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The Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees) is an excellent no-annual-fee card for people who are looking to accumulate rewards with Chase. This card earns 5% cash back on travel purchased through the Chase Travel℠ portal, 3% on dining, food delivery, and drugstore purchases, and 1.5% on all other purchases on all other purchases.
Rewards you earn from purchases on the Freedom Unlimited become even more powerful if you also hold either the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees). By pairing your Freedom Unlimited with a premium Chase product, you can convert cash back into Ultimate Rewards points for travel redemptions with any of Chase's transfer partners.
Here's everything you should know about the Freedom Unlimited to help you decide if it's right for you.
- Intro Offer: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
- 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.
- 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 18.99% - 28.49%.
- 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
- Rates & Fees
- Earn 5% on purchases through Chase Travel℠
- Earn 3% on dining at restaurants
- Earn 3% on drugstore purchases
- Earn 1.5% on all purchases
Page Contents
Chase Freedom Unlimited Pros
- Excellent earning rates for travel, dining, and drugstore purchases.
- Chase Ultimate Rewards points don't expire as long as your account is in good standing and open — and there's no minimum amount for redemptions.
- Purchase and travel insurance protections.
- $0 annual fee.
Chase Freedom Unlimited Cons
- You can't transfer points to any of Chase's airline and hotel transfer partners unless you have another Ultimate Rewards credit card with an annual fee.
- Has foreign transaction fees — 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars.
- Chase's strict application rules may make you ineligible for this card.
Freedom Unlimited Welcome Bonus
The Freedom Unlimited is offering a sign-up bonus of a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
Offers on this card oscillate between matched or additional cash back or a flat cash bonus. Here's the history of publicly available offers we have seen on the Freedom Unlimited.
Introductory APR offers
New cardholders can enjoy introductory annual percentage rate (APR) offers on both balance transfers and purchases, as follows:
- 0% introductory APR on purchases: Valid for 15 months, then a Variable APR of 18.99% - 28.49%.
- 0% introductory APR on balance transfers: Valid for 15 months, then a Variable APR of 18.99% - 28.49%. There is a balance transfer fee, though. Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer made within 60 days of account opening. After that, either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer. Whichever value is greater will apply in both cases.
Related: Best Credit Cards With No Annual Fee and 0% Introductory APR
Freedom Unlimited Card Benefits
Because the card has no annual fee, you should not expect elite perks with the Freedom Unlimited. However, a few cardholder benefits are worth highlighting, such as fraud monitoring and free access to your credit score with Chase Credit Journey.
You'll also benefit from purchase protections and limited travel insurance coverage when you use your card to pay. Additionally, if you pair the card with an Ultimate Rewards card with an annual fee, your Freedom Unlimited becomes significantly more powerful.
Related: Complete Guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards: Best Ways to Earn and Redeem Points
Travel insurance and purchase protections
Whether you are buying gifts or purchasing travel with the Freedom Unlimited, you'll enjoy benefits like purchase protection, extended warranty protection, rental car insurance, travel and emergency assistance services, and trip cancellation/interruption insurance.
When making travel purchases on your Freedom Unlimited, cardholders can be reimbursed for travel costs up to $1,500 per traveler and up to $6,000 per trip if their trip is cut short or canceled due to a variety of reasons. These reasons can include severe weather and sickness, among other mishaps.
Unfortunately, the card does not offer coverage if your trip is delayed. The Freedom Unlimited only provides insurance coverage for any trip cancellations.
Transfer Chase points between cards
One of the most underrated benefits enjoyed by Freedom Unlimited cardholders is the ability to combine Chase points with those earned using other Ultimate Rewards cards with an annual fee.
As a standalone card without holding another corresponding card product, the Freedom Unlimited has fewer redemption options. However, if you also have an Ultimate Rewards card that grants access to Chase transfer partners (like a Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve), your Freedom rewards can be redeemed for much greater value.
Redeeming Chase Points With the Freedom Unlimited
Even if you do not hold or plan to hold another Chase card, the Freedom Unlimited offers several easy ways to use points. These fixed-value redemptions are important because they establish a minimum value for your points with no annual fee. You can rest easy knowing you'll get a decent return with no hassle or payments.
Chase TravelSM
You can redeem your points for airfare, hotels, car rentals, and more in the Chase Travel portal for one cent per point. There are better ways to spend your points if you're looking to maximize your value, but these bookings are easy to make and guarantee a decent return for your rewards without having to do a lot of research and planning on how to maximize your points.
Chase Pay Yourself Back
Chase Pay Yourself Back offers a way to redeem points earned with Freedom Unlimited at a higher value for select categories of purchases. Eligible categories are subject to change, so check out the post linked above for the current offers and a detailed tutorial on how to make these redemptions on the Ultimate Rewards website.
