Chase Freedom Unlimited Review 2024: An excellent everyday cash-back card

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® comes in hot, offering boosted rewards in the first year, above-average cash-back rewards and several valuable perks — all without charging an annual fee. The card also features a lengthy low intro APR offer on purchases and balance transfers, making it a solid option for financing large purchases or consolidating existing card balances. Read further in our Chase Freedom Unlimited Review to determine if this card is good fit for your spending needs.

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Chase Freedom Unlimited®

BLUEPRINT RATING

Our ratings are based on specific use cases for each card. We compared this card to others in the same category and developed our rankings based on this criteria, along with our editorial input. Note that although we chose this card as the best in its category, the right card for you will depend on your own financial circumstances.

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On Chase Bank USA, NA’s secure website

BLUEPRINT RATING

Our ratings are based on specific use cases for each card. We compared this card to others in the same category and developed our rankings based on this criteria, along with our editorial input. Note that although we chose this card as the best in its category, the right card for you will depend on your own financial circumstances.

Welcome bonus

Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That’s 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.

Up to $300 cash back

Annual fee

$0

Regular APR

20.49% – 29.24% Variable

Credit score

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

(700 – 749) Good, Excellent

Earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on dining and drugstores and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Editor’s take

Pros

• No annual fee.
• Introductory APR periods on purchases and balance transfers.
• Generous welcome bonus.

Cons

• Can’t transfer points to travel partners unless paired with another card.
• Charges foreign transaction fees.
• There’s a balance transfer fee.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® charges no annual fee and comes with a robust rewards program, a generous welcome bonus and a useful list of benefits.

Card details

• 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 Travel℠, 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 travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 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 20.49% – 29.24%.
• 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, alerts, and more.
• Member FDIC

Chase Freedom Unlimited basics

• Annual fee: $0.
• Welcome bonus: 1.5% back on everything bought in the first year on up to $20,000 in spending, which is worth up to $300.
• Rewards: 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on eligible dining and drugstore purchases and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. 
• APR: 0% intro APR for the first 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% to 29.24%. An intro transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies in the first 60 days. After that, a fee of either $5 or 5% of each transfer applies.
• Other perks and benefits: Partner benefits with DoorDash, Lyft and Instacart+, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, purchase protections, secondary rental car insurance, travel and emergency assistance services, 24/7 fraud monitoring and free credit score monitoring.

Chase Freedom Unlimited review

The Chase Freedom Unlimited separates itself from other cash-back cards with a lack of spending or rewards caps. It lives up to its name with unlimited cash-back rewards. The card also comes with several partner perks and travel protections, which are unusual benefits in a no-annual-fee card and further cements its place as a top-notch choice for simple cash-back rewards.

Savvy consumers who want to maximize their rewards can pair the Chase Freedom Unlimited with a premium Chase travel rewards card. Pooling your Chase Ultimate Rewards® points with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card opens the door to additional redemption choices and boosts the value of your rewards by 25% to 50% when used to book travel through Chase Travel℠.

Pros

• Welcome bonus: 1.5% back on everything bought in the first year on up to $20,000 in spending, which is worth up to $300 for new card members.
• High rewards rates: Chase Freedom Unlimited offers above-average earnings on everyday purchases plus bonus rates in popular spending categories. 
• Intro APR offer: The card comes with a 0% intro APR for the first 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% to 29.24%. An intro transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies in the first 60 days. After that, a fee of either $5 or 5% of each transfer applies.
• No minimum redemptions: You don’t need to save up points until you meet a minimum threshold to redeem them. 

Cons

• Foreign transaction fee: Purchases outside of the U.S. are subject to a foreign transaction fee of 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars. 
• Balance transfer fee: In the first 60 days from account opening, balance transfers are subject to a fee of: Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater in the first 60 days. After the first 60 days, balance transfers are subject to a fee of: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
• Card pairing: Unlocking the card’s best redemption values requires opening another Chase credit card.

Chase Freedom Unlimited rewards

Chase Freedom Unlimited earns generous flat-rate and bonus cash-back rewards rates:

• 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠.
• 3% cash back on eligible dining and drugstore purchases.
• 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Cash back comes in the form of Chase Ultimate Rewards points. With this card, you can redeem Ultimate Rewards points for cash back, as a statement credit or direct deposit, shop with points at Amazon.com, gift cards and travel booked through Chase Travel.

