If you have the Chase Freedom Flex® (see rates and fees) or legacy Chase Freedom®* in your wallet, take note: Chase has announced Q3’s upcoming categories.
From July 1 through Sept. 30, you can earn 5% cash back (or 5 points per dollar spent) on electric vehicle charging, gas stations, select live entertainment, transit and United Way. Keep in mind that you must activate your categories by Sept. 14 to earn at these rates (on up to $1,500 in combined spending across these categories; then 1% back or 1 point per dollar spent).
Here’s what you need to know about this upcoming quarter’s categories.
Last chance: Activate your Chase Freedom Q3 categories
*This card is no longer available to new applicants. The information for the Chase Freedom has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Chase Freedom Q3 2026 categories
From July 1 – Sept. 30, Freedom and Freedom Flex cardholders can earn 5% cash back (or 5 points per dollar spent) on up to $1,500 in combined purchases across these bonus categories (then 1% back or 1 point per dollar spent):
EV charging and gas stations
Select live entertainment
Transit
United Way
THE POINTS GUY
Gas, EV charging and select live entertainment all appear regularly as quarterly categories, but this is the first time we’ve seen public transit and United Way appear.
Activate this quarter’s categories now to unlock their bonus-earning potential once Q3 starts. You must activate by Sept. 14.
It’s simple to complete this process through your Chase account; just provide your last name, the last four digits of your card and your ZIP code.
Analyzing the Q3 bonus categories
With gas prices remaining high and many people choosing to switch to electric vehicles, it’s nice to see gas and EV charging stations return as bonus categories for this upcoming quarter. Select live entertainment has appeared in Q3 every year since 2022, aligning with summer and early fall as popular times for concerts, festivals and sporting events.
Chase now has a pattern of offering a select charity as a bonus category each quarter. This time, nonprofit charity network United Way is its choice.
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Here are the details:
Gas and EV charging: If you own a car or frequently rent cars when you travel, you should easily be able to get a lot of value out of this frequently appearing category.
Select live entertainment: Q3 is the time to book concerts, festivals and sporting events if you haven’t already. It’s difficult to find cards that offer substantial bonus rewards on live entertainment, so take advantage of this category while you can. In addition, consider stacking this category with bonuses from sites like Rakuten and Rove.
Public transit: Whether you live in a city with a solid transit system or plan to travel to a place with one, this category means your eligible Freedom card will be the best choice to swipe with in Q3 every time you ride. Chase’s transit category is quite wide, so even tolls and parking garages will earn bonus rewards.
United Way: United Way is a network of local nonprofits across the world that aim to tackle problems that directly impact the communities they serve. If you have a United Way nonprofit in your area, you can earn bonus rewards on your charitable contributions in Q3.
Remember that Chase limits the 5% cash back (or 5 points per dollar spent) you can earn to the first $1,500 spent in combined bonus categories each quarter. After you reach the maximum, you’ll earn 1% back (or 1 point per dollar spent) on these purchases.
Chase Freedom rotating categories history
Year
Quarter
Bonus categories
2026
Q3
EV charging, gas stations, select live entertainment, transit and United Way
Q2
Amazon, Chase Travel (elevated 9% cash back for Freedom Flex cardholders), Feeding America and Whole Foods Market
Q1
American Heart Association, dining (elevated 7% cash back for Freedom Flex cardholders) and Norwegian Cruise Line
2025
Q4
<ul>
<li>Chase Travel (elevated 9% cash back for Freedom Flex cardholders), department stores and Old Navy</li>
<li>PayPal (December only)</li>
</ul>
Q3
Gas and EV charging stations, Instacart and select live entertainment
Q2
<ul>
<li>Amazon and select streaming services</li>
<li>Internet, cable and phone services (June only)</li>
</ul>
Q1
<ul>
<li>Select grocery stores, fitness club and gym memberships, self-care and spa services, and Norwegian Cruise Line purchases</li>
<li>Tax preparation and insurance (March only)</li>
</ul>
2024
Q4
McDonald’s (elevated 7% cash back for Freedom Flex cardholders), PayPal, pet shops and veterinarian services, and select charities
Q3
Gas and EV charging stations, movie theaters and select live entertainment
Q2
Hotels booked through Chase Travel℠, dining and Amazon (different earning rates depending on the card, i.e., 9%, 7% and 5%, respectively, for the Freedom Flex; 5% for all three categories for the Freedom)
Q1
Select grocery stores, fitness club and gym memberships, and self-care and spa services
2023
Q4
PayPal, select charities and wholesale clubs
Q3
Gas and EV charging stations, and select live entertainment
Q2
Amazon and Lowe’s
Q1
Grocery stores, gym memberships and fitness clubs, and Target
2022
Q4
PayPal and Walmart
Q3
Gas stations, rental cars, movie theaters and select live entertainment
Q2
Amazon and select streaming services
Q1
Grocery stores and eBay
2021
Q4
PayPal and Walmart
Q3
Grocery stores and select streaming services
Q2
Gas stations and home improvement stores
Q1
Wholesale clubs, select streaming services and internet, cable and phone services
2020
Q4
PayPal and Walmart
Q3
Amazon and Whole Foods Market
Q2
Grocery stores, gym memberships and fitness clubs, and select streaming services
Q1
Gas stations, internet, cable and phone services, and select streaming services
2019
Q4
Chase Pay, PayPal and department stores
Q3
Gas stations and select streaming services
Q2
Grocery stores and home improvement
Q1
Gas stations, drugstores and tolls
2018
Q4
Wholesale clubs, department stores and Chase Pay
Q3
Lyft, Walgreens and gas stations
Q2
Groceries, PayPal and Chase Pay
Q1
Mobile wallets, gas stations and internet, cable and phone service merchants
2017
Q4
Walmart and department stores
Q3
Restaurants and movie theaters
Q2
Grocery stores and drugstores
Q1
Gas stations and local commuter transportation
2016
Q4
Wholesale clubs, drugstores and department stores
Q3
Restaurants and wholesale clubs
Q2
Grocery stores and wholesale clubs
Q1
Gas stations and local commuter transportation
2015
Q4
Amazon, Zappos, Audible and Diapers.com
Q3
Gas stations and Kohl’s
Q2
Restaurants, Bed Bath & Beyond, H&M and Overstock
Q1
Grocery stores, movie theaters and Starbucks
2014
Q4
Amazon, Zappos and department stores
Q3
Gas stations and Kohl’s
Q2
Restaurants and Lowe’s
Q1
Gas stations, movie theaters and Starbucks
Chase Freedom bonus categories FAQs
How do rotating categories work?
