Maximizing Chase Freedom 5% Categories Q2 (2024) Calendar

The Chase Freedom Flex Credit Card and the old discontinued Chase Freedom Credit Card offer a 5% bonus of up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter. As a result, you will earn 7,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) points if you can max out this offer. I value Chase points at 1.6 cents per point when combined with Chase’s flexible points-earning credit card, so 7,500 points are worth about $120. However, if you want simple cash back, 7,500 Chase points equal $75. 

Can You Have Two Freedom Cards and Earn a 5% Bonus Twice Per Quarter?

Chase Bank does not allow you to have two Freedom Flex credit cards with new applications simultaneously. However, you can have multiple Freedom Flex cards if you can product change from another Chase credit card. For example, suppose you already have a Freedom Flex credit card. In that case, you can downgrade your Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card to a Freedom Flex credit card, allowing you to have two Freedom Flex credit cards and earn 5% in bonus categories on each card. 

Furthermore, if you have the old Chase Freedom (not available for new applicants) and Chase Freedom Flex Credit Card, you can have both cards at once and earn 5% in bonus categories on each credit card. Therefore, this will increase the maximum amount of Ultimate Rewards points you can earn by 5% to a total of $3,000 per quarter ($1,500 max per card). You must activate the 5% bonus offer on both credit cards below. 

Chase Freedom 5% Bonus Categories Calendar 2024

Below is the Chase Freedom 5% categories and calendar for Q2 2024:

• Valid from April 1 – June 30, 2024.
• 5% Bonus Categories for this quarter are:
  • Amazon.com
  • Hotels
  • Restaurants
• Activation begins on June 14, 2024.
• Direct Link to Chase Freedom 5% Calendar & Activation Link

How to Activate Chase Freedom 5% on the Chase Website

• Go to the official Chase Bonus website.
• Provide your Chase Freedom card information.
• Click the green Activate your 5% button.

How to Activate Chase Freedom 5% on the Chase Mobile App

• Launch the Chase mobile app and log into your account. 
• Then, tap on an eligible Chase Freedom credit card. 
• Scroll down until you see the 5% cashback section. 
• Tap on See details & activate.
• Finally, tap on Activate button to activate the 5% bonus category, and you’re done!

How to Maximize Chase Freedom 5% Bonus Categories For Q2 2024

You should do organic spending as much as possible. You have three (3) months to take advantage of this 5% bonus category offer, so there’s no need to rush things. 

Amazon

• Amazon is a famous online shopping center, and any purchases via Amazon.com are included in this category. 
• Amazon.com carries many products, from digital downloads to items sold through the Amazon marketplace, and services such as Amazon Prime subscriptions are all included in this category. 
• For those of us who enjoy buying gift cards, you can find a lot of gift cards on Amazon. You can reload your Amazon gift card balance and purchase Amazon gift cards or other gift cards to places like Best Buy, Texas Roadhouse, Starbucks, Bath & Body Works, Uber, DoorDash, Hotels.com, Southwest, Visa, etc. These purchases are all eligible for the Amazon category.
  • Direct link to eligible gift cards sold on Amazon
• A word of caution about purchases from Amazon’s Whole Foods Market as data points show that those purchases are excluded from Chase’s Amazon category. 
• Chase Freedom cards earn Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) points that you can redeem to shop with Amazon. Here’s how you do this:
  • If you have not linked your Chase Freedom card with Amazon to use the Shop With Points feature, you can link and enroll your card here. 
  • Look for Amazon Shop With Points promotions available for Chase Ultimate Rewards points and enroll in the offer. Amazon Shop With Points Promotions and Offers
  • Once your Amazon account is registered for a particular Shop With Points promotion, you can use just 1 Chase point to pay for some parts of your Amazon purchases and have the remaining balance charged to your Freedom card. This will allow you to stack the Amazon Shop With Points discounts and earn a 5% bonus on any remaining balance at the same time. 

Hotels

• Merchants in this category include hotels and motels and many smaller establishments like bed & breakfasts and inns.
• Hotel accommodations not booked directly with the hotel will not qualify, such as those purchased through travel agencies, discount travel sites, vacation clubs, tour operators, or as part of a package offered by merchants such as cruise lines and railways.
• Purchases other than your room bill on the hotel premises will not be included in the category unless they are classified as a hotel merchant, such as restaurant or entertainment purchases.
• In addition, purchasing hotel points will not qualify in this category.
• Stack this category purchases with all available hotel promotions and offers:
  • Best Western Promotions and Offers
  • Choice Hotels Promotions and Offers
  • Hyatt Promotions and Offers
  • IHG Rewards Promotions and Offers
  • Marriott Promotions and Offers
  • Red Roof Promotions and Offers
  • Wyndham Promotions and Offers

Restaurants

• This category’s merchants’ primary business is sit-down or eat-in dining, including fast food restaurants and fine dining establishments.
• Merchants that sell food and drinks located within facilities such as sports stadiums, hotels and casinos, theme parks, grocery, and department stores will not be included in this category unless the merchant has set up such purchases to be classified in a restaurant category.
• Bakeries, caterers, meal kit delivery services, and gift card merchants are not included in the category. However, gift cards purchased directly (mostly in person) from the restaurant are included.
• Delivery and takeout services will be included if they are classified as a restaurant merchant.

How to Track Your Chase Freedom 5% Bonus Spending

• Sign in to your Chase account online. 
• After that, click on your Chase Freedom or Chase Freedom Flex credit card.
• You should now see 5% cashback towards the top.
• Click on Details, and you will see your spending progress bar there. See the following picture.

How to Verify If A Purchase Qualifies For Chase Freedom 5% Bonus Category

Chase makes it really simple to find out how many reward points you earn from a purchase once the transaction is posted without having to wait until your credit card’s statement is closed:

• Via Chase online or the Chase app, log in and click on your Chase Freedom or Chase Freedom Flex credit card. 
• Then, click on the purchase or transaction in question. 
• Scroll down until you see the Total points under Rewards earned with this transaction. 

Chase Freedom 5% Categories Current & Past Bonus History

The below table shows the Chase Freedom categories history for the 5% bonus offer for your reference: