4 Little-Known Perks of the Chase Freedom Unlimited Credit Card
KEY POINTS
- The Chase Freedom Unlimited® has several bonus categories, including Lyft rides through March 2025.
- While it's not thought of as a balance transfer card, it has a long intro APR offer and a reasonable balance transfer fee.
- It includes three months of DashPass and Instacart+, and it also provides purchase and travel protections on eligible purchases.
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is one of my favorite cash back cards. You earn a competitive amount back no matter where you use it. It earns a base rate of 1.5%, and in bonus categories, it earns 3% to 5%.
If you've taken a glance at this card, you've probably already seen the cash back rate and the bonus categories…most of them, at least. Even though this is a no annual fee card, it has a lot of perks, including a few that don't get as much attention.
Featured offer: save money while you pay off debt with one of these top-rated balance transfer credit cards
On Chase's Secure Website.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
On Chase's Secure Website.
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR 0% Intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months
Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 15 months
Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months
Regular APR
20.49% - 29.24% Variable
Rewards Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases
1.5% - 5% cash back
Annual Fee N/A
$0
Welcome Offer 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 Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.
Up to $300 cash back
-
A cash back card that has it all with unlimited 1.5% - 5% cash back rates and an excellent 0% intro APR offer. There's also an innovative sign-up bonus worth up to $300 cash back. With the bonus, you’ll earn 4.5% cash back on dining and drugstores, 6.5% on travel booked through Chase Travel, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After the bonus, you’ll still earn the regular cash back rates on every purchase.
-
- Innovative sign-up bonus
- Purchase and travel protections
- Robust rewards program
- Great intro APR
- No annual fee
- Limited bonus opportunities on everyday spending
- Foreign transaction fee
-
- INTRO OFFER: 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!
- Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our 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 travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
- No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
- Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24%.
- No annual fee – You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
- Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, alerts, and more.
- Member FDIC
1. 5% cash back on Lyft rides (through March 2025)
Most of this card's bonus categories are listed together. It earns 3% at drugstores and on dining, including takeout and eligible delivery services. On Chase Travel bookings, it earns a whopping 5%.
There's one more place where this card gets you extra cash back: Lyft rides, where it earns 5% back. This is a limited-time partner offer that lasts through March 31, 2025. If you use Lyft, make sure to set up the Chase Freedom Unlimited® as your default payment method.
2. Affordable balance transfers and a 0% intro APR
If you have any credit card debt, a balance transfer offer could help you pay it off more quickly while saving on interest. The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is known as a cash back card, but it also has a great balance transfer offer.
In addition, it has an intro balance transfer fee of 3% ($5 minimum) on transfers made within 60 days of account opening. After that, it reverts to the regular fee. Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Some balance transfer cards charge a 5% fee from the beginning. While this may not seem like a big difference, it saves you money. If you transfer $5,000, you'd pay $150 with a 3% fee compared to $250 with a 5% fee.
3. Three months free with DashPass and Instacart+
Getting food delivered is convenient when you don't feel like preparing a meal or going grocery shopping. I recently started getting my groceries delivered every week, and it saves me a ton of time.
When you have the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, you can try out a couple of popular food delivery app memberships for three months. It offers:
- Three months of DashPass: DashPass is the membership service for DoorDash, and it provides unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on eligible orders with DoorDash and Caviar. To get your complimentary three months, you must enroll by Dec. 31, 2024. After those three months, you're automatically enrolled in DashPass at 50% off for the next nine months unless you cancel first.
- Three months of Instacart+: Instacart+ provides unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on eligible Instacart orders. You must enroll by July 31, 2024. After the three months end, you'll be automatically enrolled in an annual Instacart+ membership unless you cancel.
4. Purchase and travel protections
It's always frustrating when something you just bought gets damaged or stolen. If you paid for it with the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, you could get your money back. It has purchase protection that covers new purchases against damage or theft for the first 120 days. The coverage limit is $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.
That's one of several complimentary protections you get with this Chase card. It also has:
- Extended warranty protection that adds a year to eligible U.S. manufacturers' warranties of three years or less
- An auto rental collision damage waiver for theft and collision damage to rental cars
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance of up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip
I've had the Chase Freedom Unlimited® for years. It's one of the credit cards I recommend the most if you're looking for an easy-to-use rewards card. It has everything you need from a card, and you don't need to pay an annual fee to get it.
Alert: our top-rated cash back card now has 0% intro APR until 2025
This credit card is not just good – it’s so exceptional that our experts use it personally. It features a lengthy 0% intro APR period, a cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee! Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes.
Our Research Expert
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent, a Motley Fool service, does not cover all offers on the market. The Ascent has a dedicated team of editors and analysts focused on personal finance, and they follow the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands.
Related Articles
View All Articles