Is Chase Freedom Unlimited good for travel?

Yes, you can upgrade Chase Freedom to Chase Freedom Unlimited®. To upgrade, call customer service at (800) 945-2000, enter your account information, and ask to speak to a customer service representative when prompted. Tell the representative you’d like a product change from Chase Freedom to Chase Freedom Unlimited. The representative will review your account to make sure you’re eligible. The odds of getting an upgrade are highest if you’ve had the Freedom card for at least a year with a clean payment history and a low … read full answerutilization ratio. It should take just a few minutes to receive a decision, and it won’t hurt your credit score because there’s no hard inquiry.

If you’re approved for an upgrade from Chase Freedom to Chase Freedom Unlimited, you will not be eligible for the Chase Freedom Unlimited’s $200 initial bonus offered for spending $500 in the first 3 months. You will, however, benefit from the 1.5 - 5% cash back earn rates on your purchases 1 to 2 days after the product change.

When you upgrade from Chase Freedom to Chase Freedom Unlimited, the card number will remain the same, and account information such as the credit limit and APR will transfer to the new card. The new Chase Freedom Unlimited card will also come with an updated 3-digit security code, so you will need to activate the card before you can use it. But, since the upgrade does not show up on your credit report as a new account, the move will not affect your credit score.

For the best Chase Freedom Unlimited approval odds, applicants need at least good credit (a score of 700 or higher for the best chances) and a steady income that exceeds their existing financial obligations by a healthy amount. Odds of approval also depend on other factors, including your employment status, outstanding debt, monthly housing payment amount and more.… read full answer

Before you apply, you can gauge your Chase Freedom Unlimited approval odds through the Chase online pre-approval tool. Checking for pre-approval will not hurt your credit score. Once you submit the online pre-approval form, you should know immediately what your chances are of being approved for Chase Freedom Unlimited. You may see additional Chase cards with high odds of approval, too, based on the information you submitted on the online form.

Remember that just because you’re pre-approved does not mean you’ve applied for an account or that you’re guaranteed to get one should you apply. If you submit an application, Chase will request a full review of your credit report. This ”hard pull” will lead to a slight, but temporary, drop in your credit score.

You get Chase Freedom Unlimited points, but they’re meant to function like cash back. Basically, Chase Freedom Unlimited is part of the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, which is a points-based system that lets you trade each point you earn for a penny in cash back, gift cards or travel. So the 1.5 Freedom Unlimited points you get for every $1 you spend on most purchases are the equivalent of 1.5% cash back. It is a bit disingenuous that Chase advertises cash back for Freedom Unlimited, but just look at it as getting more options. You can get cash back, sure, but you won’t lose value if you choose to use your points for something else. It’s actually not too complicated once you know all the details.… read full answer

Here’s how Chase Freedom Unlimited points work:

• You get 1.5 points per $1 spent on most purchases, with no limit on the number of points you can earn. Plus, you get 5 points (5% cash back) on travel purchased through Chase, 3 points (3% cash back) on dining at restaurants and drugstores.
• You can earn 20,000 bonus points (worth $200) when you spend $500 in the first 3 months.
• You can trade your points for cash back, gift cards or travel at a rate of 1 cent per point.
• Unlike most Ultimate Rewards cards, you cannot transfer Chase Freedom Unlimited points to hotel and airline loyalty programs.
• There is no minimum number of points needed to redeem for cash back. You can redeem any number of points for travel and pay any leftover balance with your card. For gift cards, points will depend on the cost denomination ($10 minimum).
• You can redeem your rewards by logging into the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal and selecting the type of redemption you want.
• Your points will not expire as long as your account is open. But you will lose them if you close your account before redeeming. You will also lose them if Chase closes your account for any kind of fraud, abuse or lack of payment.

Most Freedom Unlimited cardholders redeem their points for cash back. But Chase Freedom Unlimited isn’t necessarily the best cash back credit card on the market. While it does give you a respectable 1.5% rate, you might also want to consider Citi Double Cash, which gives you 2% cash back on all purchases.