Chase Freedom Unlimited® Credit Card Review
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees) is an excellent no-annual-fee card for people who are looking to accumulate rewards with Chase. This card earns 5% cash back on travel purchased through the Chase Travel℠ portal, 3% on dining, food delivery, and drugstore purchases, and 1.5% on all other purchases.
Rewards you earn from purchases on the Freedom Unlimited become even more powerful if you also hold either the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees). By pairing your Freedom Unlimited with a premium Chase product, you can convert cash back into Ultimate Rewards points for travel redemptions with any of Chase’s transfer partners.
Here’s everything you should know about the Freedom Unlimited to help you decide if it’s right for you.
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Welcome Bonus
Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
Welcome Bonus
Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
Annual Fee:$0
- Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
- Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 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 1.5% on all other purchases.
- No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can use points to redeem for cash through an account statement credit or an electronic deposit into an eligible Chase account located in the United States!
- Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 18.24% – 27.74%.
- No annual fee – You won’t have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
- Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, alerts, and more.
- Member FDIC
- Earn 5% on purchases through Chase Travel℠
- Earn 3% on dining at restaurants
- Earn 3% on drugstore purchases
- Earn 1.5% on all purchases
Chase Freedom Unlimited Pros
- Excellent earning rates for travel, dining, and drugstore purchases.
- Chase Ultimate Rewards points don’t expire as long as your account is in good standing and open — and there’s no minimum amount for redemptions.
- Purchase and travel insurance protections.
- $0 annual fee.
Chase Freedom Unlimited Cons
- You can’t transfer points to any of Chase’s airline and hotel transfer partners unless you have another Ultimate Rewards credit card with an annual fee.
- Charges foreign transaction fees: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars.
- Chase’s strict application rules may make you ineligible for this card.
Freedom Unlimited Welcome Bonus
The Freedom Unlimited is offering a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
Offers on this card oscillate between matched or additional cash back on purchases or a cash bonus. Here’s the history of publicly available offers we have seen on the Freedom Unlimited.
Introductory APR offers
New cardholders can enjoy introductory annual percentage rate (APR) offers on both balance transfers and purchases, as follows:
- 0% introductory APR on purchases: Valid for 15 months, then a Variable APR of 18.24% – 27.74%.
- 0% introductory APR on balance transfers: Valid for 15 months, then a Variable APR of 18.24% – 27.74%. There is a balance transfer fee, though. Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Related: Best Credit Cards With No Annual Fee and 0% Introductory APR
Freedom Unlimited Card Benefits
Because the card has no annual fee, you should not expect elite perks with the Freedom Unlimited. However, a few cardholder benefits are worth highlighting, such as fraud monitoring and free access to your credit score with Chase Credit Journey.
You’ll also benefit from purchase protections and limited travel insurance coverage when you use your card to pay. Additionally, if you pair the card with an Ultimate Rewards card with an annual fee, your Freedom Unlimited becomes significantly more powerful.
Related: Complete Guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards: Best Ways to Earn and Redeem Points
Travel insurance and purchase protections
Whether you are buying gifts or purchasing travel with the Freedom Unlimited, you’ll enjoy benefits like purchase protection, extended warranty protection, rental car insurance, travel and emergency assistance services, and trip cancellation/interruption insurance.
When making travel purchases on your Freedom Unlimited, cardholders can be reimbursed for travel costs up to $1,500 per traveler and up to $6,000 per trip if their trip is cut short or canceled due to a variety of reasons. These reasons can include severe weather and sickness, among other mishaps.
Unfortunately, the card does not offer coverage if your trip is delayed. The Freedom Unlimited only provides insurance coverage for any trip cancellations.
Transfer Chase points between cards
One of the most underrated benefits enjoyed by Freedom Unlimited cardholders is the ability to combine Chase points with those earned using other Ultimate Rewards cards with an annual fee.
As a standalone card without holding another corresponding card product, the Freedom Unlimited has fewer redemption options. However, if you also have an Ultimate Rewards card that grants access to Chase transfer partners (like a Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve), your Freedom rewards can be redeemed for much greater value.
Redeeming Chase Points With the Freedom Unlimited
Even if you do not hold or plan to hold another Chase card, the Freedom Unlimited offers several easy ways to use points. These fixed-value redemptions are important because they establish a minimum value for your points with no annual fee. You can rest easy knowing you’ll get a decent return with no hassle or payments.
Chase TravelSM
You can redeem your points for airfare, hotels, car rentals, and more in the Chase Travel portal for one cent per point. There are better ways to spend your points if you’re looking to maximize your value, but these bookings are easy to make and guarantee a decent return for your rewards without having to do a lot of research and planning on how to maximize your points.
Chase Pay Yourself Back
Chase Pay Yourself Back offers a way to redeem points earned with Freedom Unlimited at a higher value for select categories of purchases. Eligible categories are subject to change, so check out the post linked above for the current offers and a detailed tutorial on how to make these redemptions on the Ultimate Rewards website.
