Freedom

Activate Q3 Bonus Categories for Chase Freedom

Posted on June 16, 2015 by 2btravel

While we’re still wrapping up spending for Q2 categories that include restaurants, you can now register your Chase Freedom card for Q3 bonus categories which include gas stations and Kohl’s department store. When using your Freedom card in bonus categories you’ll receive 5 Ultimate Reward points per dollar spent on up to $1500 in combined purchases. Ulitmate Reward points can be redeemed for 1 cent each or used like cash to redeem for travel through the Ultimate Rewards shopping portal.2015-06-16 Freedom Q3 Bonus Categories

But if you also have a Sapphire Preferred personal card or one of the Ink business cards, all of which carry an annual fee, you can transfer your Ultimate Rewards point to one of several frequent flyer or hotel programs. When Ultimate Rewards are used in this way, it’s possible to get a lot more value than just 1 cent per point.

Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners

Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners

To activate your bonus, look for the email from Chase. Just click on the link and you should see this activation screen. You must activate your account by September 14 to qualify for bonuses for Q3.2015-06-16 Freedom Activation Complete

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First Friday = 3x Points or More on Dining

Posted on June 5, 2015 by 2btravel

CSPOnce again it’s the first Friday of the month and that means 3x points on dining when you use your Chase Sapphire Preferred to pay.  But really, if you don’t have the Chase Freedom card that’s been earning 5x points on dining since April 1st, what are you waiting for?  The Freedom is a no-annual-fee card that’s a terrific complement to the Sapphire Preferred.  And if you don’t have either of these, the Discover cards are offering a 5% bonus on dining for the April-June time frame so that’s a better choice.Chase Freedom

Rewards-earning cards are great…but only if you take advantage of them!

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First Friday Is Here Again

Posted on April 30, 2015 by 2btravel

CSPTomorrow is the first Friday of the month so by now you know that means 3x points on dining with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.  But like I mentioned last month, it’s not the best option this quarter if you want to earn Ultimate Rewards points as the Chase Freedom card will get you 5x points this quarter – provided you’ve registered for the promotion.  And for those who prefer cash back, the Discover cards are earning 5% back on dining from April through June.Chase Freedom

If you only have the Sapphire Preferred, it only makes sense to apply for the Freedom card too.  There’s no annual fee so it’s one you can keep forever and as long as you have the Sapphire Preferred or one of the Ink business cards you can pool the Ultimate Rewards points and transfer them to your favorite frequent flyer or hotel program.

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3x Points on Dining Today With Chase Sapphire Preferred – But That’s Not The Best Option

Posted on April 3, 2015 by 2btravel

CSPQuick reminder that today you’ll get 3x Ultimate Rewards points on purchases at restaurants today if you use your Chase Sapphire Preferred card. But that’s not the card I’ll be using today.

The no-fee Chase Freedom card is offering 5x Ultimate Rewards points at Restaurants throughout April, May and June so that’s a better rate than the CSP. The Ultimate Rewards points earned with the Freedom card can be combined with those of the Sapphire Preferred so that you’ll have a single pool of points.

Chase FreedomIf you don’t have a Freedom card but do have a Sapphire Preferred, why not sign up for one now? There’s no annual fee and even though the sign-up bonus isn’t great (10K points after spending $500 in 3 months) you can also get a 2500-point bonus for adding an authorized user and then you’ll have access to the quarterly rotating bonus categories.
Note: I do not have any affiliation with Chase and do not receive any compensation for any credit cards opened via these links. It will benefit another deserving blogger, however.

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Activate Today for Q1 Bonuses and Sign Up for Q2 Bonuses Tomorrow

Posted on March 14, 2015 by 2btravel

2014-12-08 Freedom 2015 BonusToday is the last day to get 5% bonuses by using the Chase Freedom card at Grocery Stores, Movie Theaters and Starbucks or by using one of the Discover Cards at Gas Stations and for Ground Transportation.

2015-03-14 Discover Q2 Bonus Categories
Starting tomorrow you can register for Q2 (April-June) bonuses for the Freedom card which includes bonuses on Restaurants.  Registration for the Discover card is already open and it will give bonuses on Restaurants and Movies.

I loved the Freedom bonus at Grocery Stores and quickly maxed that out. In my area there aren’t many (any?) gas stations that will allow me to purchase gift cards with a credit card so I struggle with that category.

I eat out a lot so restaurants are a great category for me – but I’m really bummed that both cards are offering the bonus in the same quarter. I can’t even remember the last time I went to a movie theater so that doesn’t help me but I was surprised to see that both Netflix and RedBox count in the movie category for the Discover card.

Both of these cards limit the bonus to the first $1500 in purchases in all of the bonus categories. To sign up for these bonuses, log into your account at chase.com or discover.com and you’ll see the link for the promotion.

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Activate Chase Freedom Q1 Bonus Categories

Posted on December 31, 2014 by 2btravel

2014-12-31 Freedom Q1 ActivationHere’s a reminder to activate your Chase Freedom card so that you can get 5x points (or 5% cash back) on select categories for the first quarter (January – March) of 2015. Q1 categories are: grocery stores, movie theaters and Starbucks. Note that Wal-Mart, Target and warehouse clubs such as Costco and Sam’s do NOT qualify for the bonus.  You can get the 5x/5% bonus on up to $1500 in purchases.

The Freedom card is a favorite of mine because it has no annual fee and it earns Ultimate Rewards (UR) points. If you only have the Freedom card you can use URs like cash to buy airline tickets, hotel rooms and even merchandise (but please, don’t buy merchandise) at the rate of 1 UR = 1 cent. Or, if you have a premium Ultimate Rewards card like the Sapphire Preferred or one of the Ink cards, you can transfer URs to one of the associate frequent flyer or hotel programs get more than 1 cent per point in value.

Here are the current transfer partners:

Ultimate Rewards Transfer PartnersKorean Air is not currently on the list but is rumored to be returning as a partner in the new year. When they do, that means the three major airline alliances will each have a representative airline. And Virgin Atlantic miles can be used on Virgin America and Virgin Australia too!

So be sure to activate your Freedom Q1 bonuses by March 14, 2015 to ensure you’re maxing out all the points you can.

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Discover and Freedom Bonus Categories for 2015

Posted on December 9, 2014 by 2btravel

Both the Discover card and the Chase Freedom card offer rotating quarterly bonus categories where you can earn 5% cash back (Discover) or 5x points (Freedom).  The categories for 2015 have been released.

Discover

Discover’s categories for the first quarter of 2015 are Gas and Ground Transportation.  That’s great for those who have to fill up often!  Also included are rental cars, public transportation like buses and trains, charter and tour buses and limos.  You can go ahead and sign up HERE and you’ll be all set come January.

2014-12-08 Discover 2015 Bonus

Chase Freedom

The Freedom categories are Grocery Stores, Movie Theaters and Starbucks.  Note that the Grocery Store category does not include Wal-Mart or Target.  The 5x bonus is limited to $1500 per quarter.  Sign up will be available on December 15th.

2014-12-08 Freedom 2015 Bonus

 

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