Chase is adding 5 bonus Birthday categories to the Freedom and Freedom Flex categories

Chase has two credit cards with rotating 5-way spending categories: the Freedom Flex and the regular Freedom (which is no longer available to applicants). Each card’s 5x categories are identical and change quarterly. The five categories for the first quarter were released earlier this month and include grocery stores (excluding Walmart and Target), Norwegian Cruise Line, health club and gym memberships, and hair, nail and spa services.

However, a Doctor of Credit reader noticed that the Chase app is showing additional 5x bonus categories in honor of the Freedom card’s 15th anniversary. Q1 bonus categories include insurance payments and tax preparation services and are awarded 5x in the month of March only. Adding the two categories does NOT increase the quarterly 5x maximum of $1,500, it just gives you two more ways to achieve it.

Quick thoughts

This is a relatively small but potentially useful improvement to the 5-fold rotating calendar for Freedom cards this year. In my opinion, it’s unnecessarily complex considering that these “bonus” categories will only be available for one month per quarter (unlike the other “normal” categories which are valid for three months), but there are more choices in terms of possible opportunities, earning 5x will likely help some people maximize their earnings.

Want to learn more about miles and points? Subscribe to email updates or watch our podcast on your favorite podcast platform.