Update 1/11/22: Reports from Chase affiliates indicate this offer will end on January 12 at 6pm ET. We’ll have to wait and see if it’s still available via other channels and via referral links after that point. (It times well to sign up now given the 5x Freedom category on Grocery.)
Update 7/1/21: After a six month break, this offer is back. Referrals are showing the offer as well. (This signup bonus times well with the Q3 2021 Grocery 5x category which means you’ll get a total 9x when stacked with the signup bonus offer.)
The Offer
Direct links to offers: Chase Freedom | Chase Freedom Unlimited
- Chase is offering an additional bonus on the Chase Freedom and Chase Freedom Unlimited cards. You can currently get the standard $200 sign up bonus after $500 in spend and in additional the card will earn 5% cashback on all grocery store purchases in the first year up to $12,000 in spend
Card Details
Freedom
- No annual fee
- Card earns 5% cash back in rotating categories each quarter
- Card earns 1% cash back on all other purchases
Freedom Unlimited
- No annual fee
- Card earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases
The Fine Print
Freedom:
- 5% Back in the grocery store category (excluding Walmart and Target) until the earlier of the end of your first 12 months or first $12,000 spent: You’ll earn 5% Cash Back rewards total for each $1 spent on purchases in the grocery store category (excluding Walmart and Target) made within your first 12 months from account opening, or until you reach $12,000 in grocery store purchases, whichever occurs first (4% additional Cash Back rewards on top of the 1% Cash Back rewards earned on each purchase). The additional 4% Cash Back rewards will appear on your billing statement in a separate line from the base 1% Cash Back rewards.
Freedom Unlimited:
- 5% Cash Back in the grocery store category (excluding Walmart and Target) until the earlier of the end of your first 12 months or first $12,000 spent: You’ll earn 5% Cash Back rewards total for each $1 spent on purchases in the grocery store category (excluding Walmart and Target) made within your first 12 months from account opening, or until you reach $12,000 in grocery store purchases, whichever occurs first (3.5% additional Cash Back rewards on top of the 1.5% Cash Back rewards earned on each purchase). The additional 3.5% Cash Back rewards will appear on your billing statement in a separate line from the base 1.5% Cash Back rewards.
Post History
Update 1/6/21: The regular links are still around, slated to be with us until January 13, 2021. Some/most referral links are no longer showing the 5% grocery offer, unfortunately; just shows a standard $200 bonus with $500 spend. Some are still reporting seeing the 5% grocery on their referral links.
Update 12/17/20: VFTW reports that the signup offer on the Freedom, Freedom Unlimited, and Freedom Flex cards which offers 5% at Grocery Stores will be ending on January 13, 2021. It’s possible there’ll still be some links available after that date, but it’s a good reminder that this offer is likely to end sometime in the next month or two.
Update 8/17/20: The 5x stacks with the 5x rotating categories for a total of 9x (e.g this quarter is 5x on Whole Foods so these purchases earn 9x). Hat tip to FM
Update 8/9/20: New Chase Freedom Unlimited Signup Bonus Now Available Via Referral Links
Update: Public links added
Our Verdict
Keep in mind while these cards talk about cash back you actually earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points. This means if you have an annual fee card such as Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Ink Plus or Chase Ink Preferred then you can transfer these points to travel partners. You could also use these points for the Chase Pay Yourself back feature to make them worth 1.5¢ each.
As stated at the top the standard bonus on these cards is $200, so the 5% back on grocery stores is just an additional bonus. Unfortunately a lot of readers won’t be eligible for this card/bonus due to the Chase 5/24 rule. I could see this additional 5% on grocery stores being attractive enough for some people to use up a 5/24 slot but that will likely depend on how easy it is for you to spend $12,000 at grocery stores. We will still be adding this to our list of the best credit card bonuses.
Hat tip to reader Steele J
Source: doctorofcredit.com