Chase Freedom Unlimited Credit Card: Limited-Time 25,000-Point Welcome Bonus, Expires April 30!

According to FM, this 25,000-point bonus will expire on April 30, 2026, so there are only ten days left. If you're interested, apply soon. For a no-annual-fee card, this is a pretty solid bonus. If you prefer to keep things simple with credit cards and use one card long term, the earning rates are also quite good: 3x at restaurants and drugstores, and 1.5x on everything else.

• Chase Freedom Unlimited 25,000 UR application link

This is one of the top 3 credit cards that people hold most often, and it is a very solid card overall.

• Top 10 Most Popular Credit Cards in the US

Chase Freedom Unlimited (CFU) Review

Highlights

• 1.5x on all purchases: Most regular credit cards earn only 1% cash back, so 1.5x is effectively 50% more than a typical card. If you also have the Chase CSP credit card, you can make very good use of the UR points you gradually accumulate.
• 0% APR on purchases: Balances generated from purchases within the first 15 months do not incur interest as long as you make at least the minimum payment each month. Please read “How 0% APR Credit Card Payments Work” carefully.
• BT 0APR: Balance transfers made within the first 15 months are interest-free (though there is probably a 1.5% fee), which can help free up some cash flow. For details, see “Introduction to Balance Transfer”.
• Shopping portal (UR mall): Chase’s own rewards portal also offers extra rewards at merchants such as Walmart, Sears, Staples, and the Apple Store, which is another good way to earn points quickly.

Drawbacks

• If you do not have the Chase CSP credit card (annual fee $95) to transfer points out, then this card is basically just a 1.5% cash back card, which is weaker than Citi Double Cash (2% cash back on all purchases). If you want a no-annual-fee card that can also earn transferable airline points, currently only AMEX EveryDay can do that.
• Chase cards usually do not have many extra cash back promotions, unlike AMEX with AMEX OFFER, Citi with Smart Savings, and BofA with BofA Deals.

Points System Overview

• Point value: The average value is 1.6c/p, so 100 UR = $1.6 (Point Values and Analysis)
• Direct redemption: Cash redemptions are worth 1c; travel redemptions are worth 1c (without a premium card). Premium hotel redemptions or business/first class flights can yield 1.75c (with Ink Preferred or Sapphire Preferred), and 2c with the Sapphire Reserve.
• Point transfers: Transfer 1:1 to United miles (good for China–US economy, domestic US economy, and one-way tickets); transfer 1:1 to British Airways miles (good for China–Japan and short-distance domestic US redemptions); transfer 1:1 to Hyatt points (great for Hyatt hotel stays, with value up to 1.8 cents per point).
• Point features: Ultimate Rewards points can be freely moved among your own cards. They can also be transferred to one designated spouse or partner. To transfer points to airline miles or hotel points, you need support from Ink Preferred, Sapphire Preferred, or Sapphire Reserve. You can also transfer to the mileage or points account of an authorized user.
• My take: UR’s main airline transfer partners are United Airlines, British Airways, Aeroplan, and Air France. UA can book most Star Alliance award tickets, while BA covers some domestic US AA flights. On the hotel side, Hyatt is the best option and can often deliver about 1.6c in value per point, but Hyatt has a relatively small footprint in the US, so your choices may be limited. If you have the Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve, booking flights, hotels, and activities through Chase Travel can get you 1.25c/1.5c in value, which is one of the best high-value options for beginners. Cash/gift card redemptions are worth 1 cent.
• Detailed analysis: Ultimate Rewards Guide >>

My Take

The biggest feature of this card is that it has no annual fee and earns 1.5x UR points on all purchases. Its main purpose is to compete with Citi Double Cash (2% cash back on all purchases) and Capital One Quicksilver (1.5% cash back on all purchases). This card is a standalone product and does not replace the original Chase Freedom (5x rotating quarterly categories). It can also be obtained by product changing from an existing Chase Freedom.

