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The Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers cardholders a generous rewards rate for everyday purchases. There are no categories you have to remember to sign up for, nor is there a limit on the amount of cash back you can earn.
In this Chase Freedom Unlimited review, you’ll learn about both the benefits and the drawbacks of the card and why you should consider adding it to your wallet.
Unlimited Cash Back
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Current 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
Rewards Rate
5% cash back on Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards, 3% cash back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases
Benefits
- 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
- Bonus rewards on travel, dining, and drugstores
- No annual fee
- Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers
Drawbacks
- Has foreign transaction fee
- INTRO 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!
- Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year).
- After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards®, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back 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 19.49% - 28.24%.
- 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, real-time alerts, and more.
Who should get the Chase Freedom Unlimited card?
The Chase Freedom Unlimited is a solid choice if you want to earn a high cash back rewards rate but don’t want to deal with an annual fee. It’s also an excellent choice to use in tandem with a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
Chase allows you to transfer points earned between accounts so you can transfer your rewards from the Chase Freedom Unlimited to one of the Sapphire cards or the Ink Business Preferred to gain access to better redemption options. The Chase Freedom Unlimited is also part of the Chase trifecta that helps you maximize earnings and redemptions by strategically using three Chase credit cards together to take advantage of this transfer of rewards.
That said, it may not be the best choice if you want a card with different bonus categories that better match your spending. Also, you’ll need a good or excellent credit score to get approved, which typically means a FICO score of 670 or higher.
Card basics
| Card type |
Cash Back |
| Credit card issuer | Chase |
| Credit card network | Visa |
| Annual fee | $0 |
| Intro bonus | 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 |
| Rewards rate | 5% cash back on Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards, 3% cash back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases |
| Recommended credit score | Excellent, Good |
| Intro APR | 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months (then 19.49% - 28.24% Variable) 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months (then 19.49% - 28.24% Variable) |
| Foreign Transaction Fee | 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars |
Chase Freedom Unlimited benefits and perks
- Rewarding 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.
- 0% introductory APR offer: You’ll get 0% APR for 15 months on new purchases and balance transfers (then 19.49% - 28.24% Variable APR). If you need to finance a large purchase or save on high-interest debt via a balance transfer, this card will give you plenty of time to do so. After that, your interest rate will increase to the regular APR.
- Bonus cash back: The Chase Freedom Unlimited offers 5% cash back on Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards, 3% cash back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. You can also get 5% cash back on Lyft services purchased through the Lyft app (through March 31, 2025) with this card.
- Flexible redemption: While it’s a cashback credit card, you technically earn points, which you can use to redeem for cash back as a statement credit or direct deposit, gift cards, travel, or shopping on Amazon.com. You can also transfer points to another Ultimate Rewards-earning card for more redemption options.
- DoorDash perks: You'll get a free 3-month membership to DoorDash's DashPass program, which offers reduced fees on eligible food delivery orders of $12 or more. After that initial period ends, you'll be automatically enrolled in DashPass for the next 9 months at a 50% discount (the normal membership is $9.99 a month).
- Instacart benefits: Receive three free months of Instacart+ and $10 per quarter in statement credits toward Instacart purchases. You must join Instacart+ with your eligible card to receive these benefits.
- Chances to earn more cash back: The Shop through Chase portal and Chase Offers program both allow cardholders to multiply the cash back they earn on certain purchases. Shop through Chase offers up to 15% extra cash back, and Chase Offers gives you statement credits when you activate an offer and redeem it with your card.
- No annual fee: There’s nothing inherently wrong with credit cards that have an annual fee. But with this one, you don’t have to worry about whether you’re getting enough value each year to make up for its yearly cost.
- Purchase protection: This credit card offers purchase protection against damage or theft for 120 days, up to $500 per claim.
Drawbacks to the Chase Freedom Unlimited
- Foreign transaction fee: If you travel abroad often, you may want to make your international purchases with a different card. This one comes with a 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars foreign transaction fee.
Earning cash back with the Chase Freedom Unlimited
The Chase Freedom Unlimited rewards program is relatively straightforward, making it easy to know how to maximize your rewards. And depending on how savvy you are with redemptions, you could get more than the standard value the card offers.
Potential earnings in years one and two
Here's a look at how your cash back can add up with the Chase Freedom Unlimited. To calculate these values, we used a valuation of 1 cent per Ultimate Rewards point.
Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.
Year one earnings: $732
Year two earnings: $732
These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model which takes a look at points earned via spending, the sign-up bonus, and the annual fee. If you take advantage of the special earnings in year one, then you could earn even more with this card.
