Chase has the best portfolio of credit cards overall but for everyday spending the Freedom card really stands out. Freedom cards we have talked about on our site since it first came out and they can earn Ultimate Rewards points without the annual fee.
The Freedom cards from Chase are more rewarding than ever before. Both cards are currently offering improved welcome bonuses that are among the best we’ve seen.
Both Freedom Cards are Similar but Chase Freedom Flex is Our Pick
The cards have most things in common. Identical sign-up bonuses & eligibility requirements, Both the Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited offer excellent bonuses for no annual fee cards, which were recently improved. Each card currently offers:
20,000 points or $200 BONUS after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months
Additionally, earn 5% cash back on grocery store purchases including Target (not Walmart purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year
Furthermore, both cards have identical eligibility requirements:
Each card is only available to those who don’t currently have that specific card, and those who haven’t received a new cardmember bonus on that specific card in the past 24 months Both cards are subjected to Chase’s typical eligibility restrictions, including the 5/24 rule Overlapping bonus categories Both the Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited offer the following overlapping bonus categories on spending:
5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
3x points on dining, takeout, and eligible delivery services
3x points on drugstores
Flexibility to earn cash back or Ultimate Rewards points
Both the Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited accrue the same types of rewards:
Each point earned on either card can be redeemed for one cent cash back If you have either card in conjunction with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, or Ink Business Preferred Credit Card, then points can also be transferred to the Ultimate Rewards program; Ultimate Rewards points have a value around ~1.7 cents each, so to me that increases the value of these points by 70%
Earn Ultimate Rewards points with Chase Freedom cards
Differences between Chase Freedom cards
There is one primary area where the Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Freedom Unlimited differ, and that’s one aspect of the bonus categories. Both cards offer:
5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
3x points on dining, takeout, and eligible delivery services
3x points on drugstores
But each card has one unique bonus category:
The Freedom Flex offers 5x points in rotating quarterly categories, on up to $1,500 of spending per quarter The Freedom Unlimited offers 1.5x points on everyday spending, making it one of the best cards for non-bonused categories, and beating the Freedom Flex in that regard by 50%
The Freedom Unlimited offers a better return on everyday spending
Which Chase Freedom card is better?
Deciding whether the Chase Freedom Flex or Chase Freedom Unlimited makes more sense comes down to one very simple question — would you rather earn 1.5x points on all purchases (with the Freedom Unlimited), or would you rather earn 5x points in rotating quarterly categories and 1x points on non-bonused purchases?
Everyday spending will work out differently for everyone, but here are a few general considerations:
What card do you otherwise use for non-bonused spending, and how much do you spend in categories that don’t otherwise qualify for bonus categories? If you don’t have a great card and you spend a lot in non-bonused categories, then the Freedom Unlimited is the obvious choice Do you have another great card for non-bonused spending but think you could get value from the 5x points categories on the Freedom Flex? Then the Freedom Flex is the obvious choice The good thing is that you don’t have to choose — you can get both the Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited, and that’s a great way to maximize your rewards, especially since neither card has an annual fee. Personally, that’s my approach, but I also get that lots of people want a simpler credit card strategy than that.
Bottom line Both the Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Freedom Unlimited are great no annual fee cards that can help you maximize the Ultimate Rewards points that you earn. For savvy consumers they’re an essential complement to a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Which Freedom card makes more sense depends on your circumstances. The Freedom Unlimited is the all-around more rewarding card, given that it offers one of the best returns of any card for non-bonused spending. But some may get more value out of the Freedom Flex’s 5x points categories.
One great thing is that you don’t have to choose, as you can always pick up both cards at the same time or upgrade from another card if you change your mind by calling Chase.
Popeyes is offering their Chicken Sandwich for Free with Purchase of Chicken Sandwich Combo. Offer valid on the Popeyes App (iOS or Android) or through Popeyes.com until 7/9/23.
How to Get A Free Chicken Sandwich:
Goto Popeyes website or use the app and Select BOGO Chicken Sandwich Offer
Click Add to Mobile Order
Select your choice of Chicken Sandwich (blackened or spicy is good too!)( and add to cart
Click Combo Meals
Select one of the available Chicken Sandwich Combos
Make your selection of sides on following page and add to cart
Proceed to checkout and select your pickup details
Your final total will vary depending on your selected combo/sides, discount for the Free Chicken Sandwich will apply in cart.
