You can now view the Chase Freedom 5% cash back categories for the fourth quarter of 2016 at this link (registration will start tomorrow). The categories will be as follows:
- Department Stores
- Drug Stores
- Wholesale Clubs
The drug store inclusion will be welcomed by many, but seems a little odd as the preview was listed as holiday shopping. In previous years that was department stores and Amazon, but given that other cards earn at a high rate on Amazon purchases and the Discover it will also earn 5% back on Amazon.com, department stores and Sam’s club for Q4 I suspect most people will be pretty happy with these categories.
Hat tip to reader David P
I had my first freedom card in 2012 and freedom unlimited this year. Requested a product change from freedom unlimited to freedom last week, login today and see it allow me to activate this quarter’s 5%bonus, so I have 2 freedom cards now.
The freedom unlimited card was good for its sign up bonus, and then earns everything else at 1.5% but got to wait till the statement posted. I also have 1.5% Capital One but it can be redeemed for credit/cash back any time! So don’t need unlimited card anyway. So now my quarter limit is $3000 which is $150 cash back!
Does anyone know jet.com come into wholesale category?
You can buy a little something from there and wait till the charges posted on your chase credit card
FYI, Jet.com on my CSR was coded as “Online Mall”, I guess it won’t count for 5% bonus on Freedom.
You can just buy Amazon gift cards at drug stores. Then, amazon spending can be 5x points as well. Pretty easy to max out this one.
BUT…if you buy via Amazon GCs, you lose out on being able to use your CC’s price protection. I’ve gotten back ~$600 off of ~$3k spend via price protection since July. 20% off > 5x UR points.
maybe they will bring the Amazon special like they did last year.
Any cash equivalents we can buy in drugstores?
Last time for 5% on drug store was back in 2012 I guess. This time it reminds me Paypal my cash card. I’ll try it on 10/1 and advise.
Paypal Mycash card and Vanilla Visa still work. I personally prefer PPMC as I don’t withdraw to my bank account from the paypal account that loads money directly. But it is not available in most of the stores I know about.
I used Plastiq to unload one vanilla as it needs to be registered with zip code and can be any zip code. It works perfectly fine to me. Both my Dad and I have freedom card so that’s $150 this quarter.
Vanilla VGCs at CVS are still available for purchase using CC.
Will this stack with shop through chase bonuses?
Your “this link” above is broken.
Try https://creditcards.chase.com/freedom/calendar
That link doesn’t show the new categories, mind should give you the option to log in.
The new Fourth quarter Freedom 5% signup link is open for business
https://www.chasebonus.com/
Department stores, Drug Stores, Discount Stores
Merchants Not Classified as Department Stores:
Target
WalMart
Kmart
Discount stores such as Tj Maxx
Electronics stores
General merchandise and Variety stores
Gift cards purchased at any locations other than the department stores on the inclusion list
Wholesale Clubs Related Purchase Exclusions:
Gas and Fuel
Wholesale Clubs specialty services such as travel, insurance, cell phone and home improvement.
Drug stores? For those considering downgrading their CSP after getting CSR this suddenly makes regular Freedom a more tempting option than Freedom Unlimited, even if you already have a regular freedom.
This. If you maxed out your Freedom card every quarter, you’d earn 30k UR points. To reach 30k UR on the FU, you’d need $20k of spend, vs only $6k on the Freedom.
Nevermind. No Target. I will miss Amazon this year.
Buy Amazon GC at CVS or Walgreens?
You can get 5X all year round on Amazon GCs via Gyft when you pay with PayPal.
I would prefer Grocery myself. Warehouse is nice though too.
Surely you’ve been in the game long enough to know 5x UR is worth considerably more than 5% cash back.
And surely you know that 5x is the baseline as far as value is concerned and as such is the responsible way to frame his point.
Anyone in the “game” long enough knows that value is what you make of it and every situation is YMMV. I have three INK cards and earn much faster than I burn. I’ve cashed in at the *gulp* 1:1 ratio and haven’t had second thoughts. Stupid for your case? Perhaps. But I’m not you and you’re not me.
This guy is an idiot.
Can you tell me how to get 3 INK cards? I get none
Who’s an idiot? No one said anything worth being called names.
@Jason
I was lucky enough to get in before 5/24 and I’m including my wife’s card.
I was secretly hoping that Chase would go to battle with Discover again and offer 10% for Amazon in Q4. I suppose anything is still possible but I’m not holding my breath that they’ll up the ante on a store that’s not even listed within Q4.
On that same note, Amex had that crazy offer of $15 off $60 last year. Let’s just hope that that continues as we approach the holiday season.
Does Target count as a drug or department store?