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We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with confidence.
Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover. SHARE: FG Trade/E+/Getty Images November 01, 2021 Checkmark Bankrate logo How is this page expert verified? At Bankrate, we take the accuracy of our content seriously. "Expert verified" means that our Financial Review Board thoroughly evaluated the article for accuracy and clarity. The Review Board comprises a panel of financial experts whose objective is to ensure that our content is always objective and balanced. Their reviews hold us accountable for publishing high-quality and trustworthy content. Jacqueline is a contributor for Bankrate and has worked with more than a dozen financial brands, including , , , , , , , SoFi and Northwestern Mutual, providing thoughtful content to give readers insight into complex topics that they likely didn’t learn in school. You can learn more about her work and connect with her on or at . Sometimes . Claire Dickey is a product editor for Bankrate, and . Before joining Bankrate, Claire worked as a copywriter for brands within the telecommunications industry as well as a hybrid marketing and content writer. Mariah Ackary is a personal finance editor who joined the Bankrate team in 2019, excited by the opportunity to help people make good financial decisions. Send your questions to Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
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The are pretty solid. It’s a that includes perks like no annual fee, a great welcome bonus and an introductory 0 percent APR on purchases for 15 months (16.49 percent to 25.24 percent variable APR after). Being part of the family carries some weight, too, of course. Many people to rack up and redeem more rewards for discounted travel. Quick highlights
Rewards rate: 5 percent back on Lyft purchases (through March 2025), 5 percent back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3 percent back on dining, 3 percent back on drugstore purchases and 1.5 percent back on all other purchases Welcome offer: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) – worth up to $300 cash back. Annual fee: $0 Purchase intro APR: 0 percent intro APR on purchases for 15 months Balance transfer intro APR: None Regular APR: 16.49 percent to 25.24 percent (variable) Earning rewards
Is the ’s rewards structure worth it? Luckily, this card’s rewards offerings have gotten even better over time. Before its , the Chase Freedom Unlimited was a standard , earning 1.5 percent back on all purchases. With new, higher-earning bonus categories, the potential to earn more rewards has increased significantly since then. Even if you are not very conscientious about tracking your spending according to the Freedom Unlimited bonus categories, you can still get a respectable cash back rate on all purchases made with the card. Of course, if you have time to monitor and adjust your spending habits based on these categories, you’ll get even more out of it. Redeeming rewards
Redeeming rewards with the Chase Freedom Unlimited isn’t difficult, but it’s important to understand what each redemption option can get you in terms of monetary value: Cash back in the form of a statement credit (worth 1 cent) Cash back in the form of a direct deposit (worth 1 cent) Travel (worth 1 cent) Gift cards (worth 1 cent) Apple purchases (worth 1 cent) Shop with Points on Amazon.com (worth 0.8 cents) Charitable contributions (worth 1.25 cents) Another common move is to combine points with one of Chase’s other premium cards, such as the , or . This provides you with added flexibility and the ability to move your rewards to one of at a 1:1 ratio. Benefits
The Chase Freedom Unlimited comes with a number of perks that you don’t normally see with . For starters, this card comes with a complimentary DashPass subscription for three months. After that, the subscription automatically resumes at a reduced rate (50 perfect off the monthly rate) for the next nine months. With this pass, you’ll get unlimited food delivery with no delivery fee on orders over $12. There’s also purchase protection, extended warranty coverage and trip cancellation and interruption protection that reimburses up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip. Pairing the Chase Freedom Unlimited with other Chase cards
Perhaps one of the best things you can do with this card is pair it with another Chase card or even use it within the . In either case, the goal is to combine rewards to maximize both the way you earn and how you redeem. For instance, if you decide to pair the Chase Freedom Unlimited with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you’ll have the option of transferring your rewards to Chase airline and hotel partners. Some of these partners include , , British Airways, and . Plus, you’ve got the added benefit of combining rewards from both cards and redeeming them for 50 percent more value when booking travel through . Suppose you want to go the trifecta route. In this case, you could throw in the Ink Business Preferred, a that offers generous rewards for travel, shipping, internet, cable and phone services and select advertising purchases. From here, you’d pool rewards earned from all three cards to your Chase Ink or Sapphire Reserve to use with Chase travel partners. If you aren’t interested in a business card, you could add another Chase Freedom card to your wallet (for example, the ) to complete your trifecta. A key difference between the is that the Freedom Unlimited earns .5 percent more cash back on non-category spending. Using multiple Chase cards also works to enhance rewards earned with the Pay Yourself Back tool. For instance, let’s assume you have a Sapphire Preferred or Reserve card in addition to a Chase Freedom credit card. From there, you could transfer points to either of your Sapphire cards and use the Pay Yourself Back tool for a boosted rewards value on certain redemptions. The bottom line
At the end of the day, only you can decide whether the Chase Freedom Unlimited is a good fit for your lifestyle. Overall, if you’re looking for cash back rewards without a pricey annual fee, this card will likely serve you well. SHARE: Jacqueline is a contributor for Bankrate and has worked with more than a dozen financial brands, including , , , , , , , SoFi and Northwestern Mutual, providing thoughtful content to give readers insight into complex topics that they likely didn’t learn in school. You can learn more about her work and connect with her on or at . Sometimes . Claire Dickey is a product editor for Bankrate, and . Before joining Bankrate, Claire worked as a copywriter for brands within the telecommunications industry as well as a hybrid marketing and content writer. Mariah Ackary is a personal finance editor who joined the Bankrate team in 2019, excited by the opportunity to help people make good financial decisions. Send your questions to