Some existing vanilla Chase Freedom cardholders have received an e-mail with the subject line ‘<name>, your FreedomĀ® card is being upgraded to Freedom UnlimitedĀ®’ stating that their card will be converted to the Chase Freedom Unlimited. Others are being told their card will be converted to the Chase Freedom Flex.
It seems that so far inactive cardholders (e.g cardholders that haven’t used their existing cards in the last few months) are being converted but there are rumblings that all cardholders will be converted. The Chase Freedom Flex earns 5% on rotating categories (same as the Vanilla freedom) but the Freedom Unlimited earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases.
I assume cardholders with a Freedom Flex already are being converted to the Freedom Unlimited, and those without the Freedom Flex are being converted to that but that doesn’t always seem to be the case based on the datapoints I’ve seen.
FYI – they’re doing another round of these. My older Freedom is now (10/4/23) being converting to a Freedom Unlimited.
Ditto. Time to convert it to a freedom flex? I don’t care about the 1.5%, I get 2% back with citi cash rewards. Mainly interested in the category benefits.
Just an invite for me to switch on 10/3. No forced change.
Just got my unlimited card in the mail. Never noticed the emails about being automatically “upgraded” from the vanilla freedom to the unlimited. I would not call that an upgrade. Now looking back it appears the last $800 I spent at Walmart earned 1.5% instead of 5%. Not happy. Thanks chase
I have vanilla card. if get converted into Flex and I never opened Flex before will I receive sing up bonus for Flex if I will decide to open it later?
You would not as option 1 (i) you would meet: This product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of this credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of this credit card who received a new cardmember bonus for this credit card within the last 24 months.
Chase stated you are only allowed one Flex account. If you get converted to Unlimited, you wouldn’t get the SUB either.
I use my cards this quarter due to PayPal but signed up for the Unlimited as I am under 5/24 just to get the SUB in case (at least for 1 of the two options). I figured I could always convert the Flex to Unlimited to receive that sign up bonus rather than the other way around since you can only have one Flex, if they move my Vanilla Freedom to Flex/Unlimited.
Aah I was hoping to apply for a new flex card to get sign up bonus, already have both freedom & freedom unlimited. Once converted to flex will lose out sign up bonus option.
Not really, you can just PC it to an Unlimited and apply for Flex to get the SUB, its not lifetime like Amex
I hope they convert mine to a Flex instead of Unlimited… Already have that one but another Flex will be nice for rotating categories.
What is the difference between Freedom and Freedom Flex? Should I be upset if Chase converts me?
The name and freedom is visa while flex is mastercard
You should be upset. Jamie Dimon should not be coming after us peasants.
Freedom is Visa and Flex is MC
Freedom is Visa and earns 1% on all purchases with 5% quarterly categories, Freedom Unlimited, a Visa, earns 1.5% on all purchases. Freedom Flex is mastercard with the same 5% quarterly categories as Freedom. Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited also earn 3% year round on restaurants and drug stores whereas Freedom does not. Freedom is no longer available for application.
Classic Freedom is typically Visa, Flex is exclusively M/C. So if you use your Freedom where M/C isn’t accepted (e.g. Costco), you’d be out of luck. Yes, you can use your Flex M/C to buy Costco gift cards and use those at Costco, but that’s an annoying extra step. And if you’re in a Costco store and you want to buy something that has a warranty (e.g. computer or TV), you’d be giving up that extra year of warranty that buying with a Visa Signature gives.
What if a purchase is made with a combination of Costco gift card & Visa signature card does the extra year of warranty still holds ?
Yes. But I guess they might limit the warranty only for the amount paid by credit card.
Annoying extra step? What do you use at costco when warehouse clubs aren’t the 5% category?
That’s so annoying. I’ve used all 6 of mine within the past few months so hopefully I won’t be hit.
Wow! You got 6 CFs. 9K quarterly limit!
DP: Both Freedom accounts received conversion to Unlimited email right before Thanksgiving. Called Chase to change them to the Flex. Visa to MasterCard equals new number.
I utilize both fairly regularly.
Long term Chase customer: 6 Personal and 2 Business cards. Have had business and personal bank accounts in the past.
Were your freedom ever a slate card before? When I called, the CSR over the phone said the conversion were mostly for slate cards.
My Freedom Visa is a Chase auto-conversion from the Amtrak card that was discontinued by Chase quite a few years ago. I have not received any email yet. I used mine through the end of last quarter, but haven’t used it since October. I applied and was approved for a Flex in late October.
Freedom to Freedom Flex will be an account number change (Visa-MC).
Does that mean it will show up on your credit report as a new account thus negatively impacting 5/24 status ?
I did a product change from CSP(Visa) to CFF(Mastercard) last month, it’s not a new account or a hard hit on your credit.
I did a similar change as
Novacat05, went from CFU to CFF (making it my second CFF). It showed on my Credit Karma as “account number changed.”
Can confirm that it has no negative effect on your credit report.
no
I have the vanilla Freedom and Freedom Unlimited; both recently used. I have not received an email.