What does FREEDOM mean to you?

Today marks the celebration of Independence Day and freedom. Freedom can mean many different things to many different people. It can mean freedom to make your own decisions, freedom to live the lifestyle you choose, freedom to pick your career, freedom of thought and speech and on and on.
So what does freedom mean to you?
For me, it means the freedom of time; time to travel and see the world. The freedom to learn new cultures, meet new people and explore. 
And in order to have that freedom, I need to find a way to make travel affordable for my family.
That's been my mission for the last 4 years with this blog, almostFREEfamilytravel.
Every article, tip and piece of advice I give is meant to help you and me achieve the freedom of travel. 
I learned 4 years ago that travel does not have to be expensive. You just need to have a plan and focus on execution. 
And the gift you can give to your children will live on forever. 
So I hope you continue to enjoy my blog and enjoy your own definition of freedom. 

Stephanie 

Why I'm Applying For The New Chase Credit Card

 

It's unusual for credit card companies to launch a new credit card product and especially to launch one now during a global pandemic, but Chase has announced the new Freedom Flex coming Sept. 14th. The current Freedom credit card will be discontinued. But the Freedom Unlimited card will continue to be offered. This straightforward cashback card earns 1.5% on all purchases. 

Now, the Freedom card is my fall back personal credit card, and the Freedom Unlimited card works the same way. Both earn Chase Ultimate Rewards Points which are super versatile since you can transfer them to dozens of airlines and a few big hotel chains. Plus you can use them in the Chase Travel Portal. And if you hold a Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve card, the points are now valued at 1:1.25 or 1:1.5 in the portal or cashback. 

A big perk of the current Freedom card is the quarterly rotating 5% cashback categories such as Amazon, gas stations, streaming services, groceries, and more. If you max out those categories, it's a huge benefit. 

The Freedom Unlimited card will offer some new benefits:

• 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• 3% back on dining
• 3% back at drugstores

There’s no activation required — all three will become available beginning Sept. 15. The Freedom Unlimited currently offers $200 bonus after a $500 minimum spend in the first 3 months. 

The new Freedom Flex comes with a $200 bonus after a $500 minimum spend in the first 3 months also. Plus 5% on groceries up to a max of $12,000 in the first year, unfortunately, Target and Walmart are excluded from the bonus. There is no annual fee. It will also include the rotating 5% cashback categories and the new bonus categories included with the Unlimited card. 

The Flex card is considered a new product since it will be a Mastercard instead of a Visa so if you currently have a Freedom or Freedom Unlimited card, you are eligible to apply for this card as a new customer rather than upgrade and secure the bonus 

So if you have a Chase Freedom card like I do, it probably makes sense to switch to the new Flex card. If you have the Chase Freedom Unlimited card, the only difference is that that new Flex card is a Mastercard instead of a Visa. Mastercard comes along with World Elite Benefits that include free shipping with ShopRunner, $10 credit with Lyft when you take 5 rides in a month, and more. You can read about all the benefits here. 

So it probably makes sense to switch to the new Flex card for you as well. If you are over Chase 5/24 rule (you have opened 5 credit cards with any company in the past 24 months), you can call and ask for a product change. You won't be eligible for the welcome bonus, but you will get all the new credit card benefits. If you are under 5/24, you need to decide whether it makes sense for you to use one of those slots for this card. 

Watch for the new Flex card coming Sept. 15th. 

Happy Holiday! Time To Think FREEDOM

 

On this fourth of July, let's talk FREEDOM. What does it mean? What does it mean to you? In the aftermath of the pandemic, FREEDOM may have changed meanings and become more basic. For example, if you are on lockdown, then FREEDOM may mean just leaving your home. 

If you are FREE to leave your home, FREEDOM may mean leaving your city, county, or state. 

Or maybe it's a more abstract meaning like freedom of choice and thoughts. 

