How to Optimize Chase Freedom’s 5% Back on Lyft, Gas, Walgreens

Put those Q3 categories to work by stacking rewards, adjusting your app settings and shifting some of your quarterly grocery shopping.
Chanelle Bessette
By Chanelle Bessette 
Updated
Edited by Kenley Young

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Summertime travel may conjure images of plane rides to far-off destinations. But if you're a Chase Freedom® cardholder, it's also not a bad time to incorporate some basic ground transportation into your travel plans.

For the third quarter of 2018, the Chase Freedom® card is offering bonus rewards on spending at gas stations, Lyft and Walgreens. From July 1 through Sept. 30, cardholders can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in those categories, and 1% back after that. Cardholders must activate these categories to earn the bonus.

With some strategy, you can put those bonus categories to work for you.

How to get the most from your Chase Freedom® this quarter

Make your summer vacation a road trip

With bonus cash back at gas stations, it may make more financial sense for you to drive instead of fly this summer if you want to get out of Dodge. For more savings, use an app like Gas Buddy to make sure you find an affordable place to fill up.

Double dip on your gas station rewards

If you sign up for Chase Pay and Shell Fuel Rewards and link the two, you could earn more savings on top of the 5% cash back you’ll get for your gas purchases. Here’s how to do it.

As long as the merchant category code indicates it's a gas station transaction, you could earn 5% on everything from candy bars, Combos and Coca-Cola to the latest edition of Cosmo or Country Living.

Fuel yourself, too

As long as the merchant category code indicates it's a gas station transaction, you'll earn rewards on the purchase. That means you could earn 5% on everything from candy bars, Combos and Coca-Cola to the latest edition of Cosmo or Country Living.

Set your Chase Freedom® as your default card on the Lyft app

In order to get your bonus cash back for using Lyft, your app has to charge the right card. Go into the payment section of your profile and designate your Chase Freedom® as your default method of paying for rides.

Stack your rewards via the Delta Air Lines/Lyft promotion

Lyft and Delta have a partnership that allows customers to earn 1 Delta SkyMile per dollar spent on eligible Lyft rides, with no limits, when your Delta SkyMile and Lyft accounts are linked. You'll earn those miles on top of the cash back you get through the Chase Freedom®.

Shift some of your household grocery shopping to Walgreens

In addition to medicine and personal care, Walgreens carries food, cleaning supplies, batteries, office supplies and more. Earn 5% back on these essentials by getting them at Walgreens instead of Walmart or Wegmans this quarter. While you're at it, join Walgreens' own loyalty program if you haven't already and get rewarded that way, too.

Shift some of your household grocery shopping to Walgreens instead of Walmart or Wegmans this quarter.

Exercise your gift card options

Walgreens certainly sells them, as do plenty of gas stations, and they'll generally count toward the bonus. So if you're standing in line and see a gift card for a restaurant or retailer you frequent, scoop it up and get rewarded.

More to know

Remember that to earn the 5% cash-back bonus, cardholders have to activate the categories, which can be done via the Chase Freedom® activation page.

If you don’t already have the Chase Freedom®, it offers a sign-up bonus: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. The card also offers 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases, and then the ongoing APR of 14.99%-23.74% Variable.

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