The Chase Freedom Q4 2022 bonus categories ended up being surprisingly useful for me. So much so that it slipped my mind that the end was approaching and that it was now time to activate the Chase Freedom Q1 2023 bonus categories.
Our Q4 2022 bonus categories included Walmart & PayPal – two categories I didn’t think I’d get a whole lot out of. But, surprise, surprise, I somehow maneged to max out the bonus shopping exclusively with the PayPal category. I guess I 1) ended up spending more than I thought I would and, 2) shop at more merchants that now accept PayPal than I thought! However, the New Year is now less than two weeks away, which means its time to activate the Chase Freedom Q1 2023 bonus categories.
Chase Freedom Q1 2023 Bonus Categories
In Q1 2022, Chase gave us two bonus categories – grocery stores and Walmart. Since we currently have Walmart as a bonus category, it was unlikely that they’d feature them for a second quarter in a row. Instead, they’re featuing what I believe to be a better big box retailer – Target. However, in addition to Target, our Chase Freedom Q1 2023 bonus categories also include grocery stores (as it often does) and fitness club/gym memberships. This will be a boone for all those looking to make health and fitness changes in the New Year 😉.
It’s worth noting that Walmart is excluded from the grocery store category, as would Target be too if it wasn’t a category onto itself. That said, other merchants that operate within Target won’t count towards the bonus too, including in-store Starubcks locations. Here on Oahu, CVS operates the pharmacies inside of Target (under the Long’s Drugs brand), so I’m not certain that’ll qualify either. However, if you have a Freedom Flex, there’s no harm in charging your pharmacy purchase on that card since you’ll either get the 5% if it codes as Target or 3% for a drug store purchase.
As a reminder, while Whole Foods purchases do qualify, pick-up purchases made through the Amazon app typically haven’t in the past. For all my Hawaii people, Foodland, Time’s Supermarket, Don Quijote, Chef Zone, KTA Superstores, Marukai, Nijiya, and Mitsuwa Marketplace all code as grocery stores and qualify for the Chase Freedom Q1 2023 bonus categories. Suprisingly, so does Maui Specialty Chocolate and The Local General Store, though Oahu’s Rice Factory doesn’t. Another surprising inclusion is Dandelion Chocolate at the San Francisco Ferry Terminal.
As is always the case, you’ll need to activate your quarterly bonus no later than March 14, 2023, using the Chase Bonus website or via the Chase Mobile App.