Each quarter, Chase announces a group of bonus categories that will earn 5% cash back (or 5 points per dollar) throughout the upcoming three-month period (on up to $1,500 in combined spending each quarter).
Generally, these categories are announced halfway through the month before the new quarter starts to give cardmembers time to activate new categories beforehand. However, you can activate your categories until midway through the last month of the quarter.
The categories tend to repeat periodically. For instance, grocery stores, restaurants and gas stations are all common categories you’ll notice frequently pop up on the bonus calendar. So, depending on the categories and whether you can maximize them, these two cards can offer quite a nice chunk of cash back or bonus points over the year.
How much cash back can I earn each quarter?
Chase limits the 5% cash back (or 5 points per dollar) to the first $1,500 spent in combined bonus categories each quarter you activate the bonus.
While that may not sound like a lot, that cash back adds up over time. Maximizing the cash-back categories each quarter, you’ll earn $75 in cash back quarterly and up to $300 per year. For a no-annual-fee credit card, that’s a lot of value.
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Alternatively, suppose you have a card that earns transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards points, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees). In that case, you can combine the rewards from your Chase Freedom or Freedom Flex card with those you earn from your more premium Ultimate Rewards-earning card. By doing this, your rewards become fully transferable.
If you combine rewards this way, your $300 in bonus cash back would be worth 30,000 Ultimate Rewards points. TPG’s March 2026 valuations peg Chase points at 2.05 cents apiece, making the 30,000 points you can earn in a year worth $615.
How do I activate my 5% categories each quarter?
You can head to Chase’s site to activate your 5% cash back (or 5 points per dollar) categories for this quarter. You can also register through the Chase mobile app.
Here’s how to register:
1. Head to the Chase bonus activation page, or log into your Chase account.
2. Enter your last name, the last four digits of your card number and your billing ZIP code. If you don’t have your card on hand, log in to your Chase account to retrieve these digits.
3. Click “Activate your 5%” to register.
4. If you have multiple Chase Freedom cards, make sure to register each one.
5. Save a screenshot of your activation in case of any issues later, though you should also receive a “You’re Activated!” confirmation email.
Can I have both the Chase Freedom and the Chase Freedom Flex to double my earning potential?
Yes, you can have both cards. So, if you already have the Chase Freedom and want to add the Chase Freedom Flex to your wallet, you’re free to do so.
Remember that the original Freedom card is no longer open to new applicants. If you’d rather only have one, though, the Freedom Flex is available as a product change.
Of course, you’ll also want to ensure you’re eligible for a new Chase card.
How do I maximize my Freedom and Freedom Flex cards?
The most important thing is to activate your card to earn 5% cash back (or 5 points per dollar) each quarter in the specific categories and then use your card for purchases in those categories.
You can set up a recurring reminder in your calendar or sign up for the TPG newsletter. (We send out a reminder when it’s time to activate every quarter, plus tips and tricks for how to maximize your card strategy and score some excellent award redemptions.)
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In addition to the rotating bonus categories, the Freedom Flex accrues 5% cash back on all other travel booked through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases, 3% cash back on dining (including eligible delivery services) and 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases.
Better yet, when paired with a Chase credit card that earns fully transferable Ultimate Rewards points, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred, the Chase Freedom Flex’s 5% cash back effectively becomes 5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar. You can learn all about this in our guide detailing the “Chase Trifecta”.
Bottom line
If you’re a Chase Freedom or Freedom Flex cardholder, you’ll earn 5% cash back (or 5 points per dollar spent) on electric vehicle charging, gas stations, select live entertainment, transit and United Way from July 1 through Sept. 30.
Activate these categories before Sept. 14 so you don’t miss out on any bonus rewards. And remember that Chase limits your quarterly bonus category earnings to the first $1,500 of combined spending each quarter.
To learn more, read our full review of the Chase Freedom Flex.
Apply here: Chase Freedom Flex
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
