Chase Freedom Unlimited® Review – up to $800 welcome bonus

KEY LINK: Chase Freedom Unlimited® card – welcome offer of $200 and 5% back on groceries for the first year (up to $800 total)

There are 3 different ways that I like to think of to get value from a credit card:

• The welcome offer
• Category bonuses for spending (or a high rate for everyday spending)
• Other perks that you get from just having the card (free hotel nights, free checked bags, elite status)

It’s rare to have a card that hits all 3 of these things, but if you find one that offers at least 2 of them, it’s definitely a card worth considering. I think the current offer from the Chase Freedom Unlimited does hit the first 2 of these bullet points

Chase Freedom Unlimited® review – signup bonus

First up let’s talk about the signup bonus on the Chase Freedom Unlimited. The Freedom Unlimited card has had a few different signup bonuses, and sometimes it depends on where or how you sign up for it. The current signup bonus that I think makes the most sense is

• $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months
• 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (not including Target® and Walmart® purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year

If you max out your grocery bonus, that would be a total of $800 as a welcome bonus. Of course, that does mean spending $1,000 per month on groceries. And while that wouldn’t be a problem for my family, it might be for yours. Adjust your expectations accordingly.

Chase Freedom Unlimited® review – earning

Chase Ultimate Rewards are one of the best types of miles and points currencies out there – because it’s a transferrable currency, it’s able to be transferred to a variety of miles and points partners, which helps insulate it from devaluations.

Plus it’s easier than others to get a lot of – including the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Ink Preferred, Chase Ink Unlimited, Chase Ink Cash, Chase Freedom Flex, to name a few.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited has a very simple earning structure with no annual fee.

• 3% on dining at restaurants including takeout and eligible delivery services
• 3% on drugstore purchases
• 5% on travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal
• 1.5% on all other purchases

This card does fall under the Chase 5/24 rule, so you’ll likely not be approved if you’ve applied for 5 or more cards in the past 24 months.

Combining Chase Ultimate Rewards from your Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Since the Chase Freedom Unlimited card is not considered a “premium” card, its points are only worth 1 cent when considered by themselves.  However, if you already HAVE a premium card (like the Sapphire Reserve or Ink Preferred for example), then you are able to (at least for now!) combine all your Chase Ultimate Rewards into one account.

So your 1.5x for every dollar spent, if transferred to an account with the Sapphire Reserve (where you can REDEEM for 1.5 times), would give you 2.25% back on purchases through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.  And of course if you transfer them to travel partners, you can often get even MORE value.

That’s why even though the Chase Freedom Unlimited is marked as having a welcome bonus of $200, it’s really 20,000 Ultimate Rewards points.

To me, this makes the Chase Freedom Unlimited one of the best credit cards to put everyday spending on, if you’re not meeting a minimum spending requirement or getting a category bonus.

0% Intro APR offer

While it’s ideal to pay your credit card statement in full, each and every month, if you are carrying a balance or want extra time to make a large purchase, the Freedom Unlimited does have an introductory 0% APR offer available.

• 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers
• After that, 18.74% – 27.49% variable APR | Current APR: 19.27%-27.99%

If you do take advantage of this offer, make sure you have a plan to pay off your balance before the introductory 0% APR period ends.

Is the Chase Freedom Unlimited® the best no annual fee card out there?

KEY LINK: Chase Freedom Unlimited® card – welcome offer of $200 and 5% back on groceries for the first year (up to $800 total)

I think that the Chase Freedom Unlimited is one of the best cards out there with no annual fee. It’s especially a great card if you already have a premium Chase card, since it makes the points you get with the Freedom Unlimited more valuable. Other options for good cards with no annual fee include the Wells Fargo Active Cash (2% cashback everywhere) or the Citi Double Cash (2 ThankYou points per $1 everywhere).

What do you think? Where does the Chase Freedom Unlimited card fall in the list of best no annual fee cards out there?  Leave your thoughts in the comments

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