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Update June 27, 2024: We recently confirmed that the 5% gas and grocery offer is still available in-branch. We’ve also updated this post to reflect that the Chase Freedom Unlimited® welcome offer through friend referral links has changed.
Here are the details on every current Chase Freedom Unlimited® welcome offer.
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Three offers to choose from
Chase currently offers a dizzying number of welcome bonuses for the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. Here are the details:
- Offer #1: Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. This offer is available when you apply directly through the Chase website.
- Offer #2: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) – worth up to $300 cash back. This offer is available through affiliate channels, like the links on this website and friend-referral links.
- Offer #3: In-branch exclusive offer. Earn up to $800 cash back: Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus earn 5% cash back on combined gas station and grocery store purchases (not including Target® and Walmart® purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year. (That’s $600 cash back.) You must apply in-branch to get this offer. It is not available online.
For most people, the in-branch offer will be the best deal, provided it is still available. Here are the details on all of the currently-available offers:
Best bonus: In-branch $200 after $500 + 5% gas and groceries welcome offer.
The best welcome offer on the Chase Freedom Unlimited® can only be found in-branch. Several months ago, the 5% gas and grocery offer was taken down from online channels, but it remains as an in-branch exclusive offer. As of 6/26/24, the offer was still available in Chase branches. Here are the details of the in-branch offer:
- Earn $200 cash back after spending $500 in purchases within the first 3 months you have the card.
- In addition to the welcome bonus, earn 5% cash back on combined gas station and grocery store purchases on up to $12,000 spent in the first year.
- Grocery store purchases do not include purchases at Target® and Walmart®.
For reference, here is a scan of the printout I received from a Chase banker about the in-branch exclusive offer. You must apply in-branch to receive this offer—it is not available online. This welcome offer is also available on the Chase Freedom Flex℠ card.
Biggest bonus online: Extra 1.5% cash back on $20,000 of spending your first year
The current Chase Freedom Unlimited® welcome offer in affiliate channels offers an additional 1.5% cash back on the first $20,000 of spending in your first year of having the card.
The extra 1.5% cash back offer might be best for you if you plan to spend a lot on your Chase Freedom Unlimited® in the first year. The breakpoint is $13,333 in spending—if you spend less than this on your card in the first year, you’ll earn more from the $200 after $500 bonus. Spend $20,000 or more on the card to maximize what you’ll earn from the welcome bonus—$300 in additional rewards.
Chase Freedom Unlimited® offer: Extra 1.5% cash back on $20,000 spent in the first year. (Annual fee: $0)
bonus_miles_full (Get this welcome bonus.)
Better than the $200 after $500 bonus once you spend $13,334 in your first year. Rewards are earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points
5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠. 3% at drugstores and on dining. 1.5% on other purchases. (More in our card review.)
This is an affiliate link.
Chase Freedom Unlimited® bonus on Chase.com: $200 after $500 of spending
If you go directly to the Chase website, you’ll find a bonus offering $200 after $500 of spending within 3 months. This welcome bonus was previously available through refer-a-friend links, but as of June 28, 2024, friend referral links are now showing the “extra 1.5%” bonus.
The current-in-branch bonus is better because it adds 5% on gas and groceries on up to $12,000 of purchases on top of this bonus, but if getting to a Chase branch is not convenient and you prefer this bonus, you can find it online.
Refer a friend: Bonus matches the online bonus
The current welcome bonus offered through friend referral links matches the “extra 1.5%” bonus above.
About the Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers cardmembers 1.5% rewards on all purchases. It is the essential “everywhere else card” in the Chase Ultimate Rewards® ecosystem.
Although the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is marketed as a “1.5% everywhere” card, it offers plenty of bonus spending categories. You get 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% on dining at restaurants including eligible takeout and delivery, and 3% on drugstore purchases. Although rewards are marketed as cash back, the card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards® points behind the scenes, which can be transferred to a premium Ultimate Rewards® card and redeemed for greater value.
For a card with no annual fee, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® comes with a healthy set of benefits, including purchase protection, extended warranty, secondary auto rental collision damage waiver insurance, and trip cancellation/interruption insurance.
For more on the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, please see our overview of the Chase Freedom Unlimited® card.
How to use the points you earn from the Chase Freedom Unlimited® bonus
While the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is marketed as a cash-back credit card, it earns Ultimate Rewards® points behind the scenes. Here are the best ways to use the Ultimate Rewards points you’ll earn with the Freedom Unlimited.
- Cash back. You can always use Ultimate Rewards® points for cash back redemptions. You’ll get 1 cent per point for cash back redemptions on any Ultimate Rewards credit card.
- Options available with premium cards. If you hold a premium Ultimate Rewards card, you can a few additional options for using your points. Premium Ultimate Rewards cards include the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. You can also use the points you earn on your no-annual-fee card for these premium redemption options if you first transfer your points to your premium card.
- Travel through Chase Travel℠. Premium Ultimate Rewards cards offer increased value when you use your points to book travel through Chase Travel℠. You get 25% more value for bookings through Chase Tavel with the Sapphire Preferred or Ink Preferred. And you’ll get 50% more value for bookings made through the Sapphire Reserve card.
