As we travel down the path of the “best” travel cards for us, and the best cards in general, The Chase Freedom Unlimited card stands out amongst the competitors.

Chase has a “Trifecta” of cards, that when paired together, compete with the most luxurious and expensive cards around. These are known as the, ‘Chase Freedom Unlimited, Chase Sapphire Preferred, and Chase Freedom Flex’. While a “trifecta” may not be necessary for you, and may confuse you as to why you need 3 credit cards in the first place, they do provide massive benefits.

If you were to think about your daily or even yearly expenditures, what do they boil down to? Easy. Groceries, dining out, travel, gas, and other everyday purchases, like our Amazon addictions.

Although the Freedom Unlimited card is classified as a travel card, it fulfills the needs of most individuals yearly spending categories, accumulating more than 1% in points for each. The categories included with the ‘Freedom Unlimited’ card include, travel, dining out, drug store purchases, and an added 1.5% cash back on any other purchase outside these categories.

Freedom Unlimited at a Glance

	Chase Freedom Unlimited Card
Annual Fee	None
Sign-up Bonus	Unlimited Matched Cash Back. Chase will automatically match all the cash back you earned at the end of your first year! There is no limit to how much cash back you can earn.
Ongoing rewards	– 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. – 3% back at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services. – 3% back on drugstore purchases. – 1.5% cash back on everything else.
Foreign transaction fee	– 3%
APR	– 0% intro APR on purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 20.49%-29.24% Variable APR.
Value of points redeemed through chase rewards	– The value per point is equal to 1 cent per point
Additional benefits	– Purchase protection. – Extended warranty protection. – Trip cancellation/interruption insurance. – Secondary rental car coverage. – Travel and emergency assistance services.
Limited time offers	– Through March 31, 2025, earn 5% cash back on qualifying Lyft services purchased through the Lyft app. – Get a complimentary DashPass membership for 3 months, which offers $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders. After that, get automatically enrolled in DashPass at 50% off for the next 9 months. Offer must be activated by Dec. 31, 2024. – Get 3 months of complimentary Instacart+ and $10 in statement credits each quarter when you activate by July 31, 2024.

Why people prefer the Chase Freedom Unlimited® Card

Travel perks at no cost

Chase has the Sapphire Preferred® travel card, which is one step above the freedom unlimited. While it may offer a wide range of travel benefits, the $95 annual fee could throw some people off.

Some people travel more than others, which would mean that all the benefits and perks of the Sapphire preferred wouldn’t be as beneficial. With that in mind, the Freedom Unlimited® card offers what most people need anyways.

The Freedom Unlimited® by Chase opens doors to enhanced rewards when booking travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® platform, coupled with travel safeguards, all without incurring an annual fee. For those who don’t travel frequently, the allure lies in the versatility of earning rewards and accessing travel protections seamlessly, all while navigating various everyday spending categories.

Earn base rate rewards on all purchases

In instances where the Chase Freedom Unlimited® doesn’t accumulate rewards in specialized categories, it reliably garners a respectable 1.5x base rate on all alternative purchases. In contrast, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card secures only 1x points for expenditures outside of its enhanced categories, highlighting the distinct reward structures between the two cards.

If you stay in the specialized categories and utilize them effectively, your cash back rewards points will make your day.