Chase Freedom Flex vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited 2024

Whether you’re new to credit card rewards or an expert in the field, both the Chase Freedom Flex? * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.  and the Chase Freedom Unlimited? credit cards are very enticing when it comes to earning cash back on everything you buy. But picking the one that will help you maximize your credit card rewards is vital. So what are the differences and which one is right for you?

To answer that question, we’ve detailed the pros and cons of these two cards, including each card’s everyday earning rates, bonus categories and other card benefits to help you determine which card best fits your spending habits.

Chase Freedom credit cards

On the surface, the Chase Freedom Flex? * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.  and the Chase Freedom Unlimited? actually look quite similar. They both carry the Freedom name. They both come with no annual fee. And they both offer the opportunity to earn rewards in the form of Chase Travel? points that can be redeemed for cash back, or for travel and in other categories at a higher rate when paired with another premium Chase credit card (more on that in a moment).

	Chase Freedom Flex	Chase Freedom Unlimited
Sign-up bonus	$200 cash back after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months after opening the account	Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on up to $20,000 in purchases in the first year
Earning on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards	5% cash back	5% cash back
Earning on dining (including takeout & eligible delivery services)	3% cash back	3% cash back
Earning at drugstores	3% cash back	3% cash back
Earning on rotating bonus categories	5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases each quarter	No rotating bonus categories
Earning on all other purchases	1% cash back	1.5% cash back
Introductory APR offer	0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months from the date of account opening (20.49% to 29.24% variable APR after intro rate ends)	0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months from the date of account opening (20.49% to 29.24% variable APR after intro rate ends)
Cell phone protection	Up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per year (maximum of two claims in a 12 month period with a $50 deductible per claim)	None
Purchase protection	Up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per year	Up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per year
Extended warranty protection	Yes	Yes
Auto rental collision damage waiver	Yes, secondary coverage	Yes, secondary coverage
Trip cancellation/interruption insurance	Up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per covered trip	Up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per covered trip
Foreign transaction fee	3%	3%
Annual fee	$0	$0

See MoreSee Less

You’ll notice that with both cards, you’ll earn 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase Travel?, 3% cash back on dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services) and 3% cash back at drugstores. So when it comes to those three categories, the Chase Freedom Unlimited? and the Chase Freedom Flex? * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. are completely identical.

But the real difference lies in two other areas. One is the rotating bonus categories that come with only the Chase Freedom Flex? * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , which change each quarter. You can earn 5% cash back in these rotating categories, up to $1,500 in combined purchases every quarter.

Examples of past rotating categories include gas stations, department stores, Walmart, PayPal and Amazon, but currently in the January through March 2024 time frame, the bonus categories are grocery stores (excluding Target?, Walmart? and wholesale clubs), fitness club and gym memberships, and self-care and spa services.

The second area where these two cards drastically differ is how many rewards you’ll earn in the non-bonus categories. This is where the Chase Freedom Unlimited? has a leg up, as you’ll earn 1.5% cash back on all your purchases that don’t fall into the bonus categories, whereas the Chase Freedom Flex? * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. earns only 1% for those same purchases.

Although both cards advertise themselves as being “cash back” credit cards, they technically earn Chase Travel? points that can be redeemed for cash back at a rate of 1 cent per point. You can also redeem your points for gift cards, or through programs such as Amazon’s Shop with Points, which sometimes offers discounts to targeted card holders for using points.

However, if you also have a premium Chase Travel? credit card — one that charges an annual fee, such as the?Chase Sapphire Preferred? Card, the?Chase Sapphire Reserve??or the?Ink Business Preferred? Credit Card — you can transfer your points earned from the Chase Freedom Unlimited? or Chase Freedom Flex? * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. into those accounts.

Then you can redeem your points for travel at a significantly higher rate than just 1 cent per point. And you can even transfer your points to any of Chase’s 14 airline and hotel partners and potentially get even more value for them.

We receive compensation from our partners for Featured Offer placements, which impacts how and where their offer is displayed.

Featured Offer

Chase Freedom Unlimited?

Welcome Bonus

Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That’s 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards?, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.

Up to $300 cash back

Regular APR

20.49% – 29.24% Variable

Annual Fee

$0

Credit Score

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO? credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

Excellent, Good

Apply Now

On Chase Bank USA, NA's Secure Website

Chase Freedom welcome bonuses

With the Chase Freedom Flex? * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , new card holders can currently earn $200 in bonus cash back (which is technically 20,000 Chase Travel? points) after spending $500 on your card within the first three months after opening the account.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited? is offering Unlimited Matched Cash Back — Chase will automatically match all the cash back you earned on all card purchases at the end of your first year with no limit. Those are great bonus offers for two cards that have no annual fee. Plus, the $500 spending requirement is relatively low, so most people should be able to easily meet it within the three-month timeframe.

