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If you have the Chase Freedom Flex℠ or the Chase Freedom®, listen up. Chase's 5% bonus categories for Q2 2026 are live and you can now spend within them once you activate.
Cardholders can earn a total of $75 cash back — or 7,500 Ultimate Rewards points — by maxing out spending each quarter. However, you'll need to activate the offer each quarter before you can start earning 5% cash back.
Here's everything you need to know about the Chase Freedom 5% rotating bonus categories.
Page Contents
Chase Freedom 5% Cash Back Overview
Each quarter, Chase introduces new rotating cash back categories on the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Chase Freedom®.
After you activate for the quarter, you’ll earn a total of 5% cash back on the first $1,500 in combined purchases in the eligible categories. This includes the card’s 1% base rate plus a 4% bonus. Purchases above the $1,500 cap and all non-bonus spending earn 1% cash back.
If you max out the bonus categories each quarter, you can earn $300 cash back, or 30,000 Ultimate Rewards points, each year. That’s a meaningful return!
How to activate Chase Freedom 5% bonus categories
Q2 2026 categories are now open for activation and apply to purchases from April 1 through June 30, 2026. You’ll need to activate each quarter, and you can do that easily by clicking here. Registration closes on June 14, 2026.
Chase Freedom 5% Cash Back Categories 2026 Second Quarter
Between April 1 and June 30, 2026, you can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases on Amazon, on Chase Travel, and on donations to Feeding America.
Keep in mind that purchases must post to your account between April 1 and June 30, 2026, to be eligible for the bonus cash back.
Maximize Your Earnings With a Premium Chase Card
The best way to leverage the points earned from your Freedom Flex or Freedom Card is by combining them with a premium Ultimate Rewards-earning card like:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees)
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
- Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (Rates & Fees)
$95Rates & Fees
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
$795Rates & Fees
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
$795Rates & Fees
- 8X points on all Chase Travel℠ purchases
- 5X total points on eligible Lyft rides through 9/30/2027
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on advertising purchases made with social media platforms and search engines
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases
The way this works is straightforward. If you only hold the Freedom Flex or Freedom Card, you can redeem your earnings only as cash back at a value of 1¢ per point.
However, if you hold a premium card, you can transfer your earnings to the premium card. Then, you can redeem these points through the Chase Travel Portal or Chase Pay Yourself Back to get up to 2¢ per point, depending on which card you have. Moving points to a premium card also opens up the option of transferring these points to a Chase travel partner, where you can get even more value for your points.
You can maximize the earning potential on the Freedom Flex or Freedom Card by spending just $500 per month in the quarterly bonus categories. If you do, you'll earn $300 cash back (or 30,000 Ultimate Rewards points) each year.
Related: How to Combine Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Between Credit Cards
Past Freedom Card Rotating Bonus Categories
One of the first things you pick up looking at the historical calendar of Freedom bonus categories is that many of them repeat. Grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, and department stores often show up once or twice each year. We’ve listed the bonus categories below, dating back as far as 2014, followed by some tips to maximize the categories we see repeating each year.
| Year | First Quarter | Second Quarter | Third Quarter | Fourth Quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | January – March • Norwegian Cruise Line • Dining • Donations to American Heart Association | April – June • Amazon • Chase Travel • Donations to Feeding America | TBD | TBD |
| 2025 | January – March • Grocery stores (excluding Target and Walmart) • Fitness clubs • Hair, nails, and spa services | April – June • Amazon • Select streaming services • Internet cable and phone services | July – September • Instacart • Gas stations • EV charging • Select live entertainment | October – December • To be announced • Activate starting September 15, 2025 |
| 2024 | January – March • Grocery stores (excluding Target and Walmart) • Self-care and spa services • Fitness clubs and gym memberships | April – June • Restaurants • Hotels • Amazon.com | July – September • Gas stations • EV charging • Select live entertainment • Movie theaters | October – December • PayPal • McDonald's • Pet shops and vet services • Select charities |
| 2023 | January – March • Grocery stores (excluding Walmart) • Target • Fitness clubs and gym memberships | April – June • Amazon.com • Lowe's | July – September • Gas stations • EV charging • Select live entertainment | October – December • PayPal • Wholesale clubs • Select charities |
| 2022 | January – March • Grocery stories (excluding Target and Walmart) • eBay | April – June • Select streaming services • Amazon.com | July – September • Gas stations • Rental cars • Movie theaters • Select live entertainment | October – December • PayPal • Walmart |
| 2021 | January – March • Wholesale clubs • Internet, cable, & phone services • Select streaming services | April – June • Gas stations • Home improvement stores | July – September • Grocery stores • Select streaming services | October – December • PayPal • Walmart |
| 2020 | January – March • Gas stations • Internet, cable, & phone services • Select streaming services | April – June • Grocery stores • Fitness club & gym memberships • Select streaming services | July – September • Amazon.com • Whole Foods | October – December • Walmart • PayPal |
| 2019 | January-March • Gas stations • Drug stores • Tolls | April – June • Grocery stores • Home improvement stores | July – September • Gas stations • Select streaming services | October – December • Department stores • Chase Pay • PayPal |
| 2018 | January-March • Mobile wallets • Gas stations • Internet, cable, and phone service merchants | April – June • Groceries • PayPal • Chase Pay | July – September • Lyft • Walgreens • Gas stations | October – December • Wholesale clubs • Department stores • Chase Pay |
| 2017 | January-March • Gas stations • Local commuter transportation | April – June • Grocery stores • Drug stores | July – September • Restaurants • Movie theatres | October – December • Walmart • Department stores |
| 2016 | January-March • Gas stations • Local commuter transportation | April – June • Grocery stores • Wholesale clubs | July – September • Restaurants • Wholesale clubs | October – December • Wholesale clubs • Drug stores • Department stores |
| 2015 | January-March • Grocery stores • Movie theaters • Starbucks | April – June • Restaurants • Bed Bath & Beyond • H&M • Overstock.com | July – September • Gas stations • Kohl's | October – December • Amazon.com • Zappos.com • Audible.com • Diapers.com |
| 2014 | January-March • Gas stations • Movie theatres • Starbucks | April – June • Restaurants • Lowe's | July – September • Gas stations • Kohl's | October – December • Amazon.com • Zappos.com • Department stores |
Related: Credit Cards With Rotating Quarterly Bonus Categories
Final Thoughts
You can now activate and spend within the 5% bonus categories on the Freedom Flex or Freedom Card for April to June 2026.
If you hold the Freedom Flex or the Freedom Card, activating and leveraging your quarterly bonus categories is a must. The 5% rotating bonus is one of the main features of these cards, and it's where they deliver the most value. If you don't, you're leaving money on the table.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees), and Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (Rates & Fees)
