Today is the first day of the year and first quarter for the 5% bonus categories for the Chase Freedom Flex (our referral link) and original Chase Freedom credit card (no longer available). Although the Chase Freedom and the Chase Freedom Flex are technically cash back cards, if you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Ink Business Preferred or Ink Plus card you can transfer points from your Freedom account into one of those accounts and then can transfer those points to various Chase travel partners.
The Chase Freedom 5% categories for 2025 1st quarter (January 1, 2025 – March 31, 2025) are Grocery Stores (excluding Walmart® and Target®, Norwegian Cruise Line®, Fitness Clubs & Gym Memberships, Hair, Nails & Spa Services and Tax Preparation & Insurance (Bonus Birthday Category for March Only)..
Chase provides clarification on what is included and excluded in each category:
• Grocery Stores (excluding Walmart® and Target®) Inclusions: Merchants in this category include supermarkets, merchants that offer a full-service grocery line of merchandise including a deli and bakery as well as smaller grocery stores. Delivery service merchants, such as Instacart, will be included if they classify as a grocery store merchant.
• Grocery Stores (excluding Walmart® and Target®) Exclusions: Purchases through third party vendors or travel agencies, such as sightseeing activities, excursions, and tourist attractions, are not included.
• Norwegian Cruise Line® Inclusions: This category includes cruise fare purchased directly with Norwegian Cruise Line.
• Norwegian Cruise Line® Exclusions: Purchases through third party vendors or travel agencies, such as sightseeing activities, excursions, and tourist attractions, are not included.
• Fitness Clubs & Gym Memberships Inclusions: Merchants in this category include health clubs, exercise, or athletic facilities requiring membership and offering access to services related to physical fitness, such as fitness clubs, fitness centers, fitness studios, gyms, aerobics, cardio fitness and other services such as yoga and cross fit training in physical merchant locations.
• Fitness Clubs & Gym Memberships Exclusions: Some merchants that sell grocery items are not included in this category; for example, larger stores that sell a wide variety of goods and groceries, such as warehouse clubs, discount stores and some smaller merchants such as drugstores, and merchants that specialize in only a few grocery items. Purchases made at gas stations from merchants who also operate grocery stores are not included in this category.
• Hair, Nails & Spa Services Inclusions: This category includes hair care, nail care and spa services, such as massages, spa treatments, manicures, tanning, and barber and salon services, purchased at merchant locations that specialize in providing these services.
• Hair, Nails & Spa Services Exclusions: Services provided by medical professionals or in medical facilities will not qualify. Purchases of hair care, nail care and spa services at merchants that classify their location in another category, for example spa services purchased in a hotel or airport, will not be included unless the merchant classifies the transactions in this category. Purchases of related products and services, for example hair and skincare products purchased at a salon or an overnight stay at a spa, will also not be included unless the merchant classifies the transactions in this category.
• Tax Preparation & Insurance Inclusions: Merchants in these categories provide tax preparation services and insurance. Tax preparation merchants in this category provide consumer in-person or digital tax preparation services. Insurance merchants in this category provide health, automobile, homeowners, renters, medical and life insurance.
• Tax Preparation & Insurance Exclusions: Product warranties and trip insurance purchases will not qualify in this category.
The 5% only applies to the first $1,500 spent on combined purchases each quarter. This means if you spend $1,500 on a combination of Grocery Stores (excluding Walmart® and Target®, Norwegian Cruise Line®, Fitness Clubs & Gym Memberships, and Hair, Nails & Spa Services during the first quarter of 2025 you will receive a total of 7,500 points (1,500 plus a bonus of 6,000 points).
Don’t Forget to Activate
Please note, that in order to earn the 5% you must activate the offer each quarter (by text, email or other methods). If you have a Chase Freedom and have signed up for email reminders you should have already received an email asking you to activate this quarter’s categories. You can register now or any time during the registration period and earn the full 5% for the entire quarter retroactively. Registration for the 1st quarter of 2025 ends on March 14, 2025.
