It’s no secret that the Chase Freedom card is quickly becoming one of the most valuable cards in my wallet. At face value the card is a simple 1% cash back credit card, but it’s actually so much more. While the card offers 1% on all purchases annually, it also offers 5% cash back on quarterly rotating bonus categories. Chase limits the benefit to the first $1,500 of quarterly spend, but that still nets $75 of cash back quarterly.
Even better, if you pair the Chase Freedom with another Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card you can transfer cash back points earned from the Chase Freedom to the Ultimate Rewards program. Once you transfer points you can use those points like any other points earned from an Ultimate Rewards credit card. If maximized, card holders earn 7,500 Ultimate Rewards points quarterly which I value at approximately $112.
Activate Your Chase Freedom Quarterly Bonus Category
While the Chase Freedom card offers 5% cash back on quarterly categories, card holders must activate that perk each quarter. The process is fairly simple, but must be done to earn 5% Cash Back. To activate the quarterly bonus, start by logging in to your Chase Freedom account. When you click on your account you should see the below message to the right of your current account balance and outstanding credit limit.
When you click “Activate” you’ll be redirected to another webpage which shows your progress within the current quarter. Just below the quarterly status box you should find a section that looks like this:
Once you see the above box, click the “Activate” button and you’re set to earn 5% on the first $1,500 of quarterly bonus category spend. If you forget until later in the quarter to activate the benefit, Chase retroactively awards cash back. Chase allows you to activate until approximately 15 days before the end of each quarter. That cutoff for Q3 2017 was on September 14.
Q4 2017 Chase Freedom Bonus Categories
Each year Chase publishes a teaser of what each quarter will bring. This year for 2017 the teaser simply said “Holiday.” Typically in Q4 Chase offers 5% on department store spend and this year is no exception. This year Chase is offering 5% on purchase made at Department Stores and at Wal-Mart locations. Overall the Q4 benefit is fairly generous since many of us purchase gifts for the holidays at these types of merchants. The Wal-Mart category is also another way to earn 5% cash back on groceries.
Final Thoughts
Activating the quarterly Chase Freedom bonus categories takes just a few moments. If you carry the Chase Freedom card make sure to activate your Q4 2017 bonus category sooner than later. It’d be a shame to miss out on 5% cash back on holiday purchases at department stores or other purchases made at Wal-Mart.
I hope this helps you understand how simple it is to “Activate” each quarterly bonus. I always laugh when I see other card issuers site “confusing rotating bonus categories” as a reason to pick their cash back card over “other” confusing cards. They’re obviously referencing the Chase Freedom’s rotating bonus categories which aren’t that confusing or difficult to activate.