This July 4th, we celebrate FREEDOM. Hopefully, one day soon, the idea that FREEDOM can and should exist for all people of all colors, races, and religions. FREEDOM for everyone to travel and to live peacefully in harmony and prosperity. 

Enjoy the day and spend just a few minutes wondering what FREEDOM means to you. 

Time to Activate the 5x Points On Your Chase FREEDOM Card

 

One of the benefits of the Chase FREEDOM and FREEDOM FLEX cards are the rotating 5x points bonus categories. And take those points and transfer them to your Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve and you can really get an amazing value! You can see how that works here.  

Chase just announced the categories for Q3 and they are: 

• Gas stations - excludes truck stops, marinas and oil distribution. 
• EV Charging - for the first time, get bonus points when you charge your electric vehicle. 
• Select Live Events - this excludes bowling alley, movie theatres, gambling and third party vendors. 

Past bonus categories have included Amazon, Walmart, Ebay, grocery stores and more. 

Time to Activate the 5x Points On Your Chase FREEDOM Card

To activate the 5x earning, you need to either login to your Chase.com account and click or just click here and enter your last name, last four digits of your card and your zip code. 

Chase does limit you to the bonus on just the first $1,500 spent in all the categories, but if you max it out, that's 7,500 points. Nice! Once you activate the bonus, there is nothing more you need to do. You can always check your rewards activity in your Chase.com account. 

You can hold both the FREEDOM and FREEDOM FLEX credit cards, both are FREE with no annual fee. However, the FREEDOM card is closed to new applications. The current offer for the FLEX card is a $200 bonus when you spend $500 on the card. There is no annual fee with this one so it's a great everyday card. You also earn 3x points on dining and drugstore purchases. If you decide to apply for this card, please consider using my referral link. 

Time to Activate the 5x Points On Your Chase FREEDOM Card

Chase Ultimate Rewards are so valuable because they are flexible. You can transfer them to Marriott, Hyatt and IHG and a dozen airlines. You can also use them to buy flights, hotels, car rentals and experiences in the Chase Travel Portal. 

Time To Activate the 5x Bonus on Your Chase FREEDOM

 

Chase just announced the 5x bonus rotating categories for the FREEDOM family of cards. These cards come with a different bonus 5x points category each quarter. You can earn up to $1,500 worth of bonuses which is pretty sweet. The family is no fee cards so it's nice to be able to earn 5x points without paying a high annual fee. 

I max out the category each quarter and then transfer the points to my Chase Sapphire Reserve for a better redemption in the portal or to transfer the points to airlines or hotels. 

This quarter I was hoping for a gas bonus to offset the high gas prices we are seeing, but unfortunately, that is not the case. 

Instead, the bonus is for Amazon and streaming services. Amazon is always a good bonus category since there are not too many ways to earn extra points on those purchases. 

Time To Activate the 5x Bonus on Your Chase FREEDOM 

Streaming services includes: 

• Disney+
• Hulu
•  ESPN+
•  Netflix
•  Sling
•  Apple Music
•  SiriusXM
• Spotify
•  YouTube TV
•  HBO Max
•  Paramount+
• Showtime 

You can activate your FREEDOM bonus categories here or through the Chase app. You need to activate by June 30, 2022 and you can begin earning 5x points on April 1, 2022. 

Time To Activate the 5x Bonus on Your Chase FREEDOM 

If you max out the categories, you will earn $75 cash back each quarter for $300 per year. Not too bad. And you can hold both cards like I do so that would be double. 

You can activate the bonus by clicking here.

If you don't have the FREEDOM FLEX card yet, you can earn $200 cash back after spending just $500 in the first 3 months. Right now, it comes with 5% back on gas purchases for an entire year or up to $6,000. Wow! 

Why You Might Want To Shop At Walmart This Holiday Season

One of top reasons to have a Chase Freedom credit card are the rotating bonus categories each quarter. This Q4 2017, the bonus categories include 5% cash back at Walmart.com. So if you are doing some holiday shopping at Walmart.com, you should put those purchases on your Chase Freedom card. The bonus caps at $1500 cash back. 

