The Chase Freedom Unlimited came out a few years ago as another no-fee option that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards. In contrast to the Chase Freedom card which earns 1% cashback (in actuality 1 Ultimate Rewards) on all purchases and 5% back on up to $1500 in spend in different rotating quarterly categories, the Chase Freedom Unlimited earns a flat 1.5% back on all purchases. Chase has recently introduced a new welcome offer on the Freedom Unlimited card, where you can earn 3% cashback on all purchases up to $20,000 spent during the first year. This offer has been around for a little bit inside Chase branches but is now available online as well.
Chase Freedom Unlimited review
(Key Link: See details on the Chase Freedom Unlimited card – 3% cashback / 3 Ultimate Rewards on all purchases up to $20,000 in the first year)
Chase Ultimate Rewards are one of the best types of miles and points currencies out there – because it’s a transferrable currency, it’s able to be transferred to a variety of miles and points partners, which helps insulate it from devaluations.
Plus it’s easier than others to get a lot of – including the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, Ink Preferred, Ink Cash, Ink Unlimited, Freedom, Freedom Unlimited among others (see a comparison of Chase cards here).
Image courtesy of Chase
The Chase Freedom Unlimited has 3 things going for it
- 3% cashback (3x Ultimate Rewards) per dollar spent on purchases up to $20,000 in the first year
- 1.5 Ultimate Rewards per dollar spent
- No annual fee
And that’s…. pretty much it. No frills, no category bonuses. Just a solid welcome offer, a solid earn for your everyday spend, and no annual fee. This is very similar to the Chase Ink Business Unlimited card, but with a much bigger welcome offer. This card does fall under the Chase 5/24 rule.
Combining Chase Ultimate Rewards from your Chase Freedom Unlimited
Because the Chase Freedom Unlimited card is not considered a “premium” card, its points are only worth 1 cent when considered by themselves. However, if you already HAVE a premium card (like the Sapphire Preferred or Ink Preferred for example), then you are able to (at least for now!) combine all your Chase Ultimate Rewards into one account.
So your 1.5x for every dollar spent, if transferred to an account with the Sapphire Reserve (where you can REDEEM for 1.5 times), would give you 4.75% back on purchases through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal for all points earned during the first year. And of course if you transfer them to travel partners, you can often get even MORE value.
Is this Freedom Unlimited offer the best offer out there?
I think this new Chase Freedom Unlimited offer has a case for the best welcome offer out there, if you spend a lot. A no-fee card that can earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards during the first year. Compare that to the Chase Sapphire Preferred offer, which also has a welcome offer of 60,000 points (raised recently from 50,000!) with less spending required butalso has an annual fee of $95
(Key Link: See details on the Chase Freedom Unlimited card – 3% cashback / 3 Ultimate Rewards on all purchases up to $20,000 in the first year)
What do you think? Does this make you want to get the Chase Freedom Unlimited card? Leave your thoughts in the comments