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When it comes to no-annual-fee credit cards, it doesn’t get much better than Chase’s duo of the Chase Freedom Unlimited® (see rates and fees) and the Chase Freedom Flex® (see rates and fees).
Right now, the Freedom Unlimited is offering an elevated welcome bonus with more bonus cash back on the table.
Both the Freedom Flex and the Freedom Unlimited are excellent rewards credit cards with no annual fee. Even better, they offer the flexibility to earn either cash back or fully transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards points when combined with select Chase cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees).
Let’s dive deeper into these offers and see how they stack up.
Chase Freedom Unlimited welcome offer
Right now, new Chase Freedom Unlimited cardholders can earn a $250 bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
This is $50 higher than the typical offer we see in the card’s history, so now is a good time to apply.
Earning rates
- 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase Travel℠
- 3% cash back on dining
- 3% cash back at drugstores
- 1.5% cash back on everything else
These are valuable earning rates, but you should crunch the numbers to see if another card (like the Freedom Flex) makes more sense.
Apply: Chase Freedom Unlimited
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Chase Freedom Flex welcome offer
New Chase Freedom Flex cardholders can earn $200 cash back after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months.
This is the regular welcome offer the card provides. While it offers solid value, you may want to hold off until it offers this amount of cash back plus an additional 5% category, which we’ve seen in the past for grocery and gas station purchases.
Earning rates
- 5% cash back on the first $1,500 spent on rotating categories each quarter (activation required)
- 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase Travel
- 3% cash back on dining
- 3% cash back at drugstores
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
That’s an impressive lineup of earning categories for any card, let alone a no-annual-fee credit card.
Apply: Chase Freedom Flex
How to turn your cash back into Chase points
What really makes these two cards powerful is how well they play with others.
If you have another Chase card that earns transferable Ultimate Rewards points, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) or the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees), you can combine the points from your Freedom Unlimited or Freedom Flex.
I have both the Freedom Unlimited and the Freedom Flex, and pair them with my Sapphire Reserve to convert the cash back into Ultimate Rewards points.
This unlocks the ability to transfer your points at a 1:1 ratio to the Ultimate Rewards program’s airline and hotel partners, including valuable programs like Air France-KLM Flying Blue, British Airways Club and World of Hyatt.
In this scenario, TPG’s March 2026 valuations deem Chase points as worth 2.05 cents apiece, so your rewards have significantly more flexibility when used in this way.
Related: The power of the Chase Trifecta: Maximize your earnings with 3 cards
Key considerations
It’s worth pointing out that both the Freedom Unlimited and the Freedom Flex impose foreign transaction fees, so they’re not ideal to use outside the U.S. Rather, you should use a card with no foreign transaction fees.
Additionally, you’ll want to make sure you comply with Chase’s 5/24 rule and the issuer’s other application restrictions before applying. You’d hate to waste a hard inquiry on your credit report only to not get approved.
Bottom line
If you’re a current holder of the Sapphire Preferred or the Sapphire Reserve and don’t have a Chase Freedom card, now could be a good time to apply for one of them.
Both the Freedom Unlimited and the Freedom Flex are worth a look to boost your everyday spending, and the Freedom Unlimited is currently offering a higher welcome bonus than usual.
To learn more, read our reviews of the Freedom Unlimited and the Freedom Flex.
Apply here: Chase Freedom Unlimited
Apply here: Chase Freedom Flex