There are two Chase Freedom cards to pick from: Chase Freedom and Chase Freedom Unlimited. Both have bonus categories. Both have no annual fees. Both come with a 15,000 point bonus for making a minimum of $500 spend in the first 3 months. The Unlimited earns an additional 1.5% cash back on purchases. 

The drawback to this card is that you cannot transfer points to airlines or hotels. It is strictly a cash back card. If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Ink card, then you can transfer points to travel partners. 

Did You Activate Your New Chase FREEDOM Categories?

Hopefully, last quarter you maxed out the Chase FREEDOM 5% bonus cash back at gas stations! I did and earned a whopping $36. That's FREE money! That's like getting an entire tank of gas FREE just for using that credit card to buy gas. 

I called it "leveraged spending". I was going to buy the gas anyway and by using the right credit card, I got more bang for my buck. Since I was not trying to hit the bonus on another card, I chose to use my Chase FREEDOM card and earn 5% cash back with every fill up. 

Check out the rewards breakdown. You can see I earned a bonus of $25.17 for gas and $11.08 on everything else. Pretty awesome!

Chase actually breaks it down even further so you can see how much you earned for each purchase. Check out the gas stations and pharmacy. You can see how the bonus points really add up. Now just a reminder, we were on a road trip. That's my excuse for all the Starbucks too! 
And the rewards never expire so you can save them and then use them for a FREE trip, car rental or just cash back. 
This quarter, the bonus categories are grocery stores and home improvement stores. Now if you don't have a Chase FREEDOM credit card yet, please use my link to sign up. You will get $150 cash back if you spend $500 in the first 3 months and it will help me pay for the blog. I have had my Chase FREEDOM card forever, it's my go-to no annual fee card. 
If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve, you can even transfer your points to different hotels and airlines for FREE travel. 
That's how we do it at almostFREEfamilytravel.com 

Chase FREEDOM and FLEX Q1 Bonus Announced

 

One of the benefits of the no annual fee Chase FREEDOM (closed to new card holders) and the new FLEX card are the rotating 5% or 5x points bonus categories. 

Both of these cards earn Chase Ultimate Reward Points which are my new favorite due to their flexibility to use for hotels, airlines, and cashback. I just used the points to pay for part of my bathroom remodel.  You can check out how I am maxing out these points right now. 

Chase just announced the bonus categories for Q1. Drumroll, please. The categories are wholesale clubs (Sam's BJ's and Costco), cable, internet, phone, and some streaming services (Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, Spotify and more). These bonus categories are for spending between Jan. 1, 2021, and March 31, 2021. 

Note that Costco only accepts Visa in store so the FREEDOM FLEX which is a Mastercard will not be accepted, however, if you have the FREEDOM card, you can use that. 

You need to activate this offer by clicking here. You can activate any time before March 14, 2021, but I like to do it early. 

If you don't have the FREEDOM Flex card yet, you can apply for it here using my referral link. You will get 20,000 points for a $500 minimum spend plus 5x points on grocery purchases up to $12,000 or one year. It's a no annual fee card so it's pretty much a no brainer. 

The Trick To Getting More Value Out Of Chase Ultimate Reward Points

 

When I wake up and see this in my Chase.com account, that makes for a great day! I applied for the new Chase FREEDOM Flex card in October and bam, this month, I was awarded the 20,000 point bonus. 

The Flex card requires just a $500 minimum spend in the first three months to earn the bonus. It has no annual fee and right now, it also earns 5% at grocery stores for the first year or up to $12,000. It also comes with the Chase rotating categories which for Q4 are Paypal and Walmart. 

I already had the Chase FREEDOM card, it's been my go-to card forever. But this is a new product so I was eligible to apply and get the bonus. I may close my old FREEDOM card or I may hold onto it in order to max out the rotating categories. 