Chase Freedom card benefits

Although these two Freedom cards are both issued by Chase, they run on different card networks — the Chase Freedom Unlimited? is a Visa, while the Chase Freedom Flex? * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. is a Mastercard. That means the benefits do vary quite a bit between the two cards.

Let’s start with the benefits that the two cards share. Both cards offer three months of complimentary DashPass — which is DoorDash’s food delivery subscription service — along with 5% cash back on Lyft rides through March 2025. You’ll also get secondary car rental insurance, up to two years of extended warranty protection and trip cancellation and interruption insurance.

You’ll also have access to purchase protection when you use your Chase Freedom Flex? * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.  or Chase Freedom Unlimited? to make purchases. This benefit covers any new purchase against damage or theft for 120 days, up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.

But the Chase Freedom Flex? * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.  also comes with a handful of additional World Elite Mastercard benefits that you won’t see on the Chase Freedom Unlimited?. The best one is cell phone insurance. As long as you pay your monthly cell phone bill with your Chase Freedom Flex? * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , you’re covered if your cell phone (or any phone on your monthly bill) is damaged or stolen.

This coverage is good for up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per year, with a $50 deductible per claim, and you’re capped at two claims per 12-month period. This is actually the only no-annual-fee Chase credit card that offers this lucrative protection.

Other additional benefits of the Chase Freedom Flex? * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.  that don’t appear on the Chase Freedom Unlimited? include Lyft credits amd complimentary ShopRunner membership.

What could be better on the Chase Freedom cards?

The bonus categories on these two cards should be quite lucrative for many people. However, if you’re looking for a card that solely offers cash back at a great flat rate, you could be better off using a card like the Citi Double Cash? Card * The information for the Citi Double Cash? Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. .

The Citi Double Cash? Card * The information for the Citi Double Cash? Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. has no annual fee and earns 2% cash back on everything you buy — 1% when you make a purchase, and 1% when you pay it off. The Chase Freedom Unlimited? earns only 1.5% on all purchases outside the bonus categories, and the Chase Freedom Flex? * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. earns an even lower 1% on those purchases.

That being said, the Citi Double Cash? Card * The information for the Citi Double Cash? Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. doesn’t have any bonus categories of its own, so if you have even a small chunk of spending each month either for dining or at drugstores — and also in the rotating bonus categories with the Chase Freedom Flex? * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. — you may be better off overall with one of the two Freedom cards.

Also, when compared to many other Chase credit cards, the two Freedom cards have limited travel benefits. This isn’t surprising since they’re primarily cash back cards, but if travel benefits are important to you, you might want to instead consider a card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which comes with enhanced perks such as a $300 travel credit, airport lounge access, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit and trip delay and cancellation protection.

Of course, all those perks don’t come free. The annual fee on the Chase Sapphire Reserve isn’t small at $550 a year, so you’ll have to determine whether or not those perks are worth the price.

Finally, you’ll also want to steer away from using either of the Chase Freedom cards overseas due to their 3% foreign exchange fees. Those fees can add up quite quickly and in most cases will cost you much more than the cash back you’re earning from using the card.

Should you get the Chase Freedom Flex or Chase Freedom Unlimited?

You truly can’t go wrong with either of the two Chase Freedom credit cards, but depending on your needs, one card may be better for you than the other.

If you think you’ll be able to maximize the quarterly bonus categories of the Chase Freedom Flex? * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , that extra 5% cash back each quarter may very well outweigh the lower 1% you’ll get on everything else outside of the bonus categories. But remember, you’ll need to keep track of what those categories are each quarter, along with knowing how much you’ve spent in them.

On the other hand, if you don’t want to have to worry about all that, you’ll find that the Chase Freedom Unlimited? offers a simple and easy way to earn credit card rewards. And while both Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted in the United States, there are a few exceptions. For example, only Visas are accepted at Costco, so the Chase Freedom Unlimited? will be a better option if you’re a frequent Costco shopper.

That being said, the Chase Freedom Flex? * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. offers significantly more benefits than the Chase Freedom Unlimited?. If you want a card with cell phone protection, the Chase Freedom Flex? * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.  is clearly the winner. It will give you peace of mind and potentially save you money down the road — an extremely valuable benefit that is rare on a no-annual-fee card.

But if you’re having a hard time deciding between the two cards, you can also get both. There are no restrictions limiting you to having just one of the two, and having both can give you the best of both worlds. For instance, you might find you want to use the Chase Freedom Flex? * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.  in the rotating bonus categories as well as for its cell phone protection, and then switch to the Chase Freedom Unlimited? to earn 1.5% cash back on any purchases that don’t fall into the bonus categories.

Just keep in mind that both of these cards fall under what is colloquially known as Chase’s “5/24” rule, which means if you’ve been approved for five or more credit cards across all banks in the last 24 months, your applications for new credit cards from Chase will be automatically denied.

But that won’t apply to most people who only get a credit card or two every few years, so if you’re considering whether a new credit card makes sense, think about whether the Chase Freedom Flex? * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. or the?Chase Freedom Unlimited? — or both — fit the bill.