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Chase Freedom Flex Review: A High-Value Cash Back Card With Big Bonus Categories

Review Updated
Lyle Daly
By: Lyle Daly

Our Credit Cards Expert

Eric McWhinnie
Check IconFact Checked Eric McWhinnie
Many or all of the products here are from our partners that compensate us. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures our experts’ opinions aren’t influenced by compensation. Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.

Cash back cards don't get much better than the Chase Freedom Flex℠. It has a fantastic rewards program, including multiple 5% back categories. There's also a large welcome offer, and all for no annual fee. Find out if it's right for you in this Chase Freedom Flex℠ review.

Chase Freedom Flex℠
Apply Now for Chase Freedom Flex℠

On Chase's Secure Website.

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5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Credit Score: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Apply Now for Chase Freedom Flex℠

On Chase's Secure Website.

Credit Score Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Intro APR

Purchases: 0%, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months

Regular APR

20.49%-29.24% Variable

Rewards Circle with letter I in it. 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter! Plus, earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases.

5% cash back offer

Annual Fee

$0

Welcome Offer Circle with letter I in it. Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening!

$200 bonus

  • Checks all the boxes for a cash back credit card, with high cash back rates across several categories, a 0% intro APR, and a big sign-up bonus.

    • Big sign-up bonus
    • Lucrative cash back program
    • Long 0% intro APR
    • No annual fee
    • Purchase and travel protections
    • Foreign transaction fee
    • 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 Ultimate Rewards®, 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 20.49%-29.24%.
    • No annual fee – You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom FlexSM 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

Full Chase Freedom Flex review

This credit card is a good fit for: Consumers who want to earn lots of cash back in a variety of bonus categories. Everyone from budget-conscious shoppers to big spenders can get plenty of value from this versatile rewards card.

Top perks

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is loaded with benefits, starting with the opportunity to earn lots of cash rewards.

$200 sign-up bonus

You earn a $200 sign-up bonus after spending just $500 on purchases in the first 3 months. It's a large amount of cash back, and it doesn't require you to spend that much. Overall, it's in line with the best sign-up bonuses for no annual fee credit cards.

MORE OPTIONS: Best Sign-Up Bonus Credit Cards

Up to 5% back

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ has a long list of bonus categories. Here are the card's cash back rates:

  • 5% back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate
  • 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
  • 5% back on Lyft rides through March 31, 2025
  • 3% back on dining at restaurants, which includes takeout and orders through eligible delivery services
  • 3% back at drugstores
  • 1% back on other purchases

With so many bonus opportunities, this Chase card outperforms most of the competition. For example, there are other cash back cards with rotating 5% back categories, but those are their only bonus categories. The Chase Freedom Flex℠ has those and several other areas where it earns 3% to 5% back. That makes it great for maximizing your credit card rewards.

MORE TOP PICKS: Best Cash Back Credit Cards

0% intro APR for 15 months

For the first 15 months, this Chase credit card has a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers. After the intro period, the go-to variable APR applies.

A 0% intro APR can be useful if you have large expenses coming up that you can't pay in full right away. Or, if you have debt, you could transfer it to this card to pay it down while avoiding interest charges (for a small balance transfer fee, see pricing and terms for details). Do your best to pay off your full balance within the first 15 months to avoid interest charges entirely.

No redemption minimum

A helpful and underrated perk of Chase credit cards is that you can redeem any amount of rewards you want, even as little as $0.01 in cash back. There are credit cards that make redemptions more inconvenient by requiring you to hit a minimum amount of cash back first, such as $20 or $25.

Complimentary protections

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ has some valuable benefits beyond its flagship lineup of perks. These include:

  • Cellphone protection: When you pay your monthly cellphone bill with your Chase Freedom Flex℠, you'll receive complimentary protection against covered theft or damage. The coverage limit is up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per year, with a maximum of two claims per 12-month period and a $50 deductible per claim.
  • Purchase protection: Eligible new purchases are covered for up to 120 days against damage or theft. The coverage limit is $500 per claim and $50,000 per credit card account.
  • Extended warranty protection: Extends the time period of the U.S. manufacturer's warranty by an additional year, on eligible warranties of three years or less.
  • Trip cancellation/interruption insurance: Can reimburse you up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip for your prepaid, non-refundable passenger fares. Applies if your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather, and other covered situations.
  • Auto rental collision damage waiver: Applies when you decline the rental company's collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card. This covers theft and collision damage for most rental cars in the United States and abroad. For U.S. car rentals, coverage is secondary to your personal insurance.

LEARN MORE: A Guide to Chase Freedom Flex Card Benefits

What could be improved

While this Chase cash back card doesn't have any major problems, there are a couple of small drawbacks.

Foreign transaction fee

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ has a foreign transaction fee of 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars. Considering so many of the top credit cards have done away with these types of fees, we'd like to see Chase do the same.

