Chase Freedom Flex categories: 5% bonus cash back

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The Chase Freedom Flex is a cash back credit card with no annual fee and a unique feature. Every three months, the card switches its bonus categories, offering new opportunities to earn extra cash back. Once you activate the categories, you’ll earn 5% cash back anytime you make a purchase during the quarter in any of the selected categories, up to $1,500 in purchases each quarter.

On Monday, Chase revealed the latest set of Chase Freedom Flex bonus categories. The new categories, which launch on April 1 and run through June 30, 2021, are:

Many Chase Freedom Flex card holders will find these categories easy to maximize, since nearly everyone still needs to fill up their cars at gas stations, and home improvement stores sell not just hardware, but a large variety of household items.

Remember that in order to earn 5% bonus cash back on the Chase Freedom Flex, you need to activate the categories each quarter by phone or online at chase.com/freedomflex. You can activate these second-quarter categories starting on March 15, but you don’t have to activate them before you’ve made a purchase — you can do it afterward and still get bonus cash back retroactively. However, the last day to activate these categories is June 14, 2021.

Also, keep in mind that you’ll only earn 5% cash back in these categories on up to $1,500 in purchases each quarter. For any purchases beyond that cap, you’ll earn 1% cash back, which is the same rate you’ll get on any purchases made outside the bonus categories. And these same categories are also available on the original Chase Freedom credit card, which is no longer open to new applicants but still used by many Chase customers.

In addition to earning 5% cash back on the rotating categories, the Chase Freedom Flex also comes with a trio of fixed bonus categories. You’ll earn 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% cash back on dining (including eligible delivery services) and 3% cash back at drugstores. All other purchases earn 1% cash back.

Plus, there’s a way to increase the value of your Chase Freedom Flex cash back even further. When you also have one of Chase’s premium travel credit cards — the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card — you have the option to convert your Chase Freedom Flex cash back into Ultimate Rewards points at a rate of 1 cent per point.

Related: 6 reasons you should consider getting the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card.

You can then redeem those points at a higher value for travel purchases — either at 1.5 cents apiece on the Chase Sapphire Reserve or 1.25 cents each on the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred.

Last year, Chase also launched additional redemption options on its Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve cards. The issuer’s “Pay Yourself Back” feature allows you to redeem points in several other eligible categories in addition to travel.

The current categories are grocery stores, dining establishments (including delivery and takeout) and home improvement stores, and from now through April 30, 2021, you’ll get the same redemption rates in these categories — 1.5…