Today: Activate 5X Points (5% Cash Back) at Restaurants & Wholesale Clubs With Chase Freedom

Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

Starting today, June 15, 2016, you can activate the Chase Freedom’s 3rd quarter bonus categories, which includes restaurants and wholesale clubs like Costco, BJ’s, and Sam’s Club!

As y’all know, I’m a foodie at heart!  So I’m excited to earn 5X points at restaurants to use toward travel!

And Chase let us know yesterday that wholesale clubs will be a 5X category through the end of 2016!

When you activate the bonus, you can earn 5X points for up to $1,500 in purchases between July 1 and September 30, 2016, for a maximum of 7,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards points or $75 cash back. 

Make sure you activate the bonus, so you don’t miss out on earning extra points!

Earn Extra Chase Ultimate Rewards Points With the Chase Freedom Next Quarter!

Link:   Chase Freedom

Link:   Activate the Chase Freedom 3rd Quarter Bonus Categories

I love it when the Chase Freedom has restaurants as a category bonus!  If you enjoy dining out like me, you can make the most of this bonus category!

And folks who spend a lot on groceries and household goods at warehouse clubs can earn lots of bonus points, too!  Remember, Costco begins accepting Visa cards (including the Chase Freedom) on June 20, 2016.

You’ll earn 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points (5% cash back) on up to $1,500 in spending between July 1, 2016, and September 30, 2016.  But remember, you must activate the bonus by September 14, 2016.

Even if you activate the bonus late in the quarter, you’ll still earn 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points on bonus category purchases you made from July 1, 2016.

If you spend the maximum, you’ll earn 7,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards points ($1,500 X 5 points per $1 you spend).  That’s worth $75 in cash back.

Earning 5X Ultimate Rewards points is one reason I keep the Chase Freedom in my wallet year after year!  And, it has no annual fee!

If you don’t have the Chase Freedom, you can currently earn 15,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points ($150) when you sign-up and spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account.  Here’s my full review of the card.

Keep in mind, Chase has changed their card application rules.  If you’ve opened ~5 or more credit cards from any bank (though not including many small business cards such as these)  in the past 24 months, it’s unlikely you’ll be approved for any Chase Ultimate Rewards points-earning card, like the Chase Freedom.

Combine With Benefits of Certain Chase Cards!

If you also have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Ink Plus, or Chase Ink Bold (no longer available) card, you can move Chase Ultimate Rewards points earned from the Chase Freedom to any of those accounts.

And then transfer them to airline and hotel partners like Southwest, United Airlines, and Hyatt.  You can even transfer to Singapore Airlines and use towards a A380 First Class suites award seat!

Or use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points toward paid travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal at a rate of 1.25 cents per point.  This can be a good option if award seats or nights aren’t available, because there are no blackout dates.

It’s great to earn 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points dining out and at wholesale clubs!  And many bars and night clubs code themselves as restaurants, so you may earn 5X points there too!