Chase Unveils Special Bonus Offers for Freedom, Freedom Unlimited

These special offers are available only on Chase's own website, not on comparison sites like NerdWallet.

Sara RathnerAug 27, 2019
Chase Unveils Special Bonus Offers for Freedom, Freedom Unlimited
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» This page is out of date

In October 2019, Chase changed the standard bonus offer on the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, so this page is out of date. See our details page for the Chase Freedom Unlimited® for the current offer. 

Chase has introduced special bonus offers for the Chase Freedom® and the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. The offers are available as of Aug. 27, 2019, at chase.com but not on sites like NerdWallet.

For both cards, cardholders who apply for the special offer can earn a $200 bonus after they spend $500 in the first three months.

  • For the Chase Freedom®, the special-offer bonus is $50 higher than the normal offer, for the same spending requirement. Everything else about the card's rewards structure remains the same: It still earns 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in spending per quarter in rotating bonus categories that you activate (see the current categories here). All other purchases earn 1% back.

  • For the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, the special-offer bonus represents a significant change to the rewards structure. Under the card's normal offer, you earn 3% cash back on purchases on up to $20,000 in spending in the first year, and then 1.5% cash back thereafter, but there is no upfront bonus. Under the special offer, you can earn the $200 lump-sum bonus, but there is no 3% promotional rewards rate; you just earn 1.5% on everything from Day One.

When it comes to the Chase Freedom®, the special offer is clearly better — $50 more for the same amount of spending.

For the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, however, which offer is a better deal depends on how much you plan to spend on the card in the first year:

  • If you spend more than $13,333 in the first year (about $1,111 a month), you'll come out ahead with the 3% offer, which is available on NerdWallet. (UPDATE: The 3% offer is no longer available as of Oct. 9. 2019.)

  • If you spend less than $13,333 in that first year, you'd do better with the special offer at chase.com.

The annual fee for both cards is $0. And both cards earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, which are worth a penny each when redeemed for cash back.