Last updated: October 3, 2026
The Chase Freedom Flex has been the quiet workhorse of the Chase trifecta for years: no annual fee, 5% rotating categories, and points that become full Ultimate Rewards once you pair it with a Sapphire. This fall it had its best news in a long time, and almost all of it is good.
Here’s what changed and what it’s worth.
Q4 2026: 7% on Dining, 5% at Grocery Stores
From October 1 to December 31, 2026, the Freedom Flex earns 5% on up to $1,500 in combined purchases at:
- Grocery stores (Walmart and Target don’t count; wholesale clubs don’t either)
- Dining, including takeout and delivery
- Donations to the American Red Cross
The kicker is dining. The Freedom Flex already earns 3% at restaurants year-round, and Chase’s quarterly bonus adds another 4% on top, so restaurants earn 7% (7x points) this quarter. The old, no-longer-offered Chase Freedom only gets 5%, because its base dining rate is 1%.
You must activate by December 14, 2026. Purchases since October 1 count once you do. Activation is in the Chase app or on Chase’s 5% calendar page.
| If you spend $1,500 on… | Points earned |
|---|---|
| All dining | 10,500 |
| All groceries | 7,500 |
| Half and half | 9,000 |
After you hit $1,500, dining drops back to 3x and groceries to 1x.
Q1 2027: Groceries Again
Chase has already revealed the next quarter, which is new. From January 1 to March 31, 2027, the 5% categories are grocery stores and select streaming services, with activation opening December 15.
That makes it the first time Chase has put grocery stores in back-to-back quarters. Put the two together and you get six straight months of 5% at the supermarket, up to $1,500 a quarter. That’s 15,000 points on $3,000 of groceries you were buying anyway.
My plan: put restaurant spending on the Freedom Flex until I hit $1,500 in Q4, since 7x at restaurants is hard to beat on any card, let alone a $0 one. Then groceries go on it from January.
No More Foreign Transaction Fee
The bigger structural change: the Freedom Flex no longer charges a foreign transaction fee as of September 21, 2026. It used to charge 3%.
This used to be the card you left at home when you traveled. Now it’s a reasonable backup card abroad, and a Mastercard at that, which is handy as a second network next to a Visa Sapphire. And 3% at restaurants overseas, or 7% this quarter, is a strong rate on a no-fee card.
Chase also added two smaller perks with the refresh:
- Points Boost on select hotels booked through Chase Travel, which Chase says makes your points worth up to 10% more on eligible bookings.
- An earlier look at upcoming 5% categories, which is how we know the Q1 2027 lineup already.
The earning structure didn’t change: 5% on activated categories, 5% on Chase Travel, 3% at restaurants and drugstores, and 1% on everything else.
Why Points Beat Cash Here
Chase markets the Freedom Flex as a cash back card, but it earns Ultimate Rewards points. On their own they’re worth 1 cent each. Pair the card with a Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve or Ink Business Preferred, and you can combine the points and transfer them to airline and hotel partners.
That’s where the real value is. The personal and business Sapphire Reserve are now the only Chase cards that transfer to World of Hyatt at 1:1 (details here), and Chase’s 70% bonus to Marriott runs through October 15 (our take). At a conservative 1.5 cents per point, 10,500 dining points is worth over $150, from one quarter on a $0 card.
Should You Get It?
The current welcome offer is a $250 bonus (25,000 points) after $500 in purchases in the first 3 months, with no annual fee. If you’re under Chase’s 5⁄24 limit (how it works) and already have a Sapphire, it’s an easy yes.
If you have the old Chase Freedom, you can ask Chase to switch it to a Freedom Flex. You’ll get 7x on dining instead of 5x this quarter, plus no foreign transaction fee.
The Verdict
This is the best the Freedom Flex has ever been. 7x dining this quarter, six months of 5% groceries, and no foreign transaction fee make it a card I’d use every week, not just a category card I remember four times a year.
Activate by December 14. Then see how it fits with the rest of your wallet: our Freedom Unlimited vs Freedom Flex comparison covers which one to pair with Sapphire, and the MaxPoints optimizer will build the best combination for your spending.
Sources: Chase newsroom (September 21, 2026 refresh and Q1 2027 categories); Chase Freedom Flex card page (fees, earning and offer as of October 3, 2026); NerdWallet on Q4 2026 categories and the December 14 deadline; CNBC Select on Q1 2027 categories; AwardWallet on the card refresh. Point values are our estimates. Check Chase’s terms before applying.
