Why I got the Chase Freedom Flex and how I'm getting max cash back this quarter

As a TPG staffer, I have a pretty solid credit card portfolio. I love using The Platinum Card® from American Express to earn bonus points on flights, Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express for bonus cash-back on grocery and transit purchases and American Express® Gold Card to earn bonus points when I dine out.

However, I'm always looking for ways to make my money work harder to accomplish my goals. Recently, I decided to add the Chase Freedom Flex® (see rates and fees) to my arsenal.

Here's why I landed on that card and how I'm already working to get maximal value from its cash back categories.

Why I decided to apply for a Chase Freedom Flex card

With an upcoming move this summer, I have a few big purchases on the horizon. I'd looked at buy-now-pay-later options like Affirm but also realized these options wouldn't give me any points or cash back on my purchases. Plus, they aren't always interest-free.

Then, I researched cards with 0% intro APR offers.

One of TPG's 10 commandments of credit is "Thou shalt pay thy balance in full." But, the idea of putting my big furniture purchase on a 0% interest card and leaving my money to grow in a money market was pretty attractive.

I wanted a card that I thought would be a useful and complementary addition to my other cards for some time, not just a short-term account. The Freedom Flex card checked off all the boxes on my wish list:

• 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months (variable APR of 18.24% - 27.74% after that; balance transfer fee applies)
• No annual fee
• Quarterly bonus categories that would earn me 5% cash back when I activate — a value of $300 per year alone.

How Freedom Flex quarterly bonus categories work

Each quarter, Chase announces a few categories where Freedom Flex cardholders earn 5% cash back that quarter on up to $1,500 in purchases when they activate. All your purchases on the Freedom Flex earn 1%, so cardholders earn a bonus 4% to get to the quarterly 5% earnings.

Daily Newsletter

Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter

Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts

Email address

Sign up

By signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.

For example, Amazon and Whole Foods purchases typically earn 1% cash-back, but since they're part of the Q2 bonus categories, cardholders can earn an additional 4% on these purchases for a total of 5% back.

However, I didn't realize at first that Chase is doing something new this quarter. It has added two categories to the quarterly bonus list that earn more than 1% year-round — hotels through Chase Travel℠ (typically earns 5%) and restaurants (typically earns 3%). To keep the quarterly bonus-earning rate even, Chase simply added 4% on top of these year-round bonus earnings rates.

This means that after activating, I'm earning an impressive 9% on hotels through Chase Travel and 7% on dining my Freedom. Once I realized this, I started to put together my plan to maximize these bonus categories. (Thanks to my TPG colleagues for helping me wrap my brain around them.)

Related: Freedom Flex bonus categories

7% cash back on dining

Enjoying good food is a passion of mine, whether it be learning how to make a new dish or exploring a hot restaurant.

While I have other cards with dining rewards, this quarter's 7% back on dining means I'll pull out the Freedom Flex when the check comes to maximize cash back.

I'll keep an eye on my total spending, as that 7% reverts back to the 3% total after the first $1,500 bonus category spending. Then, I'll switch back to my dining default, my American Express® Gold Card, to earn 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar on my purchases at restaurants worldwide (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar).

5% back at Whole Foods Market

Another of this quarter's Freedom Flex bonus categories is Amazon; I was glad to see that Chase also includes purchases at Whole Foods Market stores in this cash back category.

If I didn't also have an Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card, which offers 6% cash back on U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%)*, the 5% back at Whole Foods Market would be enticing. But since I already have a card that earns more at Whole Foods, I'm focusing my Flex spending on restaurants.

*Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at Amazon.com checkout.

Up to 9% back on hotels

Finally, this quarter, you get up to 9% back on hotels with Freedom Flex, but you'll have to book through Chase Travel℠ to reach that maximum level.

While 9% is pretty tempting, I usually prefer to book hotels directly. I selected travel as my quarterly bonus-earning category on my Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card, so I can book directly and still earn 6% (on up to $2,500 in combined spending each quarter) for the first year using that card. After the first year the earning rate goes down to 3%.

Bottom line

Between the introductory APR offer and the chance to earn 7% cash-back on my dining purchases this quarter, adding the Freedom Flex to my wallet was a no-brainer. If I decide to get the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) or Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees), I'll get even more value from the rewards I earn on my Freedom Flex.

For more details, check out our full review of the Chase Freedom Flex.

Updated 5/28/25