What are the Chase Freedom Flex department stores?

The Chase Freedom 5% bonus categories are Walmart and PayPal from October through September 2021. The Chase Freedom calendar for the last quarter of the year has not been released yet.

Just bear in mind that the bonus categories on Chase Freedom’s calendar don’t always repeat year over year. It’s also important to note that any purchases in these categories above the $1,500 limit will give 1% cash back. The same 1% rate goes for all purchases outside of the Chase Freedom bonus categories.… read full answer

Here’s the Chase Freedom Calendar for 2021:

• Q1 2021: Wholesale clubs, internet, cable & phone services, and select streaming services
• Q2 2021: Gas stations and home improvement stores
• Q3 2021: Grocery stores (excluding Target and Walmart) and select streaming services
• Q4 2021: Walmart and PayPal. Keep in mind that qualifying purchases made using PayPal at Walmart will only earn a total of 1%.

In order to earn 5% cash back in the Chase Freedom bonus categories each quarter, you will need to “activate” the category. The deadline to activate is typically halfway through the final month of the quarter. Luckily, as long as you activate before the deadline, all purchases in the bonus categories during the quarter will get 5% cash back, even if you made them before you activated. You can activate through your online account, through the Chase Ultimate Rewards website, by visiting a Chase branch, by calling the number on the back of your card or at an ATM.

It’s important to note that the Chase Freedom card is no longer available to new cardholders, having been replaced by the Chase Freedom Flex℠ card. However, existing Chase Freedom cardholders can continue using their cards, and both Chase Freedom and Chase Freedom Flex have the same bonus categories.

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ credit score requirement is 700 or higher, which means good-to-excellent credit. It may be possible to get approved for the Chase Freedom Flex℠ card with a slightly lower credit score if you have a lot of income and little debt, but the higher your credit score is, the better your approval odds will be.… read full answer

If you’re unsure of where you stand, you can check your latest credit score for free on WalletHub, the only site where credit scores and reports update daily.

It’s also important to note that just having a high credit score isn’t necessarily enough to get you approved, and it’s still possible to be approved with lower credit scores. It all depends on Chase’s evaluation of your entire credit situation. A multitude of different factors go into your approval or rejection.

Key things to know about the Chase Freedom Flex℠ credit score requirements:

1. A good credit score of 700+ gives good approval odds. Around 43% of people have credit scores of 700+ and if you’re not one of them, taking a few months to improve your credit could be the difference between being approved and rejected.
2. Chase Freedom Flex℠ approval depends on income, too. The more money you have at your disposal, the more you can afford to put toward paying off credit card bills. But debt hurts your chances. If too much of your money is already earmarked for other debt obligations, your odds of getting approved for Chase Freedom Flex℠ will be lower.
3. Don’t rely on anecdotal evidence. Even if someone reports getting approved for Chase Freedom Flex℠ with a credit score under 700, it doesn't mean you will get the same treatment. It depends on your overall credit profile, including income, credit score, and credit utilization.

Walmart is not considered a grocery store for credit cards. Major credit card networks assign a specific merchant category code (MCC) to purchases made at traditional grocery stores. This code doesn’t include “big-box” retailers like Walmart or Target because they sell a lot more than groceries. But Walmart Neighborhood Markets are considered grocery stores for credit cards since they sell groceries exclusively.… read full answer

If you want to earn bonus rewards on groceries purchased at Walmart, consider the Walmart Store Card. It offers 3% cash back on walmart.com purchases, including grocery pickup. The card also gives 2% cash back on Walmart and Murphy USA gas purchases. All in-store purchases, including groceries, yield 1% cash back.