Chase Freedom Unlimited Credit Card Review

The Chase Freedom Unlimited is a great card for non-travelers and people who want an easy way to earn rewards on all their purchases. Those who are new to rewards credit cards will find the Chase Freedom Unlimited an easy way to start earning. Because of Chase’s 5/24 rule, you should avoid applying for this card if you’ve opened more than five credit cards in the past 24 months.

• No annual fee: The Chase Freedom Unlimited doesn’t charge an annual fee, which is a must-have on a simple rewards card.
• Easy-to-earn sign-up bonus: You don't have to be a big spender to earn extra dough. Make only $500 of purchases using this card within the first three months, and the sign-up bonus is yours.
• Long introductory no-interest period: This card offers a 15-month, 0% APR period on both balance transfers and purchases. That makes it easier to finance a large purchase or move a balance from a card with a higher interest rate. You have the freedom to pay over time without the additional cost.

• Potentially high APR: Your final APR depends on several aspects of your application, including your credit score. Depending on where your credit stands, you could qualify the higher end of the APR range. Even if you qualify for a lower APR, be sure to pay your balance in full after the promotional period ends, so you can avoid expensive finance charges.
• Foreign transaction fee: Using this card abroad wipes out your rewards because of the 3% fee on purchases made in other countries. Pair this card with one with travel rewards, or check out a card with a flat rewards-earning rate and no foreign transaction fee, like the Capital One Quicksilver Rewards or the Bank of America Travel Rewards.

Spend $500 within three months of opening your account and you'll get $150 cash back. This is a typical offer for a no-annual-fee cash-back card, and one you should be able to earn quickly without adjusting your normal spending habits.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited makes it easy to earn rewards. You’ll simply earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases (1.5 points per $1 spent), which is a competitive rate for a flat-rate cash back card. You’ll also earn rewards whenever an authorized user makes purchases on your credit card.

This simple, flat-rate rewards structure means you don’t have to enroll in anything to get a higher rewards rate (like you do with cards with rewards categories that change every quarter), plus there’s no need to alter your spending to take advantage of higher earning categories. 

Points don’t expire as long as your account is open and in good standing.

Rewards are tracked as Chase Ultimate Rewards points—100 points is usually equal to $1 when redeemed. Here's what you can redeem points for:

• Cash back: You can do this at any time for any amount—there’s no minimum redemption threshold to worry about. Rewards can be redeemed as a statement credit to your credit card account or as a direct deposit to your checking or savings account. 
• Travel purchases: Use Chase Ultimate Rewards to book your travel and apply your rewards to your purchase. Reserving travel through Chase’s online booking tool allows you to access competitive rates and gives you flexible ways to pay for your travel. 
• Gift cards: You can cash in points for gift cards that can be used for dining, entertainment, shopping, and more.
• Amazon purchases: If you link your Freedom Unlimited credit card account to your Amazon account, you can use your points to instantly pay for all or part of your Amazon orders. Points can even go towards tax and shipping on your purchases.

Make sure you spend at least $167 each month for three months after opening this card to earn your $200 sign-up bonus. After that, either make this your primary use card to get the most out of the easy cash-back rewards, or pair it with another card that offers a higher earning rate on select purchases, like gas or groceries.

If you have one of Chase’s travel rewards credit cards—the Sapphire Preferred or Reserve—you can combine your Ultimate Rewards points and get up to 50% more when you redeem through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal. If you don’t have one of those cards, redeeming your rewards for anything other than Amazon purchases is a worthwhile choice.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited comes with a couple of other perks when you use your card for purchases. 

• Insurance for stolen or damaged purchases
• Extended warranty protection

The Chase mobile app allows you to view your account activity and pay your bill, but Chase didn’t score well in J.D. Power’s 2019 U.S. Credit Card Mobile App Satisfaction Study. Chase received a score of 870 out of a possible 1,000 points—just below the industry average of 872. 

In terms of credit card satisfaction, Chase fares a bit better. It has an above-average score of 807, which was good enough for the fourth slot in J.D. Power’s 2019 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Survey.

This card has industry-standard security features, like fraud alerts and $0 fraud liability.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited doesn’t come with a lot of fees, and the fees it charges are in line with industry standards. Chase does charge a foreign transaction fee on purchases made in currencies other than U.S. dollars. However, there’s no penalty rate if you default on your credit card payments.