Chase Freedom’s 2018 Second Quarter Bonus Categories Released
The 2018 second quarter bonus categories for the Chase Freedom credit card are out and points/cash back earning for spend on those categories can now be activated.
Bonus Categories
Freedom’s second quarter bonus categories include:
- Grocery Stores
- Chase Pay
- PayPal
All purchases made in these categories earn 5% cash back – or my favorite, 5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent – on up to $1,500 in combined purchases.
Bonus earnings on the bonus categories will begin April 1, 2018, and run through June 30, 2018.
If you haven’t received your activation email yet, you can activate the second quarter categories here.
How to Play This Quarter’s Categories
Grocery Stores and Chase Pay will make maximizing this quarter’s $1,500 spend fairly easy. PayPal is new to the bonus categories but holds promise for some as a way to earn 5x points/5% cash back on that $1,500 in spend.
Chase Pay
As I’ve mentioned in a few previous posts, we’re seeing more and more of an effort to get consumers familiar with using digital wallet systems. Which is exactly what Chase is doing by giving 5% cash back/5x Ultimate Rewards points on purchases made with Chase Pay.
In fact, just yesterday we wrote about a Starbucks/Chase Pay promotion…another example of slowly getting more and more people comfortable with using Chase Pay.
If you’re not familiar with Chase Pay, you can read more about it and sign up here.
All you need is a Chase credit card to which you can link the Chase Pay account and you’re good to go. Then, simply use Chase Pay online, or via the Chase Pay app, to pay at establishments that accept Chase Pay.
You can see a listing of some of the merchants that accept Chase Pay here. Or check the Chase Pay app when you’re out and about to see places nearby at which Chase Pay can be used.
PayPal
I used to equate PayPal with eBay buying and selling, and not much else. Well, that’s changing. PayPal is similar to Chase Pay, and other mobile wallet payment systems, in that it is becoming more widely accepted as a payment method at a variety of merchants.
And, for a fee, you can send payments to others using PayPal. If your goal is to simply earn the full $75 cash back (or 7,500 Ultimate Rewards points) for the quarter via sending money, you’ll have to carefully consider the PayPal fees and how much they’ll eat into your “earnings.”
Grocery Stores
Grocery stores have always been my favorite Chase Freedom bonus category. It’s easy to hit the $1,500 quarterly max through grocery spend alone, earning the full $75 cash back or 7,500 Ultimate Rewards points.
Not everyone, however, spends that much on groceries.
Which is where gift cards come in. Most grocery stores sell a wide variety of gift cards, the purchase of which earns 5x points/5% cash back.
Simply purchase gift cards for restaurants and/or merchants at which you were going to spend anyway and earn the bonus cash back/points in the process.
And if you need a little help hitting that $1,500 quarterly max, you can buy Visa or Mastercard gift cards that you can use for purchases at any location. Just remember, you’ll be paying a fee when you buy Visa/Mastercard gift cards, so factor that into your big picture strategy.
Get the Freedom Card
The Chase Freedom card is a great – no-annual fee – way to earn cash back or the extremely valuable Ultimate Rewards points.
You can read our review of the Chase Freedom card here.
And use the link below to apply for the Chase Freedom card if you don’t already have it in your credit card arsenal. Applications approved via the link below will provide us with a referral bonus of Ultimate Rewards points. You don’t have to use our link to apply, but we appreciate when you do.
Chase Freedom credit card application link
Wrap Up
Chase has followed up a really strong 2018 first quarter of bonus categories with an equally lucrative second quarter.
For me, grocery stores will easily allow me to earn the full 7,500 Ultimate Rewards points this quarter.
But, just in case something strange happens, I can use Chase Pay as a backup to fill in any extra spend I may need to hit that magical $1,500 mark, and even PayPal if things get really dire and June 30 is quickly approaching.
No matter the bonus category, I’ll be enjoying another chunk of Ultimate Rewards points being added to the stash come the end of June.
How about you, which bonus category is your favorite?