Best ways to earn
| Categories | Rewards rate |
| Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards | 5% |
| Lyft services purchased through the Lyft app (through March 31, 2025) | 5% |
| Drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service | 3% |
| All other purchases | 1.5% |
Given the base earnings rate plus the array of bonus categories, this card offers great rewards potential on almost every purchase you make, so there’s no extra legwork to maximize your earning power.
Maximizing your redemptions
When redeeming for cash back, gift cards, or travel, each point is worth one cent apiece, which is fairly standard. If you use rewards to shop on Amazon.com, however, they’re worth only 0.8 cents apiece.
Some Chase credit cards offer a bonus on travel redemptions in the Ultimate Rewards portal. If you have either the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve, or the Ink Business Preferred, you can transfer your points from the Chase Freedom Unlimited to one of these cards to get 25% or 50% more on travel redemptions. You could potentially get even more with point transfers to a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner.
You can see how the Chase Freedom Unlimited pairs well with one of the Chase Sapphire cards by comparing the two directly. When placed side-by-side, the Chase Freedom Unlimited vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred comparison highlights that each card has its own strengths. By utilizing both cards, you can maximize their benefits.
Chase Freedom Unlimited FAQs
As you do your research for your next credit card, it’s important to learn as much as possible about each option to find the best card for your wallet. Here are some common questions we found about the Chase Freedom Unlimited, along with their answers.
Does the Chase Freedom Unlimited have a foreign transaction fee?
Yes, the card charges a 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars fee on foreign purchases, so it’s not the best choice to take on a vacation abroad. If you’re planning such a trip, consider a top travel credit card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or The Platinum Card® from American Express instead.
What’s the credit limit for Chase Freedom Unlimited?
There’s no set credit limit for the card. Rather, your credit limit will be determined by a number of factors, including your creditworthiness, income, other debt, and more. Unfortunately, you won’t know what your credit limit is until after you apply and get approved.
What’s the difference between Chase Freedom and Chase Freedom Unlimited?
For the most part, both Chase cards' features are nearly identical — the difference is the rewards program. With the Chase Freedom, you can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent on rotating categories each quarter you activate. (Editor's note: the Chase Freedom is no longer available.)
The Chase Freedom Unlimited does not offer a rotating category, but with it you can earn 5% cash back on Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards, 3% cash back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. Additionally, the Freedom Unlimited's 1.5% base rewards rate on all other purchases is higher than the Freedom's 1% on all other purchases.
You can compare the Chase Freedom vs. Freedom Unlimited directly and see which is the best fit for you.
Is the Chase Freedom Unlimited hard to get?
In order to get approved for the Chase Freedom Unlimited card, you'll need a good to excellent credit score, which typically means a FICO score of 670 or higher.
Is the Chase Freedom Unlimited a good credit card?
The Freedom Unlimited is a great card for earning rewards on your regular purchases. With this card, you can earn 5% cash back on Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards, 3% cash back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases, which makes it a popular option among cashback cards.
The Chase Freedom Unlimited is also one of the best cards for adding an authorized user at no cost. This can also be a great credit card for teens to learn good financial habits, as there is no age requirement for authorized users.
Other cards to consider
The Chase Freedom Unlimited credit card offers incredible cashback value, but if you're still on the fence, you may want to consider the rotating bonus categories from the Chase Freedom Flex℠ or the flat-rate cash rewards from the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card.
The Chase Freedom Flex offers 5% on rotating quarterly categories (on up to $1,500 spent) and travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal; 3% at restaurants (including takeout and delivery) and drugstores; and 1% on all other purchases. You can directly compare the Chase Freedom Unlimited vs. Chase Freedom Flex cards and see if one – or maybe both – best fits your needs.
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards card offers 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day; and 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply) with the added bonus of no foreign transaction fee. By comparing the different rewards of the Chase Freedom Unlimited vs. Capital One Quicksilver cards, you can determine which better fits your spending habits.
Unlimited Cash Back
Why We Like It
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
See how these cards compare:
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Chase Freedom Flex℠
- Earn $200 cash back after spending $500 on purchases in the first 3 months (plus 5% cash back on up to $12,000 spent on groceries in the first year, excluding Target and Walmart purchases)
- Up to 5% cash back on spending
- Perks from Lyft, DoorDash, and more
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Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
- No annual fee
- 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then 19.74% - 29.74% (variable) APR; 3% fee on balances transferred within the first 15 months
- 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
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