Here’s what you need to know to get your 5% cash back.
January - March
Tax Preparation & Insurance
Bonus Birthday Category for March Only
Grocery Stores (excluding Walmart® and Target®)
Norwegian Cruise Line®
Fitness Clubs & Gym Memberships
Hair, Nails, & Spa Services
Activation Period Closed
April - June
Internet, Cable, and Phone Services
Bonus Birthday Category for June Only
Amazon
Select Streaming Services
Activation Period Closed
July - September
Instacart
Bonus Birthday Category all Q3
Gas Stations
EV Charging
Select Live Entertainment
Activation Period Closed
Freedom FAQs
Activating your 5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories
You need to activate new 5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories every three months. We ask you to activate because we want to make sure you’re aware when categories change and where you can earn 5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories.
There are 6 easy ways to activate. Just choose the one that’s best for you!
- Online – visit www.chase.com/ultimaterewards or chase.com/freedomfive
- Email – provide your email address here. We'll send you an email when it's time to activate. It takes just one click!
- Chase Mobile App – If you already have the Chase Mobile App, tap here to activate your 5% cash back. Don’t have the Chase Mobile App? Download it here.
- Phone – call the number on the back of your card and let one of our specialists activate your 5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories.
- Chase location – visit any Chase bank and see a personal banker.
- ATM – Chase checking customers can activate their 5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories with one click via the ATM while making a cash withdrawal.
Yes! You can update your email address here to receive email reminders.
Yes! It’s a benefit that comes with your card. All you need to do is activate your 5% cash back every three months at chase.com/freedomfive.
This quarter, the deadline for activation is December 14, 2025. So in order to earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in the bonus categories from October 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, you need to activate by then.
Yes! ln fact, you'll earn 5% cash back for all bonus category purchases, except the Birthday Bonus category, you've made for the whole quarter (up to $1,500), no matter when you activate as long as it's by December 14, 2025. So if you activate any day before then, you'll earn 5% cash back for category purchases dating back to October 1, 2025. This quarter, you will earn in the Birthday Bonus category only for the month of December.
If you do not activate by December 14, 2025, you will not earn 5% cash back in the bonus categories. You can activate the next quarter's categories starting December 15, 2025. To make sure you don't forget to activate, you can sign up for activation reminders via email at chase.com/freedomfive.
Yes, please activate 5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories on all of your Chase Freedom accounts to make sure you earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter (on each account).
Activation is free and easy! There are no other restrictions around activating your 5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories. Activate your 5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories each quarter, and you will earn bonus rewards as long as your account is open and not in default at the time of fulfillment.
Earning your 5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories
You'll earn unlimited 1% cash back on all purchases. In addition, you'll earn 4% cash back on up to $1,500 spent in combined purchases in the bonus categories from October 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025. That's total of 5% cash back, which means you can earn up to $75 cash back ($15 cash back plus your $60 bonus cash back). You must activate your 5% cash back by December 14, 2025 and use your card between October 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025 in the bonus categories to earn bonus cash back.
Merchants who accept Visa/Mastercard credit cards are assigned a merchant code which is determined by the merchant or its processor in accordance with Visa/Mastercard procedures based on the kinds of products and services they primarily sell. We group similar merchant codes into categories for purposes of making rewards offers to you. Please note, we make every effort to include all relevant merchant codes in its rewards categories. However, even though a merchant or some of the items that it sells may appear to fit within a rewards category, the merchant may not have a merchant code in that category. When this occurs, purchases with that merchant won’t qualify for reward offers on purchases in that category. Purchases submitted by you, an authorized user, or the merchant through third-party payment accounts, mobile or wireless card readers, online or mobile digital wallets, or similar technology will not qualify in a rewards category if the technology is not set up to process the purchase in that rewards category.
In order for a purchase to qualify for 5% cash back in this quarter’s bonus categories, the purchase must post to your account by the last day of the quarter. Sometimes a merchant will charge your card on a date after you make a purchase, such as the shipping date, delivery date, or installation date, and as a result the purchase may not post to your account until after the end of the quarter.
We'll announce the categories each quarter when it's time to activate, so you'll know where you're earning 5% cash back for the coming quarter. This quarter you will earn 5% cash back on Old Navy, Chase Travel, and Department Stores from October 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025 AND in the Birthday Bonus category PayPal from December 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025. Activate now to earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in total combined purchases. You are only required to activate once in the quarter. See calendar
You'll earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases on Old Navy, Chase Travel, and Department Stores from October 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025 AND in the Birthday Bonus category PayPal from December 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025.
Merchants in this category generally have multiple departments which sell apparel, home furnishings, furniture, electronics, cosmetics, housewares, and major household appliances. These departments may have their own separate check-out counters. Purchases made on a merchant’s website are included. Supercenters, discount stores, or specialty stores (e.g., stores that sell primarily one line of products such as shoe stores, pet stores, electronics stores, clothing stores), and online marketplace websites (online stores that do not have physical locations and sell a variety of products) are not included in this category. Gift cards purchased outside the specific department store (e.g., at a grocery store, online gift card mall, or other retailers outside the department store) are excluded. Additionally, gift cards purchased through department store websites where gift cards are fulfilled through a third party are excluded.