Chase Ultimate Reward Points are amazing because they are so flexible and during the pandemic, Chase added a pay yourself back benefit to the Sapphire Preferred and Reserve cards where you can cash in the points for grocery and home improvement purchases. The Sapphire Preferred card has a $95 annual fee, but I think it's totally worth it. This is one of my favorite cards. The Sapphire Reserve has a $550 annual fee, but before you gasp, it also comes with a $300 travel credit which right now is a grocery credit plus FREE Doordash, Lyft and Peloton membership and a $120 credit at Doordash. It also comes with a $100 Global Entry credit and FREE airport lounge access. 

So here's the trick to get more value out of the points. 

The Sapphire Preferred gives you 25% more for your points in the pay yourself back and Chase Travel Portal and the Sapphire Reserve gives you 50% more. Chase also allows you to combine your points from one credit card to another. So you can easily move your points from your new FREEDOM FLEX card to your Sapphire Preferred or Reserve to get more value. 

It's easy. 

• Just log into your Chase.com account
• Click on the earn/use points and you'll see this dashboard. It's expanded a lot since the pandemic started. One of the things I love about Chase is how user friendly the site is. You can see exactly how many points you have, how to use them, and how to earn them. 
• Click on combine points and you will see the option to move points from one card to another. You can also move points from one family member to another if your family member only has a no fee card or even a Preferred card. 

Chase will ask you how many points you want to move, review your order and bam, instant transfer. Now you can use those points for travel or to pay yourself back for any qualified purchases you made in the past 90 days. 

If you decide to apply for the Chase FREEDOM Flex or Sapphire Preferred, please consider using my referral link. You get the same bonus and I also get a small bonus for referring you. That's how we do it at almostFREEfamilytravel.com 

New Promotion From Chase: Earn 5x on hotels

New offer from the Chase Freedom and Freedom Unlimited credit cards! First, the Chase Freedom is my go-to personal card. The card offers rotating 5% cashback categories each quarter. For example, this quarter ending March 31st, you earned 5% cash back for every gas, streaming, internet, cable, and phone purchase. The second quarter categories will be announced on March 15th. 

A nice perk is that you can activate the offer anytime during the quarter until the new categories are announced and the offer is dated back to the beginning of the quarter. 

Earn Unlimited 5x Points On Hotels

If you book a hotel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal anytime in March (you don't have to stay in March just make the reservation) and pay with your Chase FREEDOM or FREEDOM Unlimited, you will earn 5% cashback up to $2,500. That could be as much as $125. Pretty sweet. 

And if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve, then you can transfer your cashback points to those cards and get more value in the Ultimate Rewards travel portal. 

Keep in mind that any hotels you book through the portal will NOT earn hotel points or qualify for promotions like the current Wyndham bonus points and Best Western 2 for 1 offer. 

If you decide to apply for this card, use my referral link. You get a $200 bonus when you spend $500 in the first 3 months. Both cards have no annual fee. 

Time To Activate The New Q4 5% Rotating Categories

 

Time to activate the 4th quarter Chase Freedom Unlimited and Freedom Flex rotating bonus categories. For the 4th quarter, you can earn 5x points on purchases at Walmart (think holiday shopping!) and Paypal. Click here to activate your card. 

Walmart is pretty straightforward, if you shop at the brick and mortar store or at the shop online, use your FREEDOM Unlimited or FLEX card. 

The Paypal category is super interesting. I remember this one from last year and I played around with it quite a bit. You can actually pay for many purchases via Paypal. Look for the Paypal logo every time you make an online purchase and for this quarter, you should use it and your FREEDOM Unlimited or FLEX card. 

Once you get your bonus points, if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve, you should transfer the points to those cards so you can get an additional bonus. Those cards offer 1.25 and 1.5 respectively when you use the points in the travel portal and pay yourself back tools. 

