Doctor of Credit (H/T) has reported today that the Chase Freedom Flex 1st Quarter 2021 categories will be Wholesale Clubs, Streaming Services, and Internet, Cable, & Phone Services. These categories will also be available to those with the old Chase Freedom.
The Chase Freedom Flex and the old Chase Freedom are amazing credit cards for earning Ultimate Rewards (UR) points quickly on select categories. They are best used in conjunction with the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or the Chase Ink Business Preferred. This is because you can transfer points earned with either card to any of the above cards for access to transfer partners.
Overview
For the second quarter in a row, Chase has thought about their customers and the COVID-19 pandemic. Purchasing at wholesale clubs is an extremely popular and efficient way of purchasing products in bulk; and this is important for many in the pandemic. Therefore, a plethora of Freedom and Freedom Flex cardholders should easily be able to maximize this category alone.
Furthermore, Chase is offering 5x UR points on streaming, internet, cable, and phone services. All four are useful because people are staying home more because of the pandemic. The internet, cable, and phone services are redundant to the Chase Ink Business Cash Card. But not everyone has a small business or side gig that lets them take advantage of the Ink Cash. That’s where the Freedom Flex (or Freedom) comes into play – at least for the next three months.
Conversely, the Discover It is offering 5% cash back at Grocery Stores, Walgreens, and CVS Pharmacies for the 1st Quarter. You can use both the Freedom Flex (and/or old Freedom) and the Discover It together to get 5% or 5x UR points at two of the biggest mass retailers in America and from Amazon.com.
The Chase Freedom Flex (and the old Chase Freedom) allows you to earn 5x points on up to $1,500 spend within the bonus categories. That means you can earn 7,500 UR points per quarter if you maximize the categories. All three categories share the maximum spend limit.
Strategy
People who have multiple cards could earn loads of points with the Chase Freedom Flex (and/or old Chase Freedom). But if they maximize the categories, they would earn only one point for every dollar they spend over the threshold. This is where bonus category cards come into play.
The optimal strategy for the first quarter is to use the Freedom or Freedom Flex at Costco and for the four services until you spent $1,500. Thereafter, the best credit cards for Costco are either the Chase Freedom Unlimited or Citi Costco Anywhere Card. The best alternative for streaming services is the American Express Blue Cash Preferred. And the best alternative for internet, cable, and phone services is the Chase Ink Business Cash (for those who have a side gig or small business).
Final Draw
The first quarter of 2021 should be bountiful for many Chase Freedom Flex and old Freedom cardholders. Chase really thought about consumer behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic and picked amazing categories as a result.
The current set of categories for the old Chase Freedom Card are Walmart and PayPal purchases. Registration to earn 5x points closes today (December 14, 2020) for those who have not registered. This is your last chance to register. All you have to do is click on this link to the registration page and enter your name, ZIP code, and the last four digits of your card’s number.
Registration for the fourth quarter’s categories opens tomorrow, Tuesday, December 15, 2020. Use the same registration page link and follow the above steps to apply.
