The New Chase Freedom Flex Application is Live – $200 Bonus and No Annual Fee

At the end of last month, Chase made an announcement about a new member of the Chase Freedom family – the Chase Freedom Flex. It replaces the regular Freedom in the lineup and offers some new and interesting perks, especially for a card that has no annual fee. Now, it is live!

The New Chase Freedom Flex Application is Live

Link: Chase Freedom Flex (this is a personal referral link – thanks for the support!)

There is quite a bit to like about the Chase Freedom Flex card. Here is a look at what it offers. For those with another Chase Freedom card, some of it may already look familiar.

Benefits of the Chase Freedom Flex

• Earn $200 after spending $500 in the first 3 months (this can turn into 20,000 Ultimate Reward points if you have a UR-earning card)
• 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (not including Target or Wal-Mart) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year
• 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases
• 5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• 3% on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
• 3% on drugstore purchases
• 5% on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate
• 1% on all other purchases
• 4% cash back on Lyft rides through March, 2022
• Cell Phone protection (you must pay your monthly bill with this card)

This will be issued as a Mastercard so there are some benefits that will also come with it because of that (see this link for more).

Should You Get the Chase Freedom Flex Card?

You may have noticed that some things, like the rotating category bonuses, are similar to the Chase Freedom card. The other bonuses are new to this card – and there are a lot! It is huge to get a 5% back travel card that you are not paying an annual fee for!

However, keep in mind that it must be purchased through Chase and if you are a hotel elite, those hotel nights will not count towards your status. Also, there are times that some travel is actually more expensive through Chase. Finally, I am hesitant in this travel climate to purchase travel through anything other than direct with the airline due to all the issues with refunds. But, again, 5% back is huge for travel!

But, keep this in mind – the Chase Freedom Unlimited has similar category bonuses except for the rotating category bonuses. And the Chase Freedom Unlimited earns 1.5% on all purchases in non-bonus categories. If you max out the rotating categories, the Chase Freedom Flex is the better card. But, if you are using the card as an everyday card, the Chase Freedom Unlimited will give you that extra 50% in cash back/points on everyday spending.

Also, keep in mind that both cards still charge foreign transaction fees of 3%. So, these are not cards for foreign use.