Chase’s 5% Bonus Categories for Q2 2024: Dining, Amazon, Select Hotel Bookings

Whether you're going on a far-flung adventure this spring or plan on sticking closer to home, the quarterly bonus categories on the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and the original Chase Freedom® give you plenty of opportunities to earn elevated rewards on everyday purchases and maybe some splurges, too. And if you have the Flex version of the card, the quarterly categories are especially rich.

Holders of the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and the Chase Freedom® earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined spending in bonus categories that change every three months. From April 1 through June 30, 2024, the bonus categories are:

• Amazon.

• Dining.

• Select hotel bookings.

If you have the Chase Freedom Flex℠, you may notice that a couple of those categories can already earn extra cash back because of the card's fixed bonus rewards. The quarterly bonus rates "stack" on top of those. That means Flex cardholders (but not holders of the original Freedom) can earn up to 9% back on hotels when booked through Chase, and up to 7% back on dining purchases. More on that below.

To receive elevated rewards, cardholders need to activate the bonus categories online by June 14. Rewards will apply retroactively, so as long as you activate by the deadline, you'll earn extra cash back on all eligible purchases made throughout the quarter.

Stacked rewards let Flex cardholders score big

Amazon is a mainstay bonus category for quarterly rewards, and the sheer breadth of items you can buy through the online marketplace makes it an easy way to earn extra rewards. But the other two categories — dining and select hotel bookings — have the potential to be much more valuable for Chase Freedom Flex℠ cardholders, thanks to the card's ongoing rewards. Here's how.

In addition to the bonus cash back cardholders can earn in rotating categories, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ also has the following "fixed" bonus categories that don't change:

• 5% back on travel booked through Chase. 

• 3% back at restaurants.

• 3% back at drugstores.

• 5% back on qualifying Lyft services purchased through the Lyft app (through March 31, 2025). 

• 1% back on all other purchases.

Hotels booked through Chase already earn elevated rewards throughout the year (5% back), as do dining purchases (3% back). The quarterly bonus doesn't replace those rewards; it "stacks" on top of them, meaning you can earn up to 9% back on hotels booked through Chase, and up to 7% back on dining purchases. (Bookings made direct with the hotel earn 5%.)

The original Chase Freedom® (which is no longer available to new applicants) has the same 5% rotating bonus calendar but does not have the fixed categories. So holders of that card will earn 5% in all of the quarterly categories.

» MORE: Best credit cards for restaurants

Watch out for foreign transaction fees

These elevated rewards on dining and hotels make the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Chase Freedom® ideal travel companions for spring and early summer trips. But if you're traveling internationally, you might want to think twice before you whip out either card to pay for a meal or a hotel reservation.

Chase generally charges a 3% foreign transaction fee on its nontravel credit cards, which will cut into the value of any rewards you earn. The reward rates are high enough that you can still come out ahead, but you may need to do a little math first.

» MORE: Best no foreign transaction fee credit cards