Standard rate of 1% back

On purchases that don't fit into its bonus categories, this card earns 1% back. That's understandable -- 1% is the standard rate for credit cards with bonus categories. But there are also cards that earn a flat rate of 2% on purchases in all categories. A card like that may be a better choice if your spending is more balanced, and you don't expect to spend a large amount in this card's bonus categories.

Find the best credit card for your needs

Compare credit card rewards, fees, APRs, and more using our side-by-side comparison tool.

Suggested credit score

A FICO® Score of 670 or higher is recommended to apply for the Chase Freedom Flex℠. Most of Chase's credit cards are targeted at consumers with good credit or excellent credit, and this one is no different. Keep in mind that your credit score doesn't guarantee approval or denial.

Another important factor any time you apply for a Chase credit card is the number of credit cards you've opened recently. If you've already opened five or more cards in the last 24 months, you'll likely get an automatic denial due to what's known as Chase's 5/24 rule.

RELATED: How to Build Credit Fast

TIP

How to increase your Chase rewards

Chase's credit cards are popular, and one benefit that people love is being able to carry multiple Chase cards and combine rewards. This is a good way to earn bonuses across a wider range of categories. You can even move rewards earned on a Chase cash back card to a Chase travel card. One common rewards strategy built around this is called the Chase Trifecta.

Chase Freedom Flex vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited

There's another Chase Freedom card, the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, that shares many of the same features. They also have similar cash back rates, with 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Travel and 3% on dining and at drugstores. Here's what makes these two cards different:

  • The Chase Freedom Unlimited® earns 1.5% back on non-bonus spending. That's 50% more than the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and its standard rate of 1%.
  • The Chase Freedom Flex℠ has rotating quarterly bonus categories you can activate to earn 5% back on up to $1,500 in purchases. The Chase Freedom Unlimited® doesn't have these.
  • The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is a Mastercard, and the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a Visa. For most consumers, this won't be important, as both Mastercard and Visa are widely accepted.

Deciding between the Chase Freedom credit cards ultimately depends on which cash back setup you prefer. If you want 5% in rotating quarterly categories, then the Chase Freedom Flex℠ is the way to go. If you don't need that and would rather earn 1.5% on non-bonus spending, get the Chase Freedom Unlimited®.

The Chase Freedom Flex is right for you if:

Considering all the perks of the Chase Freedom Flex℠, it will work well for you in any of these situations:

  • You want a cash back card that earns bonus rewards on everyday purchases.
  • You don't want to pay an annual fee.
  • You have one or more big purchases you'd like to pay off over time or want to use balance transfer strategies with a 0% intro APR.

SEE MORE: Expert Credit Card Reviews

Alternatives to consider

  • If you want a card with no foreign transaction fee: The Discover it® Cash Back is a no annual fee cash back card that you can use abroad without issue. There's no foreign transaction fee, and this card also offers 5% back on rotating quarterly bonus categories you activate, up to a $1,500 quarterly spending cap.
  • If you want to earn an unlimited 2% on purchases: Check out the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card. It earns a flat rate of 2% cash rewards on any type of purchase you make, so it's ideal if you have balanced spending and don't want to deal with bonus categories.
As of Nov. 27, 2023
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Discover it® Cash Back Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
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5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Credit Rating Requirement: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Credit Rating Requirement: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Welcome Offer: Circle with letter I in it. N/A

Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year.

Welcome Offer: Circle with letter I in it. Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.

$200 cash rewards

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases—automatically.

1% - 5% Cashback

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.

2% cash rewards

Intro APR:

Purchases: 0%, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months

Intro APR: Circle with letter I in it. 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers

Purchases: 0% intro APR, 15 months from account opening

Balance Transfers: 0% intro APR, 15 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers

Regular APR:

17.24% - 28.24% Variable APR

Regular APR:

20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR

Annual Fee:

$0

Annual Fee: Circle with letter I in it. N/A

$0

Highlights:

  • INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.
  • Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases—automatically.
  • Redeem your rewards for cash at any time.
  • Discover could help you reduce exposure of your personal information online by helping you remove it from select people-search sites that could sell your data. It’s free, activate with the mobile app.
  • Get a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases. Then 17.24% to 28.24% Standard Variable Purchase APR applies, based on credit worthiness.
  • No annual fee.
  • Terms and conditions apply.

Highlights:

  • Select “Apply Now” to take advantage of this specific offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
  • Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
  • Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
  • 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR thereafter; balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate and fee of 3% then a BT fee of up to 5%, min: $5.
  • $0 annual fee.
  • No categories to track or remember and cash rewards don’t expire as long as your account remains open.
  • Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
  • Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
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FAQs

  • The Chase Freedom Flex℠ has a minimum credit limit of $500, but it's possible to get a much larger amount, including over $20,000. Chase determines your credit limit based on many factors, with your income and credit history being most important.

  • The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is a World Elite Mastercard®.

  • The Chase Freedom Flex℠ usually isn't hard to get for qualified applicants. In particular, it helps to have a FICO® Score of at least 670. Make sure you also haven't opened five or more credit cards in the last 24 months. If you have, your application will most likely be denied due to Chase's 5/24 rule.

Our Credit Cards Experts