About this Deal:
Available for redemption through Popeyes App or on popeyes.com.
Valid on Popeyes delivery. Prices higher on delivery. Delivery terms and fees apply. See popeyes.com/delivery-terms.
Not valid on third-party delivery.
One offer per order.
Not available in AK or HI.
Not valid with any other offers, discounts, or coupons.
DoorDash’s Summer of DashPass is bringing plenty of freebies and discounts that you can use to kick off your summer.
DashPass is DoorDash’s subscription service that normally costs $9.99 per month but you can get it with a FREE 30 day trial or Free with a Chase Freedom Card. With this service, you’ll get free delivery on orders that are $12 or more, 5% cashback on pickup orders, and access to exclusive deals that aren’t available to regular customers. Go here to read our full review of DoorDash delivery and pickup.
Summer of DoorDash DashPass deals
The Summer of DashPass has deals every week for DashPass members from June 15 – July 19. Here are the different themes and deals that you can get for the upcoming weeks:
Fourth of July: June 29 – July 5
Taco Bell: Free Volcano Burrito or Taco on orders of $15 or more. Plus, you’ll get a code for downloadable content in Final Fantasy XVI and enter to win a PS5 when you order a Volcano menu item from June 29 – July 5.
Sprouts Farmers Market: 40% off orders of $50 or more (up to $25)
Dollar General: 30% off orders of $15 or more (up to $10)
General Grocery: 20% off alcohol orders of $35 or more (up to $10 off)
7-Eleven: Get a free Slurpee when you spend $5 on Friday, June 30.
Dog Days of Summer: July 6 – 12
Little Caesar’s: Free ExtraMostBestest pepperoni or cheese pizza on purchases of $25 or more
Wendy’s: $10 off orders of $20 or more after 10 p.m.
Aldi: $20 off orders of $50 or more with the purchase of one Aldi Find
National Ice Cream Day and Coffee Deals: July 13 – 19
National Ice Cream Day Deal: Buy 2 and get $5 off Talenti, Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Popsicle, Magnum, Good Humor, and Klondike in select stores.
Starbucks: $10 off orders of $20 or more from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Wingstop: $6 off orders of $30 or more
DashMart: 50% off orders of $20 or more (up to $15)
RiteAid: 30% off orders of $30 or more
7-Eleven: 30% off orders of $25 or more (up to $10)
7-Eleven: Get a free Slurpee when you spend $5 on Friday, July 14.
The Summer of DashPass will also give you access to exclusive merchandise, festival tickets, and sporting event tickets. While they haven’t currently released how these tickets and experiences will be released, we have a list of what’s up for grabs:
MLS Sweeps (June 15 – 21): Chance to win a trip for four to the All Star Game in D.C..
NBA Sweeps (June 15 – 21): Chance to win a trip for two to the Summer League in Las Vegas.
WNBA Sweeps (June 22 – 28): Chance to win a trip for two to the Las Vegas All Star Game.
Summer Concert Sweeps (June 22 – 28): Use the $5 off Sprite deal this week to get a chance to win a concert for two from a top artist.
Final Fantasy XVI Sweeps (June 29 – July 5): Order off the Taco Bell Volcano Menu to get a chance to win a PS5 and a free copy of Final Fantasy XVI.
Bluetooth Cooler Sweeps (June 29 – July 5): Chance to win a Bluetooth Cooler and $1,000 worth of bottomless drinks all summer long.
Pitchfork Sweeps (July 6 – 12): Chance to win a trip for two to the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago.
Plus, for the entirety of the Summer of DashPass, you can watch your favorite summer flicks through Roku.
Get $10-$25 In Free Lyft Credit By Linking Lyft With Bilt App (Free To Signup)
Link your Lyft account with the Bilt rent app (free to signup– our link will take you to credit card but you scroll up and it says sign up and that is where you join the FREE app) and you can get the following offer:
Anyone with the free Bilt app can get a $10 Lyft credit.
Take a ride on July 1st to receive an additional $5 credit. That’s $15 total for anyone or $25 total for Bilt cardholders.
After linking accounts, you must select ‘Activate Credits’ in the Rent Day tab. Activation will become available on June 27, 2023 and continue through July 1, 2023.
