Another quarter, another chance for Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Chase Freedom® cardholders to rack up 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent in bonus categories. If you have either of these cards in your wallet, don’t miss out on the opportunity to earn up to $75 in additional cash back.
Note: Chase Freedom® is no longer accepting new applications, but existing cardholders are still eligible to earn in the bonus categories. Information about Chase Freedom® and Chase Freedom FlexSM has been collected by CardRatings and has not been provided or approved by the issuer of the card.
What are the Chase quarterly rewards categories for the first quarter of 2026?
From January through March 2026, Chase will award 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in total purchases made in three categories:
- Norwegian Cruise Line®
- Dining
- American Heart Association®
Within each category, there are certain inclusions and exclusions according to Chase.
Norwegian Cruise Line®
This category includes purchases made directly with Norwegian Cruise Line. Purchases made through third-party vendors or travel agencies—such as for sightseeing activities, excursions, and tourist attractions—are not included.
Dining
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. Delivery and takeout services will be included if they are classified as a restaurant merchant.
American Heart Association®
To ensure your charitable donation is eligible for the 5% cash back reward, be sure to donate directly through the American Heart Association’s official website. Local chapters may not be eligible due to transaction processing procedures.
Chase 5% cash back calendar
The full Chase 5% cash back calendar for 2026 hasn’t been revealed yet – each category will be announced before the start of the new quarter. However, we can look back at the 2023, 2024, and 2025 categories to get an idea of what the future might hold.
January-March
April-June
July-September
October-December
2026
Norwegian Cruise Line®, dining, American Heart Association®
TBD
TBD
TBD
2025
Grocery stores (excluding Walmart and Target); Norwegian Cruise Line; fitness clubs and gym memberships; hair, nail, and spa services
Amazon and select streaming services
Gas stations, EV charging, select live entertainment, Instacart
Old Navy®, Chase Travel℠, Department stores, PayPal® (December only)
2024
Grocery Stores (excluding Walmart and Target), fitness clubs and gym memberships, self-care and spa services
Amazon.com, hotels booked directly with the hotel (plus through Chase Travel℠), and restaurants
Gas stations, EV charging, movie theaters, and select live entertainment
McDonald’s, PayPal, pet shops and vet services, and select charities
2023
Grocery Stores (excluding Walmart), Target, fitness clubs and gym memberships
Lowe’s and Amazon.com
Gas stations, EV charging and select live entertainment
PayPal, wholesale clubs, and select charities
You’ll earn 5% back on the first $1,500 in combined spending on purchases in the bonus categories during each quarter. After that, you’ll earn 1% cash back on any additional spending.
This bonus cash back is in addition to the other great rewards offered by the Chase Freedom Flex℠. Those are:
- 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 3% cash back on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- 3% cash back on drugstore purchases
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
How to activate Chase Freedom cash-back categories
In order to earn 5% cash back on each quarter’s bonus categories, you’ll need to activate the offer. Doing so is easy, though. Chase offers numerous ways to activate the bonus categories:
- Through your online account or the Chase bonus activation page
- In the Chase mobile app
- Via an email sent by Chase before the start of each new quarter
- By calling the number on the back of your card
- At any Chase bank location
- When making a cash withdrawal at an ATM
The deadline for activating the Q1 2026 categories is March 14, 2026. Once you have activated the offer, all eligible purchases from the quarter will receive the bonus cash back.
While you are activating your Chase categories, don’t forget to also do so in your Discover account if you have an eligible card. Discover also has quarterly bonus categories that must be activated.
How to redeem Chase credit card rewards
Once you have earned cash back – whether from the quarterly bonus categories or regular spending – you have several options for redemption:
- Cash: Use your cash back as a statement credit or have it deposited into your bank account.
- Shopping: Cash back can be used to make purchases at Amazon.com.
- Gift cards: Choose from gift cards for a variety of merchants.
- Travel: Cash back can be used to pay for travel booked through Chase Travel℠.
Chase Freedom offers the ability to combine rewards
One extra perk of the Chase Freedom Flex℠ is the ability to combine rewards with other Chase cards. That’s because Chase Freedom Flex℠ rewards accumulate as Chase Ultimate Rewards points, the same points that cardholders of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Freedom Unlimited® and the Chase Ink family of small business cards earn.
That means the points you earn with the Chase Freedom account could be worth more if you redeem them under your Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve account. For more info about making these points work for you, check out our Chase Ultimate Rewards® points guide.