Right now, the Chase FREEDOM Unlimited and Flex cards are offering $200 bonus when you spend $500 in the first three months of account opening. Plus these cards are offering 5% back on grocery purchases so you can rack up points quickly. Both cards carry no annual fee so it's a no-brainer in my book. 

Please use my referral link to get the best offer. 

How To Get 5% Cash Back On Every Fill Up

Chase just released its new Q3 5% cash back categories for the no annual fee Chase Freedom credit card. Drumroll, please. 

Q3 5% Categories:

• All streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Sirius
• Gas Stations 

Woohoo. Who doesn't like earning 5% back on every fill up. Chase Freedom is a great card to keep in your wallet since it has no annual fee and can earn 1% cash back on every purchase and 5% on rotating categories. You earn Chase Ultimate Reward points which you can cash in for cash back. If you have a Chase Sapphire or Reserve card, you can transfer those Ultimate Rewards to airlines like Southwest. Huge!
You need to activate your Q3 categories by clicking here and entering your last name, zip code and last four digits of your card or you can login to your Chase.com account.
You will have until almost the end of Q3 to activate the categories and it is retroactive.
If you don't have a Chase Freedom card yet, use this referral link to get $150 cash back after you spend $500 in the first 3 months.
If you have the Chase Freedom, think about opening a Chase Sapphire Reserve or Preferred so you can transfer those great points to airlines.

Chase FREEDOM 5X Q1 Categories Revealed

One of my favorite no annual fee cards is the Chase Freedom. It earns Ultimate Reward points at 2x and every quarter there are 5x bonus categories. Past categories have included warehouse clubs, grocery stores, Paypal, Chase pay, streaming services and more. You can max out these categories up to $1500 so that's pretty sweet. 

Chase just announced the Q1 categories for 2020 and they are, drumroll please:

• Gas Stations 
• Select Streaming Services 
• Internet, Cable and Phone Services

Out here in California, gas is pretty steep so just charging my gas to the Chase FREEDOM card for 3 months will add up to some pretty nice savings. Also if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Preferred along with the FREEDOM, you can combine your points and use them to book travel through the portal making them even more valuable. See my past post for how this works.  That's how we do it at almostFREEfamilytravel.com

Chase 1st Quarter 2025 5x Bonus Categories

 

Woohoo! Chase has announced the 5x bonus categories for the FREEDOM (not available to new customers) and FREEDOM FLEX credit cards for Q1 2025. 

The bonus categories rotate quarterly and offer 5x Chase points up to $1,500. It's an easy way to accelerate your earning power. I max out these bonus offers on both of my FREEDOM credit cards every quarter. 

And then transfer the points to my Chase Sapphire Reserve for maximum value. 

Past categories have included Paypal, Amazon, Lowe's Walmart, pet services and more. 

For Q1 2025, the categories are:

• Self Care, Nail and Hair Salon and Spa 
• Grocery Stores - excluding Walmart and Target
• Fitness and Gyms 
• Norwegian Cruise Lines 

You need to activate your bonus by March 14th 2025. 

Besides the bonus categories, the Chase FREEDOM FLEX comes with a $200 bonus offer for a $500 minimum spend. This is a $0 annual fee credit card so it's a great everyday card to add to your wallet. 

Two New Chase Credit Card Offers Available Now

 

Two great new offers from Chase today! Probably the highest ever bonus offer we have ever seen for the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card, 80,000 points. Wow! 80,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be worth up to $1,000 in travel or right now, $925 in FREE groceries. 

So who is eligible for this card? According to Chase, if you have never held a Sapphire credit card before, you are eligible OR if it's been at least 48 months since you have held a Sapphire credit card, you are eligible. 

The fine details include a $95 annual fee which is not waived for the first year and $4,000 minimum spend in the first three months. 

