(Update 4/5/22: This data point indicates that Whole Foods DOES earn 5x with the Freedom ‘Amazon’ category, despite that it’s not mentioned in the terms. This is contrary to what we initially wrote in the post below.)
(Update: Added the terms for the Amazon category and the Streaming category. I’m curious if an Apple balance reload will code the same as Apple Music which would be a roundabout way of getting 5x on any Apple purchase.)
Chase has revealed the 5x categories on the Freedom and Freedom Flex card for the second quarter of 2022:
- Amazon.com – always a useful category. Includes: purchases made at Amazon.com including digital downloads, Amazon.com Gift Cards, Amazon.com Fresh orders, Amazon.com Prime subscriptions, and items sold by third party merchants through Amazon.com’s marketplace. (Does not seem to include Whole Foods purchases.)
- Select streaming services – Only subscriptions paid for, or purchases made with the following select merchants will qualify for this category: Apple Music, Apple TV+, Disney+, ESPN+, Fubo TV, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Pandora, Paramount+, Peacock, Showtime, SiriusXM, Sling, Spotify, YouTube Premium, YouTube TV and Vudu.
I’ll change my default card on Amazon (affiliate link here and below) to one of my Freedom cards, and maybe I’ll also max it out by reloading my Amazon balance with $1,500. You can also buy any third-party gift card on Amazon for places like Whole Foods, Visa, Best Buy, Safeway, Apple, Google, Lowe’s, and many more.
These categories are not yet showing on the regular landing page, but already show within the Chase login. It will be live tomorrow, 3/15/22, for activation.
It’s also now the final two weeks to max out your Q1 2022 category spend. Some people might buy a gift card at their grocery store and spend it later or buy a third-party gift card at the grocery store to max out their $1,500.
Do I get the 5% if I buy my Whole Foods groceries online at amazon.com for delivery? It looks like they bill credit card as amazon, but the purchase type field shows as groceries.
Bummer. We already get 5% on Amazon with our Prime Visa, and 6% on streaming with Amex Blue Cash. Oh well, I guess we’ll leave this one in the drawer until Q3.
Received a CFU Preapproval in the mail. The letter seems to suggest Chase dislikes more than one credit card application every 30 days. Didn’t they use to be okay with 2/30 earlier?
buy whole foods gift cards if you want 5% back
why?? Some cards pay 3% for groceries and BCP pays 6% (with a fee) Why would I want to be stuck paying high food prices at Whole Foods with their gift cards? Just like AMZN, high prices for all.
Any creative ways to purchase $500 Visa/MC prepaid cards in Q2? The highest amount Amazon sells seems to be $200 with $6.95 fee, which kind of kills this option. The $500 cards are a good way to pay Estimated Taxes for ~$2.50 in fees.
Just wanted to mention that there is no need to wonder whether an Apple balance reload as a roundabout way to get 5% on any Apple purchase when there’s a direct route by purchasing an Apple gift card through Amazon. Same can be said for those wondering about various Google services – purchase a Google Play gift card through Amazon.
Good point, added a note
Is YouTube Premium eligible for 5x? The merchant list only shows YouTube TV.
I’m seeing both mentioned explicitly
Where are you seeing YouTube Premium? I’m not seeing it on the merchant list on Chase:
Only subscription services paid for with the listed select merchants will qualify for this offer:
Disney+
Hulu
ESPN+
Netflix
Sling
Vudu
Fubo TV
Apple Music
SiriusXM
Pandora
Spotify
YouTube TV
NEW to the category
HBO Max
Paramount+
Peacock
Showtime
Yup, can confirm from last year
Just an FYI, if you use a VPN you can get Argentina or India prices for less than $2 USD a month.
Same content, same recommendations, carries across all devices, you don’t have to keep using the VPN – it’s just cheaper.
and what billing details would we use and payment type
I don’t remember exactly the exact steps, but it wasn’t complicated.
It probably went like this:
Connect VPN to country. Open an incognito window. Navigate to youtube for that country (make sure the homepage is a bunch of the local stuff.) Subscribe to premium (login required.) Input CC details. Click ok.
I already get 6% cash back on Groceries and Streaming Services with the Amex BCP.
I already get 5% cash back on Amazon with the Chase Amazon Prime card.
Ditto
The BCP has an annual fee that makes the 6% more like 4.5% cash back.
5xUR > $0.05
Looking forward to a category that everyone on here will be happy about. It’s going to be a long wait.
Discover has Gas/Target, Paypal/Restaurants, and Amazon/Digital Wallets through the end of the year.
I get what you are saying, but others are doing a better job of having relevant categories than Chase.
Gas would be nice right now… and it stinks Chase won’t do restaurants.
I think the only category that could even close to that is like when Freedom Flex (not original Freedom) had 5x on “whichever category you spend the most in” recently for one quarter (not officially promoted, but mentioned in the FAQ, and it ended up working).
But I don’t know how likely they are to ever repeat that, unless they’re trying to compete with Citi’s Custom Cash card (which does just that but with the category determined on a statement basis rather than a quarter basis).
Does anyone think Amazon Pay purchases will track for 5%?
Nevermind the above. Exclusions below.
“Purchases from merchants using Amazon Pay
Purchases made at international Amazon retail sites (including but not limited to Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, or Amazon.co.jp), or any other website operated by Amazon.”
It’s excluded in the terms