (up to $1,500) instead of the standard 1% cash-back. Any purchases over $1,500 in the bonus category, plus all other nonbonus category purchases, earn 1% cash-back.

If you max out your bonus, you earn $75 cash-back (or 7,500 Ultimate Rewards points) each quarter or $300 cash-back (or 30,000 points) per year. Not bad for a card with $0 annual fee!

How To Activate Your Bonus

Each quarter, you must activate your bonus categories. You will be able to activate the next quarter’s bonus categories about 2 weeks before the start of that quarter. Starting December 16, 2024, you can activate your Q1 (January to March) bonus for 2025.

Activating your bonus only takes a few clicks.

1. Log in to to your online Chase account and select your Freedom Flex card from the selections on the left side of your screen.

2. If your bonus needs to be activated, you should see “Activate” on the Freedom Flex card dashboard. Click the link to continue.

3. You should see a detailed description of the bonus categories you’re activating. Click on the big green “Activate Now” button to complete the activation. That’s all there is to it!

Chase offers several other ways to activate your bonus:

• Call 800-524-8200.
• Visit a Chase branch.
• Activate via an ATM.
• Activate at chasebonus.com.

Each quarter has a deadline for activating your bonus. As long as you activate by the deadline, any qualifying purchases from the entire quarter earns bonus points.

Once your bonus categories are activated, you should be able to see that they are activated in your online dashboard for your Freedom Flex card.

How To Check Your Progress on the $1,500 Maximum

Maxing out your quarterly bonus is key to making the most of your Freedom Flex card.

1. To check your progress, click on the blue “Details” button in your online account. This button takes you to the Freedom Flex card details page, where you can keep track of your progress. Unfortunately, Chase only shows you a general idea of your progress, not an exact dollar amount.

2. If you want to know how much you have spent down to the penny, you need to use the “Search” feature right above the list of your transactions.

3. Under “Time Period“, select “Specific date range.” Next, input the start date of the current quarter with the end date being the current day. Then click on the blue “Search” button.

This selectiol brings up a list of all transactions on your Freedom Flex card in the current quarter. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to select only the purchases in the bonus categories, so you might have to do some manual math.

2025 Freedom Flex Card Bonus Categories

Q1: January-March

• Norwegian Cruise Lines
• Grocery stores (excluding Walmart and Target)
• Fitness clubs and gym memberships
• Self-care and spa services (excluding services purchased at hotels)

Bottom Line:

The new Freedom Flex card categories for 2025 Q1 are Norwegian Cruise Lines, grocery stores, fitness clubs, and self-care and spa services. Purchases made in these categories (up to $1,500) from January 1 to March 31, 2025, will earn 5% cash-back.

Past Bonus Categories

If you’re on the fence about getting a Freedom Flex card, you might want to know some of the past bonus categories, as they are often repeated.

These are the categories we’ve seen on the Freedom card over the past few years (again, the Freedom Flex card has replaced the Freedom card).

How To Maximize the Value of Your Freedom Flex Card

Max Out the Bonus Categories Each Quarter

The key to making the most of this card is to max out your bonus category each quarter. Since you earn 5% cash-back on the first $1,500 in purchases in the bonus category, it results in $75 cash-back (or 7,500 points) each quarter.

Here are a few tips to help you reach that $1,500 mark without buying a bunch of stuff you don’t need:

• Lowe’s: You can maximize this bonus category whether you have a home improvement project or want to pick up gift cards.
• Amazon.com: This category is easy to leverage for online shopping enthusiasts who have Amazon Prime.
• Gas Stations: This one might be hard to max out entirely on gas, but many gas stations sell more than just gas. You can earn 5% cash-back on basic groceries and gift cards at gas stations.
• Grocery Stores: This is one of the easiest categories to maximize because most grocery stores sell gift cards to just about anywhere. If you won’t spend the full $1,500 on groceries, purchase gift cards to stores that you frequent often. Many grocery stores even sell airline and other travel gift cards.
• Mobile Wallets (Chase Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Android Pay): This is another easy category to max out. Many stores now accept these forms of payment.
• PayPal: More and more websites are accepting PayPal as a form of payment now. Just be sure to link your Freedom Flex card account to your PayPal account.

Can I Turn My Cash-Back Into Points?

The cash-back you earn on the Freedom Flex card comes in the form of points that are each worth 1 cent. You can redeem these for cash-back or you can book travel through Chase Travel.

However, they can be worth more if you transfer them to a premium card.

Hot Tip: For some more information about how this all works, check out our in-depth guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Pair With a Premium Card

If you hold a premium card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve^®, Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card, or Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card, you can maximize the value of your Freedom Flex card.

Instead of taking cash-back, you can transfer the points earned on your Freedom Flex card to a premium Chase Ultimate Rewards card (one that charges an annual fee). Transferring points increases their value when you use them to book travel through the Chase Travel portal.

For example, your 7,500 points are worth $75 in travel through the Freedom Flex card. However, if you transfer them to the Chase Sapphire Preferred card or the Ink Business Preferred card, they would be worth $93.75. If you transfer them to the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, they would be worth $112.50.

Even better, when you also hold a premium card, you can transfer your points to any of Chase’s transfer partners. This is the best way to get maximum value from your points. You could get 2 cents, 3 cents or even more per point in value.

Bottom Line: You can get the most value out of your Freedom Flex card by pairing it with a premium card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, Chase Sapphire Preferred card, or Ink Business Preferred card.

Final Thoughts

The Freedom Flex card is a great no-annual-fee card with enormous earning power. This card offers 5% cash-back in bonus categories that rotate quarterly. The new 2025 Q1 categories are Norwegian Cruise Lines, grocery stores, fitness clubs, and hair, nails, and spa services. Maxing out your quarterly bonus is a great way to earn tons of Chase Ultimate Rewards points.