Today is the first day of the fourth 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 2024 4th quarter (October 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024) are McDonald’s, PayPal, Pet Shops and Vet Services and Select Charities.
Chase provides clarification on what is included and excluded in each category:
• McDonald’s includes: purchases at McDonald’s® stores, including locations within third-party vendors, and on the McDonald’s® mobile app.
• PayPal 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%.
• Pet Shops and Vet Services includes: Merchants in this category provide products and/or services for pet care. Pet shops, including online pet shops, sell domestic pets, pet supplies, accessories, pet food, and/or services for the upkeep of pets. Vet Services include licensed practitioners who provide veterinary medicine, dentistry or surgery for pets, livestock and other animals. Purchases of prescription and over-the-counter medications, supplements, and other health-related items for pets purchased through pet shops, veterinary service providers, or pharmacies that specialize in medication for pets will qualify in this category; however purchases of these items through other merchants, such as drugstores, grocery stores, and traditional pharmacies, will not qualify. Other merchants that provide pet-related services are not included in this category; for example, boarders, groomers, walkers, sitters, trainers, daycare operators and sellers of pet insurance.
• Select Charities includes: This category includes the following charities: American Red Cross, Equal Justice Initiatives, Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity, International Medical Corps, International Rescue Committee, Leadership Conference Education Fund, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, National Urban League, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, United Negro College Fund, UNICEF USA, United Way, World Central Kitchen, GLSEN, Out and Equal, and Sage. Local chapters may not be eligible due to transaction processing procedures.
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 McDonald’s, PayPal, Pet Shops and Vet Services, and Select Charities during the fourth quarter of 2024 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 4th quarter of 2024 ends on December 14, 2024.