Using government data and other publicly available information, we estimate that a household in the U.S. that would be in the market for the Chase Freedom Unlimited has $29,575 in expenses they are likely to be able to charge to a credit card. Here’s a breakdown of how much you could earn from credit card spending based on that:

SPENDING CATEGORY	SPENDING AMOUNT	CASH-BACK RATE	CASH-BACK EARNED
Travel booked through Chase	$3,500	5%	$175
Dining	$3,639	3%	$109.17
Drugstores	$300	3%	$9
Other	$22,136	1.50%	$221.36
TOTAL	$29,575		$514.53

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Our hypothetical household would earn $514.53 in cash-back rewards in the first year of card ownership. With no annual fee, there are no added costs to diminish the value of rewards earned. The amount you will actually earn with Chase Freedom Unlimited depends on your individual spending habits. 

The card’s true potential is unlocked by pairing it with a premium Chase credit card, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card * The information for the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. . This allows you to transfer your rewards and redeem them for up to 50% more value for Chase Travel bookings with the Sapphire Reserve or 25% more with the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card * The information for the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. or Sapphire Preferred. It also allows you to transfer your points to any of Chase’s airline and hotel transfer partners for added value and flexibility. These reward perks are not available using Chase Freedom Unlimited alone. 

Chase Freedom Unlimited APR

The Chase Freedom Unlimited offers a 0% intro APR for the first 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% to 29.24%. An intro transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies in the first 60 days. After that, a fee of either $5 or 5% of each transfer applies.

Chase Freedom Unlimited perks

Beyond cash-back rewards, the Chase Freedom Unlimited also serves valuable purchase and travel protections. 

• Auto rental collision damage waiver: Receive secondary rental car insurance when you use your card to book and pay for the rental and decline the rental company’s optional collision protection.
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance: Get reimbursed up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip for prepaid, non-refundable fares if your trip is canceled or shorted due to covered situations. 
• Travel and emergency assistance services: Get 24/7 legal, medical and travel support when you are away from home. 
• Extended warranty protection: Card purchases with an eligible U.S. manufacturer’s warranty of three years or less receive an additional year of warranty coverage. 
• Purchase protection: Your new purchases are covered for up to 120 days against damage and theft up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account. 
• Credit score & identity restoration services: Cardholders can use Chase Credit Journey to access their credit score anytime or receive no-cost identity restoration services. 

How Chase Freedom Unlimited compares to other rewards cards

Chase Freedom Unlimited vs. Chase Freedom Flex® * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex® has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

The Chase Freedom Flex® * The information for the Chase Freedom Flex® has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. offers many of the same benefits as Chase Freedom Unlimited, including no annual fee and a low intro APR offer on purchases and balance transfers. It also features similar rewards rates in most categories, although everyday purchases earn less with the Freedom Flex. 

Where Chase Freedom Flex differs is that it earns 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in categories that rotate quarterly (requires activation), 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on dining and drugstores and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Rotating spending categories may include grocery stores, gas stations and popular online retailers. It also comes with a welcome offer of a $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. The better option comes down to your spending habits and which card offers you higher earning potential. 

Chase Freedom Unlimited vs. Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card * The information for the Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

The Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card * The information for the Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. is also a cash-back rewards card full of value with no annual fee. It features a simple rewards structure — unlimited 1.5% cash back on purchases. The Unlimited Cash Rewards card also features a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. 

Like the Freedom Unlimited card, the Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards comes with a 0% intro APR for 15 billing cycles on purchases and any balance transfers made in the first 60 days, then a 19.24% to 29.24% variable APR applies. A 3% intro balance transfer fee will apply for the first 60 days; then a 4% fee applies to future balance transfers. The real draw with this card is for existing Bank of America Preferred Rewards members, who can earn an additional 25% to 75% cash back on all purchases by meeting account balance requirements. 

Chase Freedom Unlimited vs. Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card * The information for the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

If you prefer a higher welcome bonus, the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card * The information for the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. may be a better fit. The card earns unlimited 1.5 points per $1 on purchases and rewards never expire as long as your account remains open. You can also earn 25,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. Points are redeemable for flights, hotels, rental cars, vacation packages, baggage fees and much more. The Bank of America Travel Rewards card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, so it’s a better option for foreign travel. 

The card offers a 0% intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases and any balance transfers made in the first 60 days, followed by a 19.24% to 29.24% variable APR. A 3% intro balance transfer fee will apply for the first 60 days; then a 4% fee applies to future balance transfers. Like other Bank of America cards, Preferred Rewards members can earn an additional 25% to 75% more points on every purchase with this card.

Chase Freedom Unlimited is right for you if:

• You want to earn cash back on all of your purchases without paying an annual fee.
• You want a card with a low intro APR offer that still offers value after the introductory period ends.
• You want to pair it with a premium Chase rewards card to maximize your rewards potential.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)