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Chase Freedom Reveals 5%+ Bonus Categories for Q4 2024
Chase has announced which categories Freedom and Freedom Flex cardholders can earn bonus cashback on during the last quarter of 2024.
About the Q4 2024 bonus categories
From October 1st through December 31st, Chase Freedom Flex (and legacy Freedom card) customers can earn bonus cashback in four categories.
First up, returning for 2024 is PayPal. With this category, cardholders can earn 5% back when they use their card and checkout at one of the “tens of millions” of online retailers that support PayPal. Note that peer-to-peer payments made using PayPal are not eligible for the 5% bonus.
Another returning category is “select charity donations.” These will also be eligible for up to 5% back. This list of qualifying non-profits includes:
- American Red Cross
- Equal Justice Initiatives
- Feeding America
- Habitat for Humanity
- International Medical Corps
- International Rescue Committee
- Leadership Conference Education Fund
- NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
- National Urban League
- Thurgood Marshall College Fund
- United Negro College Fund
- UNICEF USA
- United Way
- World Central Kitchen
- GLSEN
- Out and Equal
- Sage
Next, cardholders will also be able to earn 5% back at pet shops and on vet services. This includes physical and online pet suppliers as well as licensed veterinary clinics. However, pet-related services such as “doggy daycare,” grooming services, and pet insurance premiums are excluded.
Lastly, the fourth eligible bonus category next quarter is a single brand selection: McDonald’s. Notably, since the Chase Freedom card earns 3% on dining already, customers will only earn a total of 7% back with this category (the 1% base is raised to 5% plus the additional 2%). Those with the regular Freedom card — which is no longer available for new applicants — will earn 5% in this category.
For comparison, last year, Chase also featured PayPal and “select charity donations” in their fourth-quarter bonus categories. However, these were joined by wholesale clubs for a total of three eligible options.
As a reminder, to earn 5% back (or more) in these categories, cardholders will need to activate this offer by December 14th. This can be done on the ChaseBonus.com site. Also of note, the bonus is capped at $1,500 in combined category spending.
With news of the fourth quarter bonus categories, Chase Freedom and Freedom Flex cardholders can no longer activate Q3’s bonus. However, those who have already activated the offer can continue to earn up to 5% back at gas stations, on EV charging, at movie theatres, and on select live entertainment purchases.
My thoughts:
I have to say that, in terms of creativity, Chase has Discover beat for the fourth quarter of 2024. While the company is repeating itself a bit, it’s also mixing things up with these picks.
I do have to note that I am glad to see that Chase featured McDonald’s during a quarter when there were already three other options. That’s because spending $1,500 at McDonald’s in three months sounds like quite a stretch. This could be useful for a holiday road trip, though.
For pet owners, the pet shops and vet services category may be the most lucrative — especially if they have routine, preventative care appointments coming up in the next few months. Additionally, while doggy daycare is expressly excluded, I’d be curious if boarding services that are part of a pet shop such as Petsmart’s Pet Hotel might still code as “pet shop.” I’m guessing not but that could come also in handy during the holidays.
Overall, even though I’m not a Freedom Flex cardholder, I do give Chase props for these fourth-quarter picks and look forward to seeing what they come up with in the new year.
Note: Click here for the current Chase Freedom Bonuses.
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