The Lyft ride credit ($10/$20) will show under ‘Lyft Pass’ in the Payment section of the Lyft app.
Credits can take up to 72 hours to show up and will be valid for 90 days.
Should be an easy $10/$20 credit. Usually the Bilt Rent Day promos are on the first of the month only; this time it’s available beginning on June 27th.
The Bilt Mastercard is a valuable no annual fee card but it is also an app for renters where they run promos for free points NOT just a card that I recently picked up. The card lets you pay your rent by credit card and earn rewards, even if your landlord doesn’t ordinarily allow no-fee credit card payments. For us homeowners, you can potentially even pay your HOA this way. Again anyone can sign up for this without the card and no credit check.
Details of the June Bilt Rent Day promotion There are two aspects to the Bilt Rent Day promotion, including the ability to earn bonus points (which is the same every month) plus an additional promotion.
Note that Bilt Rent Day promotions are valid from 12:00AM ET until 11:59PM PT, so technically you have around 27 hours to take advantage of them.
Earn 2-6x Bilt points on your purchases Ordinarily the Bilt Mastercard earns 1-3x points per dollar spent, as you earn 3x points on dining, 2x points on travel, and 1x points on all other purchases. On the first day of each month, you earn double those rewards, meaning you earn 6x points on dining, 4x points on travel, and 2x points on all other purchases (except rent, where you earn 1x points).
With this offer, you can earn up to 10,000 bonus points each month. Keep in mind that you need to use your Bilt Mastercard five times each statement period in order to earn these points. It could be worth strategically making some purchases on the first day of each month to maximize this as much as possible.
There are many innovative things about Bilt, including that there’s a Bilt Rent Day promotion on the first day of each month. Since we’re coming up on the first day of June, I wanted to share the details of the June 2023 Bilt Rent Day promotion, as it’s potentially quite lucrative.
The Offer For Bilt Rent Day (6/1/23) Bilt is offering prizes for who solve the Rent Day puzzle a special gift in real time. Prizes are as follows: 25 Bilt Points 50 Bilt Points 10,000 Bilt Points 100,000 Bilt Points 5,000 Bilt Points for The Collection 25,000 Bilt Points for The Collection $100 Lyft Ride Credit 1 Month of Free Rent Virgin Flight to London – Fly Upper Class roundtrip with a Companion Emirates Flight to Dubai – Fly Business Class roundtrip with a Companion
The Fine Print [25, 50, 10,000 or 100,000] Points: These points never expire and will be deposited directly into the winners Bilt account in the next 24 hours. Winner will see them in their timeline as ‘Rent Day Game’. [5,000 or 25,000] Points to use toward the Bilt Collection: These points never expire and will be deposited directly into the winners Bilt account in the next 24 hours. Winners will see the Points reflected when they go to the Collection tab and view their balance of Collection-specific Points. Upon checkout, Collection Points will be automatically used if the winner has any. If the item the winner chooses is worth less than the balance of their Collection Points, the winner will see the remainder showing in your Collection tab. If winner redeems for an item that is worth more than the Collection Points they have, the outstanding amount will pull from their spendable points and they will see this as a redemption in their timeline. $100 Lyft ride credit via a Lyft Pass: Winner will see this reflected in their Lyft account over the next 48 hours, and the Pass will be valid for a year. To view winners’ Lyft ride credit, head to the ‘Payment’ tab from the app menu, and the winner will see a pass from Bilt called Bilt Rent Day Birthday. When the winner takes their next ride, the Lyft Pass will be applied automatically. If the winner doesn’t have a Lyft account, make sure the winner signs up with the same number associated with their Bilt account, and the Pass will be available in their account. 1 Month of Free Rent: Winner will be hearing from Bilt over the next 24 hours at their email address with next steps. Virgin Flight to London – Fly Upper Class Roundtrip with a Companion: Winner will be receiving Virgin Points to get them on their next adventure. Winners can use these to get themselves and a companion to the UK in Virgin’s Business Class, take a Virgin Voyage, and more. Winner will be hearing from Bilt within 24 hours at their email address with next steps and instructions. Emirates Flight to Dubai – Fly Business Class Roundtrip with a Companion – Winner will be getting Skywards Miles with Emirates to get them on their next adventure. Winners can use these to get themselves and a companion to Dubai, Milan, and more. Winner will be hearing from Bilt over the next 24 hours at their email address with next steps and instructions. Our Verdict
The Bilt Mastercard recently started accepting applications for anyone who wishes to apply after a waitlist program. This is an innovative no annual fee card that virtually anyone who pays rent in the United States should consider picking up.