Other fixed-value redemptions
You can also redeem your Chase points for a statement credit (i.e. requesting cash back, deposited into your bank account), toward gift cards, or to shop online with select retailers. These redemptions generally offer a value of 1¢ per point for your rewards — although Chase will periodically offer gift card discounts through Chase Month of More and bonuses when you redeem Chase points for Apple products.
While you can also pay at checkout with various merchants, these redemptions are typically worth less than a penny each, so we advise against redeeming your cash back using this method.
Chase Ultimate Rewards cards with transfer partners
If you hold a premium Ultimate Rewards credit card, your points will be worth up to 75% more towards Chase TravelSM bookings, depending on the Ultimate Rewards card that is in your wallet. With an Ultimate Rewards card that has an annual fee, you'll gain access to 14 valuable airline and hotel transfer partners.
Chase's transfer partners offer the best opportunity for outsized value. They require a little knowledge to get the best deal, but it's well worth the small effort to familiarize yourself with these options. AwardWallet readers typically redeem points at 1.95¢ apiece with Chase partners — significantly more than the fixed-value options highlighted above.
Starting June 23, 2025, Chase is rolling out a new feature called Points Boost, allowing eligible cards to get up to 2¢ per point when booking eligible travel through the Chase Travel portal. Click here to learn more about the changes, when they take effect, and which cards are eligible.
Application Restrictions
Chase features some of the more limiting application restrictions of the major credit card providers. Unpublished limitations include:
- 5/24 policy: If you've been approved for five or more new credit cards in the previous 24 months (from any provider, not just Chase), it is extremely unlikely you will be approved for the Freedom Unlimited.
- 2/30 policy: You can only open a maximum of two personal credit cards (or one personal card and one small business card) with Chase in a 30-day period.
Plus, you'll see two more rules spelled out in the Freedom Unlimited‘s terms and conditions:
“This product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of this credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of this credit card who received a new cardmember bonus for this credit card within the last 24 months.”
If you currently have the Freedom Unlimited or earned a welcome bonus in the past 24 months from previously holding the Freedom Unlimited, you won't be eligible for this current offer.
For more details, check out our post covering application restrictions for major credit card issuers.
Related: How to Check Your 5/24 Status for Free
Cards That Compete With the Chase Freedom Unlimited
If the Freedom Unlimited isn't the right card for your wallet, consider these other cards:
- If you want a card that earns 5% back on quarterly rotating spending categories, check out the Chase Freedom Flex℠. This card offers 5% back every quarter on different spending categories, such as gas stations and live entertainment — up to $1,500 of these purchases — and doesn't have an annual fee. You'll have the same opportunities to combine rewards with other Chase cards that we discussed above. Learn more in our full review of the Freedom Flex.
- If you're over 5/24 but still want a no-annual-fee card that offers 5% back, look into the no-annual-fee Citi Custom Cash® Card. Rather than having a set category that earns 5% back, the card automatically awards 5% back on whichever category has the most spending that month — up to $500 of these purchases each billing cycle. Learn more in our full review of the Citi Custom Cash.
- If you're looking for better earnings on everyday expenses, consider the Citi Double Cash® Card. You'll earn 2% back on all purchases, awarded as 1% when you buy and another 1% when you pay your bill. It also has no annual fee. Learn more in our full review of the Citi Double Cash.
- Earn 5% on up to $1,500 on combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate
- Earn 5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Earn 3% on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- Earn 3% on drugstore purchases
- Earn 1% on all other purchases
- Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent
- 1% cash back thereafter, plus, you'll earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for – as your spending changes each billing cycle, your earn adjusts automatically when you spend in any of the eligible categories.
- Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025.
- Eligible spending categories are: Restaurants, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Select Travel, Select Transit, Select Streaming Services, Drugstores, Home Improvement Stores, Fitness Clubs and Live Entertainment.
- Earn 2% cash back on every purchase—1% when you buy and 1% when you pay. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25. Citi cash rewards now also convert to ThankYou points at 1:1 ($10 = 100 ThankYou points).
Related: Our Favorite Benefits on Credit Cards with No Annual Fee
Bottom Line
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is an excellent credit card for those who want to quickly accumulate Chase points or cash back without opening a card carrying an annual fee.
You'll have access to a great earning structure for accumulating rewards on all of your purchases, a handful of modest benefits, and the ability to unlock even more valuable reward redemptions if you pair this card with a Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Preferred as part of your credit card strategy. The ability to pair it with an annual fee card as well as its great earning rates make it significantly more powerful in a rewards earning strategy than nearly all other no annual fee cash back cards.
- Intro Offer: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
- 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.
- 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 18.99% - 28.49%.
- 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
- Rates & Fees
- Earn 5% on purchases through Chase Travel℠
- Earn 3% on dining at restaurants
- Earn 3% on drugstore purchases
- Earn 1.5% on all purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
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