UPDATE: This offer has expired.
The Chase Freedom credit card offers 5x points on rotating categories throughout the year and are divided into four quarters.This is a great card for everyday spending, especially if you can stock up on purchases that will give you an increased bonus during the specific quarter. Usually the categories for the entire year are announced prior to the year even starting, but this year, Chase did not include all the categories for the 3rd and 4th quarters. We already knew that gas stations would be included for Q3, but they have now added on Kohls as well!
If you are sitting here saying that there is no way you will come close to spending $1,500 between gas and Kohls during the months of July, August, and September, I have two tricks for you:
- Purchase gas gift cards at the gas station directly to then use throughout the remainder of the year.
- Kohl’s sells gift cards to MANY other merchants! Some examples of gift cards you can purchase include: Home Depot, Olive Garden, Starbucks, BP, Best Buy, etc.
When purchasing gift cards, you’ll still receive the 5x points! Ultimately, if you are able to max out and spend the full $1,500, this will earn you $75 in cash or 7,500 Ultimate Reward points. While points earned with the Chase Freedom card cannot be directly transferred to partner loyalty programs (like they can with the Chase Ink Bold, Chase Ink Plus, or Chase Sapphire Preferred card), if you have one of these “premier” cards you can transfer your Chase Freedom points to one of those cards and then transfer directly to a partner loyalty program. This roundabout method can then ultimately give you a higher value than 1 cent per point!
Also remember, for a limited time until June 24, 2015, the Chase Freedom has a double points sign up offer! You can read more about this no annual fee offer here.
The Q4 category is still pending, although for right now we do know that Amazon will be included (which is awesome!). My assumption is some other big holiday purchasing store will also be added (or maybe all department stores, but that is just a guess). I’ll be sure to let you know when that information is announced.
If you are new to the Chase Freedom card or the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, read this prior blog series to learn more:
- Introduction to Chase Ultimate Rewards Program
- Maximizing Chase Ultimate Rewards with Chase Freedom
- Downgrading your Chase Ultimate Rewards Card to Avoid the Annual Fee
- Best Redemption for Chase Ultimate Reward Points – Hotel Stays
- Best Redemption for Chase Ultimate Reward Points – Air Travel
- Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Chase Sapphire
- Chase Ultimate Rewards: Sapphire Preferred vs. Ink Bold
- Top 10 Chase Ultimate Reward Questions
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I will only list the best credit card offers as my goal is for you to travel on a deal!
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