The no annual fee Bilt Mastercard is issued by Wells Fargo. The card has lucrative bonus categories, and earns points that can be transferred to popular airline and hotel partners. But the truly unique feature of the card — and really the fundamental value proposition — involves the ability to pay rent with the card with no fee, all while earning rewards.
That’s right, you can pay your rent with no fee even if your landlord doesn’t accept credit card payments, or would otherwise charge a fee. For many people that probably sounds too good to be true.
The Bilt rewards card makes sense for anyone who pays rent and doesn’t currently earn rewards doing it. Rent for many people is the largest monthly expense. The national average or median rents are in the $1100-$1300 range per month
Finally a credit card you can pay your rent with!
Earning points with the Bilt Mastercard
The Bilt Mastercard earns the following rewards when you have at least five posted transactions per billing cycle:
3x points on dining
2x points on travel
1x points on rent payments without any transaction fees, up to a limit of 50,000 points per year
The card also has no foreign transaction fees and is a World Elite Mastercard, so has great global acceptance, and is a good card to use abroad (especially given that a lot of foreign spending is on dining and travel).
Redeeming points with the Bilt Mastercard
You” be earning 1-3x points per dollar spent with a variety of ways to redeem points (ranging from experiences to merchandise). Frequent travelers would be most interested in the ability to transfer these points to airline and hotel partners.
Bilt has the following travel transfer partners, all offering 1:1 transfers:
Air Canada Aeroplan
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
American AAdvantage (the only program that transfers to American Airlines 1:1)
These transfer partners are competitive with what you’ll find with major transferable points currencies. What some might find most exciting is the World of Hyatt partnership, as well as the American AAdvantage partnership. That’s because the former only otherwise partners with Chase Ultimate Rewards, while the latter doesn’t otherwise partner with any major transferable points currencies.
Disadvantages of the Bilt Rent Payment Card
The most intriguing aspect of the Bilt Mastercard is the ability to pay rent by credit card without fees and earn up to 50,000 points per year. This works even if your landlord doesn’t accept credit card payments, as Bilt will send a check. We assume that Bilt loses money when giving out rewards and then mailing a check to a landlord it has no relationship with. They most likely hope to get rental companies on its platform, hoping that being associated with Bilt gets more renters, and streamlines the payment process.
My two biggest cons with the card is that The Bilt Mastercard doesn’t offer any sort of a welcome bonus, some apartments do not take anything but money orders or cashier’s checks, and you have to spend a certain amount ($250) to get the cash back on your rent payment. You also have a minimum redemption of $50 which is more than most programs including Discover where you can redeem at any amount.
Is the Bilt Mastercard worth it?
Is it worth getting the Bilt Mastercard? If you’re a renter in the United States and you can’t currently pay your rent by credit card, or have to pay a fee to make such a payment by credit card, then yes, this card is absolutely worth it. You can earn valuable rewards for money you have to spend anyway, so that’s a complete no-brainer.
If you don’t pay rent and have a mortgage it may still make sense for some because of the transfer partners. Given that you can’t make fee-free payments for mortgages, HOAs, etc., could it still make sense to get the card? Earning 3x transferable points on travel and 2x transferable points on dining on a no annual fee card is still a great deal.
For someone looking to earn transferable points without an annual fee, I’d say this is an excellent option, especially if you spend a lot on dining and travel.
Bottom line
The no annual fee Bilt Mastercard is issued by Wells Fargo, and recently opened to applicants without a waitlist. This card is mostly targeted for those who rent an apartment who can pay up to $50,000 per year in rent without fees. This happens when you pay through the Bilt app, and a check will be sent to your landlord on your behalf. A fascinating way to earn money when paying rent.
The Bilt card offers 3x points on dining, 2x points on travel, and those points can be transferred to several valuable partners, ranging from American AAdvantage to World of Hyatt.
I think this card is absolutely worth it for renters, and even for non-renters this could be a great no annual fee card option, assuming you’re looking for travel rewards and spend a lot on dining and travel.
