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The Chase Freedom Unlimited® card doesn’t want you to feel regret. Sure, you may have missed out on an eye-popping end-of-2023 welcome offer that doubled the rewards on everything for a year. That points-laden ship sailed in mid-January—but you can hop aboard the next best thing. Starting March 1, 2024, new cardholders can earn an additional 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year), worth up to $300 cash back.
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Intro bonus
An additional 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year), worth up to $300 cash back.
| Intro 0% balance transfer term | 15 months |
| Balance transfer fee | $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer,whichever is greater, on transfers made within 60 days of account opening. After that: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. |
| Annual fee | $0 |
| Regular APR | 20.49%–29.24% Variable |
Earn even more cash back
The Freedom Unlimited card is already a cash-back favorite at Fortune Recommends for its combination of a $0 annual fee and elevated earning rates across a wide variety of spending categories. But with this new welcome bonus, cardholders can earn additional cash back on every purchase (up to the spending cap) which effectively means you can:
- Earn 4.5% on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services.
- Earn 4.5% on drugstore purchases.
- Earn 6.5% on travel bookings made through Chase Travel.
- Earn 3% on all other purchases.
With this offer, once you hit either $20,000 in spending, or have your new Chase Freedom Unlimited for a year, the card will revert to its regular rewards rates, meaning you’ll:
- Earn 3% on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services.
- Earn 3% on drugstore purchases.
- Earn 5% on travel bookings made through Chase Travel.
- Earn 1.5% on all other purchases.
In addition to the first-year welcome offer, the card comes with a boatload of benefits including trip cancellation and interruption insurance, extended warranty and purchase protections and access to travel and emergency assistance. Plus, enjoy 15-month 0% intro APR period on purchases and balance transfers (then 20.49%–29.24% variable APR).
There’s an intro balance transfer fee of 3% ($5 minimum) of each transaction for transfers made in the first 60 days. After that, the balance transfer fee is 5% ($5 minimum) of each transaction.
For a deeper dive, check out our Freedom Unlimited review.
A card that’s First Mate material
The rewards earned on the Freedom Unlimited are technically issued as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points that can be redeemed for cash back at 1 cent per point, used to book travel through Chase or used to buy gift cards for a variety of merchants.
Those who collect travel rewards may find that the Freedom Unlimited is the perfect companion to complement a Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Preferred, since the Sapphire family of cards earn elevated rewards on some purchases — for example, travel booked directly with an airline or hotel — that you’d earn just so-so rewards on using the Freedom Unlimited card after the welcome offer expires.
Plus, Ultimate Rewards from a card pairing like this can be pooled together and used to book travel via Chase’s portal at an increased redemption value (50% for the Sapphire Reserve and 25% for the Sapphire Preferred) or transferred to Chase’s airline and hotel partners at a 1:1 rate. On its own, the Freedom Unlimited doesn’t come with those features.
Bottom line
If the Chase Freedom Unlimited®’s rewards rate didn’t already float your boat, the new welcome offer, combined with the card’s other merits, should be enough to get your motor running. The chance to earn up to an extra $300 in rewards with this offer, on top of what you’d earn on your regular spending, should encourage you to dive in while you can.
But make sure you’re aware of the unwritten Chase 5/24 rule before applying. Essentially, if you’ve opened five or more credit cards with any issuer in the past 24 months, Chase is expected to deny an application for any of their cards. Assuming your status is less than 5/24 based on this criteria, you have the freedom to apply for this generous offer!
Fortune Recommends™ has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Fortune Recommends™ and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
Please note that card details are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Please contact the card issuer to verify rates, fees, and benefits before applying.