Other fixed-value redemptions
You can also redeem your Chase points for a statement credit (i.e. requesting cash back, deposited into your bank account), toward gift cards, or to shop online with select retailers. These redemptions generally offer a value of 1¢ per point for your rewards — although Chase will periodically offer gift card discounts through Chase Month of More and bonuses when you redeem Chase points for Apple products.
While you can also pay at checkout with various merchants, these redemptions are typically worth less than a penny each, so we advise against redeeming your cash back using this method.
Chase Ultimate Rewards cards with transfer partners
If you hold a premium Ultimate Rewards credit card, your points will be worth more towards Chase TravelSM bookings, depending on the Ultimate Rewards card that is in your wallet. This is thanks to Points Boost, which allows eligible cards to get up to 2¢ per point when booking eligible travel through the Chase Travel portal. Click here to learn more about the changes, when they take effect, and which cards are eligible.
In addition to portal bookings, holding an Ultimate Rewards card that has an annual fee will give you access to 14 valuable airline and hotel transfer partners.
Chase’s transfer partners offer the best opportunity for outsized value. They require a little knowledge to get the best deal, but it’s well worth the small effort to familiarize yourself with these options. AwardWallet readers typically redeem points at 2.02¢ apiece with Chase partners — significantly more than the fixed-value options highlighted above.
Application Restrictions
Chase features some of the more limiting application restrictions of the major credit card providers. Unpublished limitations include:
- 5/24 policy: If you’ve been approved for five or more new credit cards in the previous 24 months (from any provider, not just Chase), it is extremely unlikely you will be approved for the Freedom Unlimited.
- 2/30 policy: You can only open a maximum of two personal credit cards (or one personal card and one small business card) with Chase in a 30-day period.
Plus, you’ll see two more rules spelled out in the Freedom Unlimited‘s terms and conditions:
“This product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of this credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of this credit card who received a new cardmember bonus for this credit card within the last 24 months.”
If you currently have the Freedom Unlimited or earned a welcome bonus in the past 24 months from previously holding the Freedom Unlimited, you won’t be eligible for this current offer.
For more details, check out our post covering application restrictions for major credit card issuers.
Related: How to Check Your 5/24 Status for Free
Cards That Compete With the Chase Freedom Unlimited
If the Freedom Unlimited isn’t the right card for your wallet, consider these other cards:
- If you want a card that earns 5% back on quarterly rotating spending categories, check out the Chase Freedom Flex℠. This card offers 5% back every quarter on different spending categories, such as gas stations and live entertainment — up to $1,500 of these purchases — and doesn’t have an annual fee. You’ll have the same opportunities to combine rewards with other Chase cards that we discussed above. Learn more in our full review of the Freedom Flex.
- If you’re over 5/24 but still want a no-annual-fee card that offers cash back, look into the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card. This card earns 3% cash back on popular categories like dining, grocery, entertainment, and streaming. And like the Freddom Unlimited, you can pair this card’s earnings with a premium card to make the points transferable to partners. Learn more in our full review of the Capital One Savor Cash.
- If you’re looking for better earnings on everyday expenses, consider the Citi Double Cash® Card (Rates & Fees). You’ll earn 2% back on all purchases, awarded as 1% when you buy and another 1% when you pay your bill. It also has no annual fee. Learn more in our full review of the Citi Double Cash.
Chase Freedom Flex℠
Welcome Bonus Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
- Earn 5% on up to $1,500 on combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate
- Earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- Earn 3% on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- Earn 3% on drugstore purchases
- Earn 1% on all other purchases
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
Welcome Offer:
Earn $250 Cash Back after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
- 8% cash back on purchases made via the Capital One Entertainment ticketing platform
- 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 3% cash back on dining and entertainment
- 3% at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®)
- 3% on popular streaming services
- 1% on all other purchases
Citi Double Cash® Card
Welcome Offer
Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.
Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel.
Related: Our Favorite Benefits on Credit Cards with No Annual Fee
Bottom Line
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is an excellent credit card for those who want to quickly accumulate Chase points or cash back without opening a card carrying an annual fee.
You’ll have access to a great earning structure for accumulating rewards on all of your purchases, a handful of modest benefits, and the ability to unlock even more valuable reward redemptions if you pair this card with a Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Preferred as part of your credit card strategy. The ability to pair it with an annual fee card as well as its great earning rates make it significantly more powerful in a rewards earning strategy than nearly all other no annual fee cash back cards.
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Welcome Bonus
Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
Welcome Bonus
Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
Annual Fee:$0
- Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
- Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 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 1.5% on all other purchases.
- No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can use points to redeem for cash through an account statement credit or an electronic deposit into an eligible Chase account located in the United States!
- Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 18.24% – 27.74%.
- No annual fee – You won’t have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
- Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, alerts, and more.
- Member FDIC
- Earn 5% on purchases through Chase Travel℠
- Earn 3% on dining at restaurants
- Earn 3% on drugstore purchases
- Earn 1.5% on all purchases