- Transfers to airline and hotel partners. All of the Premium Ultimate Rewards cards offer point transfers to travel partners. Transfers to partners offer the opportunity to get outsized value for your points through luxury travel redemptions. Our favorite Ultimate Rewards® transfer partners include Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, British Airways Avios, United Mileage Plus, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, and World of Hyatt.
For more on maximizing the value you get from Ultimate Rewards, see our complete guide to Ultimate Rewards.
My take on the Chase Freedom Unlimited® welcome bonuses
With so many Chase Freedom Unlimited® new cardmember welcome bonuses to choose from, how do you choose which one is right for you? Here’s my take.
In-branch 5% gas and grocery offer: For most people, the 5% gas and grocery offer is probably the best Freedom Unlimited welcome offer. This welcome offer essentially gives you a 5% gas and grocery card (on up to $12,000 of combined spending) on top of the card’s normal welcome bonus of $200 after $500 spent on the card within 3 months. This makes the card simultaneously one of the best cards for groceries and one of the best cards for gas in the first year. Chase has previously run grocery-only or gas-only versions of this welcome bonus on both this card and the Chase Freedom Flex℠.
Extra 1.5% on $20,000 offer: If you plan to spend north of $13,334 in the first year on your Chase Freedom Unlimited®, you’ll get more from this welcome offer than you will from the standard $200 after $500 offer. That said, there’s more value to be had for most people in the in-branch-only gas and grocery welcome offer.
$200 after $500 offer: For most people who can’t get into a Chase branch, this welcome offer is probably more compelling than the extra 1.5% offer. It’s an easy welcome bonus that requires only minimal spending. Even if you plan to put $14,000 or more of spending on credit cards this year, you could allocated that to a new Chase Freedom Unlimited® card and get both of the no-annual-fee and score a ton more Ultimate Rewards® points.
Chase Freedom Unlimited® offer: Extra 1.5% cash back on $20,000 spent in the first year. (Annual fee: $0)
bonus_miles_full (Get this welcome bonus.)
Better than the $200 after $500 bonus once you spend $13,334 in your first year. Rewards are earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points
5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠. 3% at drugstores and on dining. 1.5% on other purchases. (More in our card review.)
This is an affiliate link.
Chase Ultimate Rewards® card synergies
Chase Ultimate Rewards® points can always be redeemed for cash back rewards at one cent each. This makes 10,000 points worth $100. But your points can become even more valuable when you hold a premium Ultimate Rewards® credit card.
If you hold a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred card, you have access to a handful of redemption options that can increase the value of your points:
- Point transfers to airline and hotel partners
- Increased value when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠
- Pay Yourself Back options
To use the points you earned from your non-premium Ultimate Rewards® credit card for one of these redemptions, simply transfer your Ultimate Rewards® points to your premium Ultimate Rewards® credit card.
A few notes on applying for Chase cards
- 5/24 rule. Chase generally won’t approve you if your credit report is showing 5 or more new credit card accounts opened in the last 24 months. This rule is knows as the 5/24 rule. If you’re unsure if you are “under 5/24” you should check your 5/24 status before applying for a Chase card. Note that recently this rule seems to have softened, especially for Ink cards. See our coverage about Chase 5/24 for more.
- Only one Sapphire-branded card. You can only hold one Chase Sapphire-branded card at a time. This means you can have either a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or a Chase Sapphire Reserve®, but not both.
- You can get a welcome bonus on a Chase card, even if you’ve had the card previously. How often you can earn a welcome bonus on a Chase card varies by card family.
- Most cards allow you to earn a welcome bonus if it has been at least 24 months since your last received a welcome bonus on the same card.
- Chase Sapphire-branded cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you can only earn a welcome bonus once every 48 months. (We published a separate article to help you determine if you can get a Sapphire welcome bonus.)
- Marriott cards have their own special rules.
- Chase will match an increased bonus. If you apply for a Chase card and the bank offers a higher bonus within 90 days, you can send Chase a secure message or call them to have your welcome offer matched.
- In-branch offers are sometimes better. Chase sometimes has better credit card welcome offers in-branch than it will publish on its own website or through affiliate networks. Check all channels to make sure you’re getting the best bonus.
- Chase business cards do not report to personal credit reports and do not impact your 5/24 status as long as they are current.
Frequently asked questions
Does the double cash back on the Chase Freedom Unlimited come with a $200 welcome bonus?
No. The double cash back offer replaces the normal welcome bonus on this card?
Where can I get the Freedom double cash back offer?
This offer appears to be available through affiliate channels only. You won’t see this offer on the Chase website. At cardsandpoints.com we always show you the best offer, regardless of our affiliate relationships.
Can I get double cash back on the Freedom Flex?
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ does not have a double cash back offer, but it does currently offer 5% rewards on up to $12,000 of gas and groceries in your first year.
Is the double cash back offer capped?
As of January 11, 2024, the double cash back offer only offers 1.5% additional cash back on up to $20,000 of purchases each year.
How can I get the 5% gas and grocery offer?
You must apply in-branch if you want the 5% gas and grocery offer. Referral links ceased to work around March 14, 2024.
Read more about the Chase Freedom Unlimited®
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Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
