Targeted 30k Bonus Offer For Freedom Unlimited

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Are you already a Chase customer? Check your inboxes, people! There’s a new targeted offer out for the Chase Freedom Unlimited® card.

The targeted offer is…

• 30,000 Ultimate Rewards after spending $500 in the first three months
• 2,500 Ultimate Rewards after an authorized user’s first purchase
• 1.5 Ultimate Rewards per dollar on all purchases

That’s a significantly higher bonus for the same spending requirement than the standard offer of…

• 15,000 Ultimate Rewards after spending $500 in the first three months
• 2,500 Ultimate Rewards after an authorized user’s first purchase
• 1.5 Ultimate Rewards per dollar on all purchases
• no annual fee

The Freedom is technically marketed as a cash back card, but if you also have a Chase card that earns Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred to airline/hotel partners (i.e. Sapphire Reserve, Ink Business Preferred, Sapphire Preferred), then all you have to do is move the Ultimate Rewards earned by your Freedom into that account and voilà. You have drastically increased the value of those points. So the references to the bonuses in the currency of transferrable Ultimate Rewards is under the assumption you have one of those more premium Chase cards. If not, then each Ultimate Reward is worth 1 cent each, so the standard offer is $150 cash back and the targeted is $300 with an authorized user bonus of $25.

If you have a Sapphire Preferred, Ink Business Preferred, or Sapphire Reserve, then the Freedom card is fantastic because you’ll earn 1.5x Ultimate Rewards on ALL SPENDING for no annual fee. That’s an incredible return without the work of keeping up with category bonuses. We value (transferrable) Ultimate Rewards at two cents each, making the targeted offer worth $300 more than the standard ($600 vs $300).

What about the Freedom card?

If you do/can do more category bonus spending, then the Freedom card is a better choice for you over the Freedom Unlimited in the long run (sign up bonus aside).

The Chase Freedom card is also marketed as a cashback card, and can be transferred to airline miles in the same fashion as described above as long as you have a premium Chase card. Here’s its standard offer (I’m not aware of a higher targeted offer at the moment):

• 15,000 Ultimate Rewards after spending $500 in the first three months
• 2,500 Ultimate Rewards after an authorized user’s first purchase
• 5x Ultimate Rewards per dollar on categories that rotate quarterly
• no annual fee

If you max out the spending for a year in bonus categories, you’d earn 30,000 Ultimate Rewards on your Freedom for $6,000 in spending. The same spending on the Freedom Unlimited would earn 9,000 Ultimate Rewards. To make up the 21,000 Ultimate Rewards shortfall, you’d need to spend another $42,000 on each card in a year.

What to Do if Over 5/24

As this targeted offer involves an online application, the Chase 5/24 rule will most likely apply. For those unaware, if you’ve opened more than five credit cards from any bank (with the exception of most business cards) in the last 24 months, then Chase will deny you for almost all of their cards (with the exception of these). That is the 5/24 rule.

If you’re interested in the elevated Freedom Unlimited offer but over 5/24 try visiting a Chase branch and checking if you are pre-approved for any offers. Apparently this same offer has been around in-branch for a little while now. Read more about higher approval rates in-branch for those over 5/24.

Find the closest Chase location near you.

Bottom Line

If you’re an existing Chase customer and are under the 5/24 limit, check your inbox for an enhanced targeted sign up offer on the Freedom Unlimited. If you’re over 5/24 but still want it, go to you nearest Chase branch and check for your pre-approved offers. Applying this way typically evades 5/24.

Note that both the Freedom and Freedom Unlimited charge foreign transaction fees.

Were you targeted?

Hat tip Doctor of Credit