The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card are two of our most recommended rewards card. In this article, let’s look at two cards that have proven to be considerable contenders and complementary to your Sapphire card – the Chase Freedom® Flex® vs. the Chase Freedom Unlimited®.
The Chase Freedom Unlimited currently has a first-year offer of 1.5% cash back on all purchases up to $20,000. This offer is not reflected in the comparison below.
For clarity, here’s what this means for your earning within the first 12 months:
+ You would earn 4.5x points on restaurants (because you normally earn 3x points)
+ You would earn 4.5x points at drugstores (because you normally earn 3x points)
+ You would earn 3x points on ALL other purchases (because you normally earn 1.5x points)
With the current offer, you'll now earn a total of 4.5x on dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services), 4.5x on drugstores, 6.5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, and 3x on everything else for the first year, up to $20,000. This special offer is best for those who have a healthy amount of monthly spending on dining and general expenses.
If you’re counting the reasons why we love Chase credit cards, that list is very long! We all love Chase because of its impressive line of personal and business credit cards and the offers that these cards give to their cardholders. Not to mention, all of these cards play well with the Chase Ultimate Rewards program.
However, choosing a card that works best for you out of the many options available may prove to be difficult. Because of Chase’s 5/24 rule, having a carefully planned credit card strategy for your Chase cards is a must.
The Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Freedom Unlimited may appear identical but are actually not. The similarities between these two cards include zero annual fees and 3x earning on dining and drugstores. Apart from these, many features vary. Important Note: These cards are marketed as cash back cards, but you actually earn Chase points. Then, you can elect to use the points or get cash back. For that reason, I will use the earning in the form of “3x” for points earned instead of “3%” for cash back.
Points Earning Structure
When it comes to earning points, the Chase Freedom Unlimited structure is very straightforward at 1.5% cash back (or 1.5x points) on all purchases.
Both the Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Freedom Unlimited offer 3x on dining and 3x on drugstores. Both cards also earn 5x on travel booked through Chase Travel℠.
The Chase Freedom Flex earning structure is more complicated with 5% cash back (or 5x points) on your first $1,500 spent on different bonus categories every quarter, and then 1x back on everything else. For instance, past categories have included grocery stores, Walmart, Paypal, and select streaming services. Because of this rotating nature, Chase Freedom Flex users have to register their card every quarter to be entitled to the 5x points. Don’t worry though, the registration process is relatively simple and Chase sends out notifications beforehand to make sure you’re in the loop.
Sign-Up Bonuses
Current offers are listed here:
With the current offer, you'll now earn a total of 4.5x on dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services), 4.5x on drugstores, 6.5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, and 3x on everything else for the first year, up to $20,000. This special offer is best for those who have a healthy amount of monthly spending on dining and general expenses.
Points Redemption
Redeeming points with the Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Freedom Unlimited are almost similar. The cash backs are issued through points and each point is equivalent to 1 cent each. However, you have the opportunity to get twice as much value from these points when you own rewards-earning cards such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Chase Ink Business Cards.
When you own any of the cards mentioned, you can transfer your points and convert them into Ultimate Rewards points. With Chase’s impressive list of transfer partners, hotels and airlines included, you can value points to up to 2 cents each. This means that your benefits don’t only lie on the cash back, but even more so on rewards.
Check out our Chase Ultimate Rewards Guide here for more details on how you can maximize your points.
When to get the Chase Freedom Unlimited
With the current offer, you'll now earn a total of 4.5x on dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services), 4.5x on drugstores, 6.5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, and 3x on everything else for the first year, up to $20,000. This special offer is best for those who have a healthy amount of monthly spending on dining and general expenses.
If you want a card that’s straightforward and earns more (1.5x) on every purchase you make, then the Chase Freedom Unlimited is the better choice for you. This is my personal preference. I can pay insurance premiums, car repairs, and other large bills with these card and get 1.5x. This straightforward earning is easier for me than wondering what spending categories there are each quarter. This card fits budgeters as it offers flat rates and predictable features. You also don’t need to tailor your budget and spending habits to accommodate certain categories just to get the rewards you need, which could prevent you from overspending.
This card is low maintenance and won’t require you to register your card every quarter for rotating cash back features. This is definitely the card to have if you’re accustomed to sticking to a strict spending schedule, and don’t have the time to google spending categories every now and then.
When to get the Chase Freedom Flex
If you love the idea of maximizing rewards and are up to the challenge to do so, then the Chase Freedom Flex is your card. This card is great for rewards maximizers or those who are keen to squeeze out every available point from a card!
The Chase Freedom Flex shines at its 5x points for quarterly rotating categories, and this may just be what you need. What’s great with these categories is that they’re broad and can include special categories such as PayPal.
Note: One major differentiator is that the Freedom Flex is a World Mastercard. That means a few additional benefits come as a result:
- Cell phone protection: Up to $800 per claim and $1K per year against theft or damage with a $50 deductible when you pay your monthly bill with the card (max of 2 claims per year)
- Lyft credits: Get a $10 credit for every 5 Lyft rides you take in a calendar month
- Boxed Rewards: 5% back in Boxed rewards for future purchases
- Free Shoprunner Shipping
- Fandango points: Double VIP+ points for movie tickets purchased via the Fandango app or at Fandango.com
Breakdown: Chase Freedom Flex vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited
| Chase Freedom Flex | Chase Freedom Unlimited | |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-up bonus | $200 when you spend $500 in the first 3 months | Special Offer: Up to $300 |
| Base Earning | 5x (up to $1,500 per quarter), for rotating categories 1x other purchases | 1.5x on everything not listed below |
| Extra Earning | 3x dining, 3x drugstores, 5x travel (via Chase Travel℠ portal) | 3x dining, 3x drugstores, 5x travel (via Chase Travel℠ portal) |
| Points Redemption Value | 1 cent per point or up to 2 cents when you transfer to Sapphire or Ink Preferred | 1 cent per point or up to 2 cents when you transfer to Sapphire or Ink Preferred |
| Foreign Transaction Fees? | Yes | Yes |
| Network | World Mastercard | Visa |
| Annual fee | $0 | $0 |
Bottom line
The Chase Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited both offer great value for their owners.
- No annual fee
- Maximum flexibility for cash back or free travel
- Great spending category multipliers, especially 3x dining
- Great overall value when combined with a Sapphire card (or Chase Ink Business Preferred)
- Good approval odds and great relationship-builder for those without a Chase credit card
If you’re in it for the travel rewards and you really want to maximize every spend you make, make sure you have one of the more premium Ultimate Rewards cards such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Chase Sapphire Reserve. These cards can maximize the spending you do on a Freedom card while also giving you no foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad. The Freedom cards do have a foreign transaction fee when used internationally.
With the current offer, you'll now earn a total of 4.5x on dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services), 4.5x on drugstores, 6.5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, and 3x on everything else for the first year, up to $20,000. This special offer is best for those who have a healthy amount of monthly spending on dining and general expenses.