The Sapphire Preferred is one of my favorite travel cards because Ultimate Rewards points are so flexible. You can transfer them to dozens of airlines plus several hotel chains. You can also use them in the Chase travel portal with a 25% bonus. Through the end of the month, you can also pay yourself back by using the points at a 25% bonus to erase grocery purchases. 

If the $4,000 minimum spend is to much for you, then take a look at the new Chase Freedom Flex. The new Freedom Flex comes with a $200 bonus after a $500 minimum spend in the first 3 months also. Plus 5% on groceries up to a max of $12,000 in the first year, unfortunately, Target and Walmart are excluded from the bonus. There is no annual fee. It will also include the rotating 5% cashback categories and the new bonus categories included with the Unlimited card. 

The Flex card is considered a new product since it will be a Mastercard instead of a Visa so if you currently have a Freedom or Freedom Unlimited card, you are eligible to apply for this card as a new customer rather than upgrade and secure the bonus.

Two great offers from Chase, which one are you going to take advantage of?

How To Get 5x Points On Your Amazon Purchases

By the end of 2019, 112 million people shopped at Amazon.com. Wow! That's incredible. I don't know about you, but since the pandemic started, I tend to order from Amazon rather than head to the store. 

One of my favorite go-to credit cards offers rotating bonus categories. For Q3, Chase Freedom is offering you 5x points on your Amazon and Whole Foods purchases. You cannot find Amazon on the regular shopping portals so this is a great benefit. 

Your purchase will still count towards Amazon Smile. 

In past years, Amazon was included in Q4 for holiday shopping, but this year, they offered it a quarter early. 

You must register your Chase FREEDOM here. Registration opens on June 15th. 

Why Chase FREEDOM is one of my favorites

The Chase FREEDOM card is my go-to no annual fee card. You earn 1% cashback in the form of Chase Ultimate Reward Points for every purchase. And every quarter, Chase adds bonus categories that earn 5% cashback. Cashback categories range from gas stations to Amazon to Paypal. You are able to earn $75 cashback on $1,500 in purchases across the three categories. Chase will even keep track on the website. You do need to activate each quarter which you can also do through the website with just one click. Registration opens on June 15th. Then you can redeem your points for cashback. If you have the Chase Ink, Chase Sapphire or Chase Sapphire Preferred, you can transfer the points to airlines, hotels and use the Chase travel portal. Right now, Chase is offering $200 bonus cash back when you open this card and spend $500 in the first 3 months. 

How You Can Earn $800 Towards Your Next Vacation

 

I get it, sometimes annual fees are scary. Even though this trip to Belfast in Northern Ireland was almost FREE, people like to point out that I do pay several hundred dollars a year in annual fees. 

And a lot of times, the cards that give you the highest bonuses also have big annual fees. Cards like my favorites: 

• the Capital One Venture X offering a bonus right now of 90,000 points with an annual fee of $395 
• the Chase Sapphire Reserve offering a bonus right now of 60,000 points with an annual fee of $550

But right now, you can get $800 cash back on two of my all time NO annual fee credit card favorites.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited and Freedom Flex. Let me tell you the difference between these two and why they are a great go to card to have in your wallet. 

Chase Freedom Unlimited: Earn $200 cash back on a $500 minimum spend. No annual fee. Earn 5x Chase Ultimate Reward points on gas and grocery purchases for the first year up to $12,000. That's another $600. And then you earn 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. 

Chase Freedom Flex: Earn $200 cash back on a $500 minimum spend. No annual fee. Earn 5x Chase Ultimate Reward points on gas and grocery purchases for the first year up to $12,000. That's another $600. And earn 5x points on rotating bonus categories quarterly like Paypal, Amazon and more. 

Besides no annual fee, you can also combine these points onto your Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve card for more value. Amazing! 

If you want more support getting started, join the second cohort of my Travel Coaching program! You get my 5 module course (the videos are short, don't worry), a custom tracker, a personal review, 1:1 coaching session with me and then group coaching sessions for life. I'm limiting this cohort to just 10 people, so hurry! 

