Chase Freedom Flex℠ review

This credit card does not disappoint with no annual fee, bonus cash back earned in multiple categories, and a generous welcome offer to kick off your earnings. Information related to Chase Freedom FlexSM has been collected independently by CardRatings and was neither reviewed nor provided by the card issuer.

Written by
Jennifer Doss
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Key Features

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Editor Analysis:

Pros
  • New cardholders can earn $200 cash back once spending $500 within the first three months of opening an account.
  • There are so many bonus categories here that racking up rewards should be a breeze.
  • Enjoy up to $1,000 a year in cell phone insurance just for paying your cell phone bill with your FlexSM card.
Cons
  • There's a ton of rewards-earning potential here, but there are several categories to keep up with. If you'd rather not think about when and where you use your credit card, a flat-rate card may be a better fit for you.
ALTERNATE CARD TO CONSIDER

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Chase CardName benefits

The CardName comes with an impressive package of benefits and rewards. Rather than having a flat rate, CardName is a unique tiered/rotating-category hybrid, offering:

  • 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in purchases made in rotating quarterly bonus categories
  • 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
  • 3% cash back on dining and drugstore purchases
  • 1% unlimited cash back on other purchases

Plus, the card has a number of other perks, including Mastercard World Elite benefits, allowing cardholders access to:

  • No annual fee
  • Intro 0% APR on new purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months, then RegAPR
  • Complimentary ShopRunner membership for free two-day shipping from more than a hundred online retailers
  • Complimentary three-month DoorDash DashPass, followed by a 50% discount for the following nine months
  • 5% cash rewards on Boxed purchases for use on future purchases
  • Double VIP+ points at Fandango for movie ticket purchases

Additionally, the card comes with a valuable sign-up bonus and cell phone insurance.

Chase CardName sign-up bonus

New CardName cardholders can receive $200 cash back after spending $500 within the first three months of opening an account. As far as welcome bonuses go, that’s a solid offer for no-annual-fee credit card. Not only is the spending requirement low, but the bonus reward equals out to 40% cash back on the required purchases.

Chase CardName insurance

Cell phone insurance is another valuable perk offered by CardName. Cardholders are insured for up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per year against covered theft or damage. There’s a maximum of two claims per 12-month period and each claim has a $50 deductible.

To receive this coverage, cardholders simply need to pay their monthly wireless bill using the CardName card. Insurance coverage is automatically extended to phones listed on a bill’s plan.

CardName potential downsides

While CardName offers robust benefits and cash-back offers, it’s not perfect.

For one thing, it comes with a foreign transaction fee. Although the CardName offers 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards, it’s not actually what we would consider a travel rewards card. As a result, it doesn’t offer all the same perks as some travel cards, such as no foreign transaction fees, which is often waived with many true travel cards. The foreign transaction fee means this isn’t a card you’d want to use while traveling overseas and may be a better choice for everyday spending close to home.

If you are looking for a travel card, consider the CardName or the CardName which are considered premier cards in the category.

Finally, if you are an existing Chase Freedom® customer and request to change your card to the CardName, you won’t be eligible for the $200 welcome cash-back bonus. That offer is only available to cardholders opening a new account.

Is CardName replacing Chase Freedom®?

Chase will no longer accept applications for Chase Freedom®, meaning the CardName will be the only Chase option for new cardholders who want 5% cash back on rotating categories.

However, Chase Freedom® cash-back offers and benefits will continue to be available to existing cardholders. The company says people won’t be forced to transfer their card to the new CardName unless they want to make the switch.

How do cardholders rate the CardName card?

CardRatings conducts a survey annually to learn what actual cardholders think of their cards. Here are the results for CardName:

 Current ScoresPast Scores
Overall Score74.380.6
Features Satisfaction7.47.8
Customer Service7.18.4
Website/App Usability7.58.2
Likelihood of Continuing to Use88.3
Recommend to a Friend/Colleague7.48.1
Scores above reflect the results of surveys with actual cardholders. Full methodology below.

How does the CardName compare to other cards?

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Rewards
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Welcome Bonus
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Annual Fee
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CardName vs. card_name

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While Chase Freedom® will be discontinued to new cardholders in favor of CardName, you can still apply for the CardName card. With the launch of the CardName card, Freedom Unlimited® received some updates too.

The main difference between CardName and Freedom Unlimited® are their cash-back structures. While the Flex℠ card offers enhanced rewards in rotating quarterly categories, the Unlimited® card will not earn rewards in rotating categories. Instead, it earns 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠ , Chase’s premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service; and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on Chase Travel; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining; and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Both cards are solid choices for everyday expenses, and one strategic option to consider would be to get both cards and use the CardName for spending in bonus rotating categories while paying with the Freedom Unlimited® for all other purchases to earn that 1.5% cash-back rate on everything not falling in a bonus category.

CardName vs. card_name

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Both CardName and the CardName are rewarding credit cards, but they have different strengths. CardName is a good card for everyday use while the Sapphire Preferred® card offers plenty of perks for travelers.

With the card_name, you can earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. The card also offers 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel; 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries; 2x on all other travel purchases; 1x on all other purchases; $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit; plus more. However, while the CardName doesn’t have an annual fee, the card_name charges AnnualFees a year.

You can have both the CardName and card_name, and if you end up with both cards, be aware that rewards can be combined under your card_name. Then, when you redeem for travel, you can access the Sapphire card’s 25% bonus on points when booking through Chase Travel.

Is CardName a good card?

Yes, we think so. It’s rare to see a new cash-back card that really excites us. However, by offering 5% cash back on multiple categories, an achievable sign-on bonus and plenty of extras, we think the CardName could be a great addition to any wallet.

Frequently asked questions

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ can be a great card for beginners who have a good credit score and want to maximize cash back rewards without an annual fee. However, it's important to consider your spending habits and financial goals to determine if it aligns well with what the card offers.
While the Chase Freedom Flex℠ card is not the hardest card to get, it does require a good to excellent credit score and a solid financial history. If your credit score is in the recommended range and you have a stable income and good credit habits, you stand a good chance of being approved. If not, consider steps to improve your credit or look into other card options better suited to your current financial situation.

Our Methodology

Survey methodology: CardRatings commissioned Op4G in September 2023 to conduct surveys among 1,869 cardholders nationwide. CardRatings website analytics from Jan. 1, 2023-Aug. 31, 2023 were used to determine a selection of the most popular cards and additional cards were included to add survey breadth. Responses to each of nine questions were given on a scale of 1-10 and respondents’ scores were then averaged under broad topics. To determine the overall score, responses from questions 1-8 were summed and the answer to "How likely are you to recommend this card to a friend, coworker or family member?" was double weighted. Current Scores reflect scores from the most recent survey (2023); “Past Scores” reflect scores from the 2022 survey.

Disclaimer:The information in this article is believed to be accurate as of the date it was written. Please keep in mind that credit card offers change frequently. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this article. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards. Please verify all terms and conditions of any credit card prior to applying.


This content is not provided by any company mentioned in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed here are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any such company. CardRatings.com does not review every company or every offer available on the market.


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