This category includes prepaid travel purchases made on chasetravel.com or by calling the number on the back of your card to book. Eligible travel purchases include airline tickets, hotels, car rentals, cruises, activities and tours. Any items or charges not paid for on chasetravel.com or by calling the number on the back of your card will not qualify. Travel purchases through FROSCH and its family of travel companies will not qualify even if you call the number on the back of your card to book. Any portion of your purchase paid for using points will not qualify. You may see “travel purchased through Chase” or “travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards” in marketing materials to refer to travel purchased through Chase Travel. To see a breakdown of your rewards earned from Chase Travel purchases, go online to your Rewards Activity page. You can also see it on your monthly card billing statement.
This category includes purchases made using your Chase Freedom card with PayPal. Purchases made using PayPal at merchants in the current 5% quarterly categories will be awarded a total of 5% Cash Back rewards. Payments made through the Xoom transfer service are not eligible for 5%. Must have/open a PayPal account. Please note, Person-to-Person (P2P) transactions made with your Chase Freedom card on PayPal may not be eligible for 5%. (Earn only for the month of December.)
You’d be surprised! You can earn up to $75 bonus cash back each quarter ($15 cash back plus your $60 bonus cash back), and you always earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases! Here’s a look at how your cash back can add up over just one quarter:
- Select Department Stores quarterly spend of $600 earns $30 Quarterly Cash Back.
- Plus: Old Navy quarterly spend of $100 earns $5 Quarterly Cash Back.
You always earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. See your Rewards Program Rules and Regulations/Agreement for details.
“Cash Back rewards” are the rewards you earn under the program. Cash Back rewards are tracked as points and each $1 in Cash Back rewards earned is equal to 100 points. You may simply see “Cash Back” in marketing materials when referring to the rewards you earn. When you use points to redeem for cash, each point is worth $0.01 (one cent), which means that 100 points equals $1 in redemption value. You can use your points to redeem for cash through an account statement credit or electronic deposit into an eligible checking or savings account held by a financial institution located in the United States.
No. You will earn a total of 5% cash back even on purchases that may qualify in two or more eligible bonus categories; for example, using PayPal for a department store purchase when both are categories.
Earning your 1% cash back
Yes. You’ll get 1% cash back on all other purchases every day with Chase Freedom.
Yes! You’ll earn unlimited 1% cash back at discount and warehouse stores. Chase Freedom always gives 1% cash back at stores like Walmart® and Target®.
No. You will always earn cash back on purchases made with your Chase Freedom card. However, a cash advance is not considered a purchase.
Seeing your 5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories
You earn a total of 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases on Grocery Stores excluding Walmart® and Target®, Norwegian Cruise Line®, Fitness Clubs & Gym Memberships, and Hair, Nails, & Spa Services from January 1 - March 31, 2025. And BDAY surprise category Tax Preparation & Insurance from March 1, 2025 - March 31, 2025. That means you earn 4% bonus cash back in addition to your 1% standard cash back, adding up to a total of 5% cash back.
On your statement, you'll see your rewards totaled as points in the Rewards Summary section. Your standard cash back will appear as it normally does. Your bonus cash back will be broken out separately into categories with a description of "Bonus from Q4 5% category." And if you activate after the quarter has started, you will still get your bonus cash back on applicable purchases made since October 1, 2025. It will show as "Retro(active) Q4 5% cat(egory) bonus."
In most cases, once you activate your 5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories, you’ll see your rewards on the same statement you see your purchases. However, if your purchase was made within 1-2 weeks before your statement closing date, you may see your corresponding rewards on your next statement.
Merchant List
Starting December 1st through December 31st, you will earn 5% cash back on a birthday bonus category: PayPal®.
Activate by December 14th, 2025 and earn a total of 5% cash back from October 1st through December 31st, 2025 on up to $1,500 in combined purchases on Old Navy®, Chase Travel℠, Department Stores, including our birthday bonus category PayPal, then earn 1% cash back in these categories. Activate 5% cash back every 3 months when categories change.
This category includes prepaid travel purchases made on chasetravel.com or by calling the number on the back of your card to book. Eligible travel purchases include airline tickets, hotels, car rentals, cruises, activities and tours.
Any items or charges not paid for on chasetravel.com or by calling the number on the back of your card will not qualify. Travel purchases through FROSCH and its family of travel companies will not qualify even if you call the number on the back of your card to book. Any portion of your purchase paid for using points will not qualify.
Merchants in this category generally have multiple departments which sell apparel, home furnishings, furniture, electronics, cosmetics, housewares, and major household appliances. These departments may have their own separate check-out counters. Purchases made on a merchant’s website are included.
Supercenters, discount stores, or specialty stores (e.g., stores that sell primarily one line of products such as shoe stores, pet stores, electronics stores, clothing stores), and online marketplace websites (online stores that do not have physical locations and sell a variety of products) are not included in this category. Gift cards purchased outside the specific department store (e.g., at a grocery store, online gift card mall, or other retailers outside the department store) are excluded. Additionally, gift cards purchased through department store websites where gift cards are fulfilled through a third party are excluded.
This category includes purchases made using your Chase Freedom card with PayPal. Purchases made using PayPal at merchants in the current 5% quarterly categories will be awarded a total of 5% Cash Back rewards.
Payments made through the Xoom transfer service are not eligible for 5%. Must have/open a PayPal account. Please note, Person-to-Person (P2P) transactions made with your Chase Freedom card on PayPal may not be eligible for 5%.
Es posible que esta comunicación contenga información sobre ti y/o de tu cuenta. Si tienes alguna pregunta, por favor, llama al número de teléfono que está al reverso de tu tarjeta.