How You Can Get 5x Chase Points On Your Amazon Purchases

I don't know about you, but I spend quite a bit of money on Amazon and it makes me crazy that I can't earn any extra points on those purchases. Well, this quarter you can! 

Time to active the 5x bonus categories on your Chase FREEDOM and Chase FREEDOM FLEX cards. 

These are rotating quarterly categories and don't worry the bonus is retroactive so as long as you activate by June 30th. 

You can activate your card with this link. 

The Chase FREEDOM card is no longer available to new customers, but the Chase FREEDOM FLEX card is available and is a great no annual fee card. It earns 1.5 points per $ on every purchase plus a $200 bonus when you spend $500 in the first three months plus for the first year, you earn 5x points on grocery purchases. 

 

Why You Might Want To Cash In Some Points

Hopefully, you were able to get your points/miles refunded back into your account if your flights were canceled due to Covid-19. Or maybe you were about to book a trip and are now sitting on a pile of points/miles.

Most points/miles are only worth something if you use them to book a hotel room or flight with that particular company, but some points can be traded in for cashback.

Chase Ultimate Rewards points are one of my favorites due to the flexibility to transfer them to a variety of hotels and airlines plus using them as currency in the travel portal.
But another benefit is that you can trade them in for cashback.
Right now, that could be more valuable than travel.

If you already have a Chase Sapphire Reserve or Preferred, FREEDOM, FREEDOM Unlimited or Ink Business Preferred, you are earning Ultimate Reward Points on every purchase. Depending on the card and the category, you earn at different rates.
But you can trade them in at 1:1 just by logging into your Chase.com account and clicking on Ultimate Rewards. 

You will see your rewards balance and how much those points will net you in cash back. You can choose how many points you want to cash in, which could equal a nice chunk of change. Now, you can get better than 1:1 redemption if you use them to book flights, hotels and, car rentals through the travel portal or if you transfer them to an airline.
But if you need the cash or you don't see yourself traveling anytime soon, this might be a good idea.
If you don't have any points, but you are looking for cash. You could apply for one of these cards, spend the minimum, get the bonus and cash in the points. 
The Chase FREEDOM Unlimited has a bonus $500 cash back right now for new card holders, the Preferred is offering 60,000 bonus points and the Reserve is offering 50,000 bonus points. At 1:1, these bonuses are worth $500-$600 cash back. 
If you do not have one of these cards yet, please use my referral link and help support this blog.
If cash back and travel are not your thing right now, you can use the points to shop at the Apple store and other retailers, but this is not the best value.

Time To Activate Your Chase Bonus Categories

 

Time to activate those Chase bonus categories for your FREEDOM (no longer available) and FREEDOM FLEX credit cards. These are rotating 5x points bonus categories every quarter. For Q3 this year, Chase is making grocery stores and select streaming services worth 5x points instead of the usual 1x points. 

Time To Activate Your Chase Bonus Categories 

You must activate your card first and then make that card your go to for grocery purchases for the next three months and rack up the points. 

You can earn points up to $1,500 in combined purchases. 

Keep in mind that grocery does NOT include Target and Walmart. 

Select streaming services includes:

• Disney+
• Hulu
• ESPN+
• Netflix
• Sling
• Vudu
• Fubo TV
• Apple Music
• SiriusXM
• Pandora
• Spotify
• YouTube TV

I will actually mark each card with the bonus categories for that time period so I remember. You can also keep a running list somewhere. 

Why I love Chase Ultimate Reward Points 

The points add up quickly and Chase Ultimate Reward points are my current fave since they are so versatile and flexible. You can transfer them to dozens of hotels and airlines or just use the pay yourself back tool for cashback or use the travel portal to book flights. So many options and if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve, your points are worth more than 1:1. 

If you do not have the Chase FREEDOM FLEX card, consider using my referral link for a $200 bonus offer.