Comparison

So is this card actually worth applying for or product changing to? First, let’s compare it with a few similar no-annual-fee cards:

• Chase Freedom (5x rotating quarterly categories including groceries, dining, gas, Amazon, department stores, etc.; 1x on other purchases): compared with Chase Freedom, this newer card earns only 1.5x, which is just 0.5x more than Freedom on non-bonus spend, while giving up the 5x quarterly categories. On average, Chase Freedom still comes out ahead.
• Citi Double Cash (1%+1% cash back on all purchases): compared with the 2% cash back from Citi Double Cash, this card is weaker from a pure cash back perspective. Its advantage is that it earns UR points, and if paired with the Chase CSP credit card (annual fee $95), those points can be transferred to hotel and airline partners for potentially higher value redemptions.
• AMEX EveryDay (up to 2.4x at supermarkets and up to 1.2x on other purchases): to earn the highest return on AMEX EveryDay, you need to make 20 purchases every month, which is somewhat inconvenient. However, AMEX EveryDay has the advantage of no annual fee and the ability to transfer to airline miles (Delta, ANA, AC). This card, on the other hand, must be paired with the Chase CSP credit card (annual fee $95) in order to transfer points.

Based on the analysis above, this card is basically mediocre if you do not have the Chase CSP credit card, since it is not as good as the 2% cash back from Citi Double Cash. If you plan to keep the Chase CSP credit card long term (and pay the $95 annual fee), then the 1.5x earned on all purchases can indeed become more valuable when transferred to airline and hotel partners. However, if you already have many other credit cards that cover most of your spending with higher bonus categories, then the amount of uncategorized spend left over may be fairly small, and the opportunity cost of applying for this card just for an extra 0.5 UR per dollar can be pretty high.

That said, for people who have a lot of spending in non-bonus categories such as insurance, utilities, and tuition, the extra 0.5 UR can still be meaningful. Especially if you hold the Chase CSP credit card and know how to redeem UR points for strong value, then this card can still be worth applying for. Still, my suggestion is that if you want to earn UR points quickly, you should rely more on the 5x rotating categories from Chase Freedom. This card works best as a supplementary everyday-spending card.

Application Strategy

Applying for this card is also subject to Chase’s “5/24 rule.” Therefore, if you have already been approved for more than five credit cards in the past two years, then your only option is to product change from an existing Chase Freedom or CSP. If you plan to live in the US long term, my suggestion is:

• Year 1: Apply first for Chase Freedom and Chase CSP, and use up most of your UR points (for example, round-trip US-China flights + Hyatt hotels).
• Year 2: Then product change Chase CSP to Freedom Unlimited, and use the two no-annual-fee cards together to build up a large UR balance.
• Year 3: After two years have passed since receiving the Chase CSP welcome bonus, apply again for Chase CSP to earn the bonus again, and use up the UR points you accumulated.
• Year 4: Product change the new Chase CSP to Chase Freedom; with Freedom 5x + Unlimited 1.5x, continue earning points.
• Year 5: Same as Year 3.
• …

Of course, if you are a devoted Chase UR enthusiast, you can follow the steps above. Since you are not applying for other cards, the “5/24 rule” will not be a problem for you. If you want to cover cards from all banks, then you need to control your application pace and stay under five cards in two years so that you can still be eligible to reapply for Chase CSP.

Application

It is recommended to wait until you have at least 6 months of credit history before applying. Once you are past the beginner stage, Chase cards are generally much easier to get approved for.

Chase Credit Card Application Guide

• Chase application status check link (login required). Or call: 888-338-2586
• The 5/24 rule: if you have opened more than 5 new cards in the past 2 years (including cards from other banks), you will not be approved for a new Chase card
• You can be approved for at most two Chase credit cards within every 30 days
• If you have received the welcome bonus on this card within the past 24 months (48 months for the Sapphire family), your application will be automatically denied
• You can call the reconsideration line (800-453-9719) to expedite card approval or request a review of a denied application.
• Having a Chase Checking account can help with getting approved for a credit card
• More on applying for Chase credit cards

Application Link: