Chase Freedom Bonus Categories Q3 2013: Theme Parks, Gas Stations, Kohl’s
The Chase Freedom® card has quarterly rotating categories that offer a bonus of 5 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar up to $1500. That’s 7500 points if you maximize the promotion quarterly, or 30,000 points a year. To participate, you must first visit the Chase Freedom bonus activation page and register for the promotion; this must be done every quarter. Registration is free every quarter and ensures you get your bonus points.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points are redeemable for cash back at 1 cent each (so 5 points per dollar = 5% cash back). Additionally, if you have the Chase Ink Bold® Business Charge Card or Chase Sapphire Preferred® cards, you can transfer the points to airline and hotel partners like United Airlines Mileage Plus, Hyatt Gold Passport, British Airways Executive Club, Southwest Rapid Rewards, among others. You can check out my post on the Best Chase Ultimate Rewards Airline Transfer Partners.
This quarter, the bonus categories are:
- Theme parks
- Gas stations
- Kohl’s
Gas Stations
Gas is probably a large expenditure for most people so the 5 points per dollar is a nice bonus to have. However, if you don’t meet the $1500 to maximize the bonus, don’t forget that gas stations also sell gift cards to other merchants. I stopped by the gas station the other day and found gift cards for:
- Amazon
- Barnes and Noble
- Home Depot
Kohl’s
This month, the Chase Ultimate Rewards Mall is offering 10 points per dollar at Kohl’s. This means that if you use your Chase Freedom card and shop online through the Chase Ultimate Rewards mall, you will actually earn 15 points per dollar for all your Kohl’s shopping!
Kohl’s also sells gift cards to many merchants, though you cannot order these online. So if you’re driving by your local Kohl’s, stop in there and see if there are any gift cards you may need.
For more information on Chase Ultimate Rewards, check out my Chase Ultimate Rewards series:
I have a Chase Sapphire, is it a credit hit to add a Chase Freedom? I just did an App O Rama 3 weeks ago…
Chase will do a hard credit pull every time you apply for a new card. People have sometimes been able to get away with one credit pull applying for a personal and business card in one day, but even that’s not guaranteed. I generally avoid applying for Chase cards more than once every 60 days and have actually kept it to more along the lines of every 4-6 months lately.
I liked this post especially about gift cards at gas stations which I really didn’t know that. That sounds great! In fact, whenever I get a chance, I come here to look at your strategies for maximizing the credit cards rewards. Thanks for sharing them.
I am glad the strategies are useful and I am always happy to share the tricks… so we can all have great travels :)
Thanks for answering my earlier question in another thread regarding loading Bluebird via VR.
I currently have a Chase Freedom. How do I determine how many 5x bonus points I have received during a current quarter so I can maximize the $1500/7500 points? Also looking at my statement or online account information, how do I determine which transactions qualified for the 5x bonus? Again, thank you!!!