Activate Q3 Chase Freedom Bonus Categories

by John Terry | Last Updated:  June 19, 2020

Chase has announced the Chase Freedom Bonus Categories for the third quarter of the year. The categories are Amazon.com and Whole Foods..

Cardholders will earn 5% cashback (or 5x Ultimate Rewards) when making purchases at Amazon.com and Whole Foods up to $1,500 from July through the end of September. Before earning the bonus, cardholders must activate it on their accounts.

When cardholders pair the Freedom with an Ultimate Rewards earning card such as a Chase Sapphire, cardholders can turn the cashback into Ultimate Rewards.

The Chase Freedom card is great for everyday people to earn points because of the quarterly bonus points. The card, part of the Chase Trifecta, is one of the easiest ways to earn a lot of points quickly.

Over the last decade, Amazon.com has made it very easy to purchase almost anything without leaving your home. Being able to earn 5x the points on all of these purchases is a really easy way to earn. While it’s not as good as a fourth-quarter bonus during the holidays, you could still get ahead of holiday shopping!

Earning 5x the points at Whole Foods is all lucrative, especially if you do your normal grocery shopping there.

Eligible merchants

Knowing what merchants count and don’t count toward potential bonus categories is important. Some of the bonuses such as grocery stores or streaming services are complicated.

These Chase Freedom bonus categories are pretty straight forward: Amazon.com and Whole Foods.

Breakdown: Chase Freedom bonus categories

Activating Chase Freedom bonus categories

Before earning 5% bonus, you must activate the offer with Chase.

1. Must activate your card with Chase.
2. Enter your last name, last four digits of your card number and your billing zip code. 
3. Click “Activate Now” to start earning 5-percent cashback

How to Check Your Chase Credit Card Category Bonus Spend

Because of the quarterly $1,500 limit on the Chase Freedom bonus categories, cardholders are able to track the quarterly spending.

After opening your Chase account, head to the dashboard to see your quarterly spending.

The Chase Trifecta

The Chase Trifecta is an important and powerful key to earning Chase Ultimate Rewards. Pairing the Freedom with a Chase Sapphire card and one or both of the Freedom or Freedom Unlimited Card is even more powerful.

The Freedom (5x on quarterly rotating categories) and Freedom Unlimited (1.5x on every purchase) are both cash-back cards. However, when a cardholder has a Chase Sapphire card, the cashback credits can transfer to become Ultimate Rewards.

Chase Ultimate Rewards are our favorite type of transferable points because of its 13 transfer partners. In fact, Chase Ultimate Rewards is how I booked a honeymoon for free to Jamaica.

Final Thoughts

I’ve always tried to take maximum advantage of the 5x bonus categories. Amazon is always one of my favorite bonus categories. I use Amazon on a regular basis to purchases household items. With stores closed around the country due to COVID-19, even more of my shopping has transitioned to Amazon.

The Chase Freedom bonus categories have the potential to earn a good number of Chase Ultimate Rewards. And, because I value Chase Ultimate Rewards so highly, this is always a promotion that I focus on maximizing.