We’re halfway through March, which also means the first quarter of 2017 is coming to a close. Of course a new quarter means a new bonus category! So don’t forget to activate your Chase Freedom Q2 2017 bonus!
Bonus Categories
The Chase Freedom Q2 2017 Bonus categories are groceries and drug store. As is always the case, you’ll earn 5x Ultimate Rewards points on up to $1,500 in spend. That’s a maximum earnings of 7,500 points on groceries and drug stores.
Q1 2017’s bonus categories are gas stations and local transportation. These aren’t categories I typically spend much on, so it hasn’t been a big deal for me. I’m not even coming close to maximizing this quarter’s bonus. Q2’s bonus, however, is a lot easier to maximize. Everything is EXPENSIVE in Hawaii, so spending $1,500 in 3 months at grocery stores and drug stores isn’t going to be hard. Unfortunately, I do quite a bit of grocery shopping at Costco, which isn’t part of this bonus category. Though, neither are big box stores that sale groceries like Target and Walmart.
To activate your Chase Freedom Q2 2017 bonus, simply visit the Chase Freedom Activation Site and follow the instructions.
Using Your Points
As a reminder, in order to transfer your Ultimate Rewards points earned through the Chase Freedom, you’ll need a Chase Sapphire Reserve or Preferred card. If you have one of those card, you simply transfer points from your Freedom Ultimate Rewards account to your Sapphire Ultimate Reserve account. From there, you can transfer the points 1:1 to a myriad of different loyalty programs including Marriott Rewards (and SPG), World of Hyatt, Korean Air SkyPass, United Mileage Plus, etc.
If you don’t have a Chase Sapphire Reserve or Preferred, however, you Freedom points are redeemable only for cash or gift cards. And while that’s not the greatest use of those points, 5% cash back is nothing to sneeze at either.
Chase Freedom Q2 2017 Bonus Final Thoughts
Again, I feel that the Q2 Freedom Bonus categories are much easier to maximize. For most, groceries and drug store purchase likely account for a lot of their annual spend. And even if you find yourself coming up short, you can always purchase canned or frozen items you know you’ll use later in the year. So it’s a really easy quarter in which to maximize your bonus spend. What we’ll see in Q3 and Q4, though, is anyone’s guess.