Earlier this year, I updated my review of the Freedom Flex’s fraternal twin, the Freedom Unlimited. But I neglected this update on the original Freedom card, so it’s time to do a Chase Freedom Flex 2023 review.
If I’m quite honest, the reason I probably forgot to review this card this year is because I barely use it. If you’re a frequent reader or follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably noticed that I haven’t been dining out much this year, nor have I really traveled. That’s all on purpose because I’ve had to seriously scale back my spending to take care of other priorities. This extends to all my spending, which is why this card barely saw any action, except for when its bonus categories made sense for my essentials, which hasn’t been terribly often.
Nevertheless, it’s a card I continue to carry for a couple of reasons, though that sometimes bites me in the butt, too.
Chase Freedom Flex 2023 Review
Don’t let my introduction make you think I dislike this card. As you’ll see in my Chase Freedom Flex 2023 review, I think it’s still a great card, especially since it has no annual fee. It’s just that my current spending patterns and the bonuses we’ve been getting don’t really support its use as much. But with that said, let’s get into it.
The basic reward structure of the card hasn’t changed. With the Freed Flex, you still earn:
- 5x points on quarterly bonus categories
- 5x points on travel booked via Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 3x points at restaurants and drugstores
- 1x points on everything else
Of course, rewards aren’t everything. Benefits matter, too, and despite having no annual fee, this card has several benefits:
- Purchase Protection: 120 protection against damage or theft, with a per-claim limit of $500 and an overall limit of $50,000.
- Extended Warranty: add one year of additional coverage to the manufacturer’s warranty, with a maximum warranty term of three years.
- Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: get up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip for non-refundable travel that is canceled or cut short due to sickness, severe weather, and other covered situations.
- Cell Phone Protection: coverage of up to $800 per claim with a max of $1,000 per year for theft or damage when you pay your monthly cell phone bill with your card. Two claims max per year with a $50 deductible per claim.
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver: secondary rental car coverage.
- Travel & Emergency Assistance: this isn’t insurance – think of it more like a concierge. You call the number, they help you get what you need, and you’re on the hook for all the costs.
- DoorDash DashPass: 3 months of free DashPass membership, plus 50% off for another nine months when you activate by December 31, 2024
- Instacart+: 3 months of free Instacart+ membership plus up to $10 in quarterly statement credits through July 31, 2024, when you activate the offer by that date
- Lyft: earn 5x points on rides through March 31, 2025.
Stealth Benefit
I wouldn’t be doing this card justice if I didn’t mention my favorite stealth benefit during my Chase Freedom Flex 2023 review. That is the fact that this card is a World Elite Mastercard – one without an annual fee, no less. That’s a pretty big deal, as most of these cards have annual fees, such as the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard.
As a World Elite Mastercard cardholder, you gain access to special discounts, experiences, and access via Priceless.com, unique access and experiences via Mastercard Golf, World Elite Concierge, and Mastercard Travel & Lifestyle Services.
Of course, Mastercard cards, in general, come with a fantastic perk called Mastercard ID Theft Protection. This free benefit comes with services, such as comprehensive, fully managed identity theft resolution services, comprehensive ID monitoring & alerts, lost wallet assistance, and more.
Are these must-have benefits? Nope. And, honestly, Priceless.com isn’t what it used to be. But it has saved me some money before, and Mastercard ID Theft Protection is a great thing to have.
Elephant in the Room
With the bonus categories we have this quarter, an obvious downside to this card is the fact that you can’t use it at Costco, as they’re Visa-only now in the warehouse. While there is a workaround – you can use the card to buy Costco gift cards on their website to use in-store – this isn’t an ideal thing to do. Ok, well, if you’re like me and don’t have a ton of disposable income or don’t constantly shop at Costco, then this isn’t a great workaround.
Use Strategy
As I said earlier, I really don’t use this card all that much anymore. The truth of the matter is that many of the bonus categories aren’t ones I spend in or can’t maximize. For example, I took a new job at the beginning of this year that’s just 10 minutes away from home for me, so I really don’t burn much gas. So, I barely make use of that bonus category when it comes up. But it’s ok. The card has no annual fee, which makes it easy to keep around.
Chase Freedom Flex 2023 Review, Final Thoughts
Honestly, while this a great card to have just to have, it’s still part of the Chase trifecta. After all, if you have a Sapphire Reserve or Preferred, you can pool all of your Ultimate Rewards points together, allowing you to maximize your Sapphire transfer benefits. So, to conclude my Chase Freedom Flex 2023 review, I think this is a card to have if you’re into collecting Ultimate Reward points. If you’re not and you want a purely cash-back card – which is how this card is marketed – then there are other cards you might want to consider.