Can you believe there are only two weeks left in 2019? Well, believe it. And, don’t forget, now is the time to register for the Chase Freedom Q1 2020 bonus categories. The first bonus categories of the new year and new decade!
Lately, the Chase Freedom bonus categories haven’t been the greatest. Couple that with my need to scale back on spending, and I haven’t hit the bonus maximum in some time. Heck, with two weeks left in this quarter, I’m only about 40% the way to maximizing the quarter’s bonus. And, Q1 2020 will be no different for me.
Q1 2020 Bonus Categories
The Chase Freedom Q1 2020 bonus categories should come as no surprise to anyone. Much like last year, the Q1 2020 bonus categories include gas stations. However, in place of the tolls and mobile wallets Chase included last year, this year we get select streaming services in addition to internet, cable, and phone services.
Honestly, these categories are worse than last year but better than this year. At least with mobile wallets, you can use the card in at a large variety of merchants. This time around, though, unless you spend a ton on gas and telecom, you’re not maximizing this quarter’s bonus. Unless, of course, you purchase gift cards at gas stations.
Me? I probably spend about $120 to $160 per month on gas, which translates to $360 to $480 for the quarter. For streaming services, I probably pay about $14 per month for Netflix and $6 per month for Hulu. And, finally, I probably pay around $160 a month for cable/internet. So, that’s a grand total of about $960, or about 2/3s the way there.
Chase Freedom Q1 2020 Bonus Categories, Final Thoughts
As is usually the case nowadays, the Freedom’s Q1 2020 bonus categories are mediocre. Yes, they’re useful for me, but they aren’t categories I have any chance at maximizing. But, if you can maximize the categories and spend $1,500, you’ll earn 7,500 points. And, remember, Ultimate Rewards points transfer 1:1 to Southwest Rapid Rewards, which is usually more than enough points for an award inter-island roundtrip ticket.
To register for the Chase Freedom Q1 2020 bonus categories, go here.