Chase Freedom Categories: 5% Cash Back Calendar for 2025
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Written by
Jasmin Baron
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Edited by
Antonio Ruiz-Camacho
Credit cards with rotating categories offer the opportunity to turbocharge your rewards earning on everyday spending. The Chase Freedom calendar lists the quarterly 5% cash-back bonus categories that are exclusively for Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom® (no longer accepting new applicants) users.
As a cardholder, as long as you activate each quarter, you’ll be eligible to earn 5% back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases (then 1%) within that quarter’s categories. These rewards are in addition to the standard cash back you can earn throughout the year on other spending. For the fourth quarter of 2025 (October to December), the Chase Freedom 5% cash-back categories are department stores, Old Navy and Chase Travel℠, plus PayPal in December only.
Let’s take a closer look at how the Chase 5% calendar works and how to maximize these categories to earn the most cash back.
How the Chase Rewards Calendar Works
About the middle of the third month of each quarter — March 15, June 15, Sept. 15 and Dec. 15 — the next quarter’s categories are announced.
However, to take advantage of earning 5% cash back, you’ll need to activate that quarter’s rewards by the 14th day of the third month of each quarter. So for Q4 (October through December), cardholders must activate by Dec. 14.
The good news is that the rewards are retroactive, so even if you wait until the 14th to activate, you’ll earn 5% cash back, up to spending limits, on all eligible purchases made during the quarter. However, it’s best to activate as soon as you can to avoid missing the deadline.
To activate quarterly bonus categories, Chase Freedom or Freedom Flex cardholders can go to the Chase bonus activation page to complete the process. Other options for activation include online in your Chase account or mobile app, calling Chase customer service or visiting a branch location. You can also activate through a link in the reminder email Chase sends out to cardholders.
Chase Freedom Categories for 2025
Here’s a look at the 5% rotating cash-back categories for 2025:
Q1: January to March (expired)
- Grocery stores (excluding Target and Walmart)
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- Fitness clubs and gym memberships
- Hair, nails and spa services
- Tax preparation and insurance (March 2025 only)
Q2: April to June (expired)
- Amazon: Including digital downloads, Amazon.com Gift Cards, Amazon Fresh orders, Amazon Prime subscriptions, and items sold by third-party merchants through Amazon.com’s marketplace, plus purchases made in-store and online with Whole Foods
- Select streaming services: Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, Netflix, Sling, Vudu, Fubo TV, Apple Music, SiriusXM, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube TV, HBO Max, Paramount+, Peacock, and Showtime
- Internet, cable and phone services (June 2025 only)
Q3: July to September
- Gas stations
- EV charging
- Select live entertainment
- Instacart
Q4: October to December (activate starting Sept. 15)
- Department stores
- Old Navy
- Chase Travel
- PayPal (for December only)
Chase Freedom Flex cardholders get an even better deal this quarter on Chase Travel purchases, because those already regularly earn 5% back. With the Q4 Chase Travel bonus, cardholders earn 9% total back on Chase Travel (5% regular rate plus 4% bonus), up to quarterly spending limits.
It’s unknown exactly how Chase selects the rotating Freedom Flex categories. However, in the past few years, some of the same categories for each quarter repeated the following year. Category selections seem at least partially focused on what might be appealing to cardholders at the time, such as in the third quarter of 2025, which included gas stations, EV charging and select live entertainment — all ideal for summer road trips and concerts.
Here’s a look at the Chase Freedom 5% calendar categories for 2023, 2024 and 2025:
| Chase Rewards Calendar (5% cash back) | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 |
| 2023 | Grocery stores (except Walmart), fitness clubs and gym memberships, and Target | Lowe’s and Amazon.com | Select live entertainment, gas stations and electric vehicle charging | Wholesale clubs, select charities and PayPal |
| 2024 | Select grocery stores, fitness club and gym memberships, and self-care and spa services | Hotels, restaurants and Amazon.com | Select live entertainment, movie theaters, gas stations and electric vehicle charging | McDonald’s, PayPal, pet shops and vet services, and select charities |
| 2025 | Grocery stores (except Walmart and Target), fitness clubs and gym memberships, Norwegian Cruise Line and hair, nails and spa services | Amazon and select streaming services | Gas stations, EV charging, select live entertainment and Instacart | Department stores, Old Navy, Chase Travel and PayPal (December only) |
For 2026, there’s no guarantee that we’ll see the same categories as before, but if history repeats, we could see grocery stores, fitness clubs and gym memberships in Q1.
How To Activate Your Chase 5% Cash Back Each Quarter
Follow these steps to activate your Chase 5% cash-back categories each quarter:
- Go to the Chase bonus activation page
- Enter the primary cardholder’s last name
- Enter the last four digits of the card number
- Enter the cardholder’s ZIP code
- Click the green “Activate now” button
You can also sign in to Chase online and activate through your card’s dashboard, phone Chase at 800-432-3117 or visit a Chase branch for help activating your Chase bonus cash back.
It’s important to set a calendar reminder so that you don’t forget to activate, or sign in to your Chase account and update your email address to receive alerts. If you forget to activate by the deadline each quarter, any purchases you make in the 5% cash-back categories will only earn 1% cash back.
Strategies To Maximize Cash Back With Chase Rewards Calendar
To maximize the 5% cash back, use the Chase rewards calendar to plan your spending. For example, when grocery stores are a bonus category, you could use your card for all your grocery purchases and stock up on essentials. When gas stations are a bonus category, designate your Chase Freedom card for those purchases — sometimes, gas stations sell much more than fuel.
Also, consider timing large purchases to align with bonus categories. Just be sure you can pay off your credit card bill in full to avoid paying interest.
If keeping track of rotating categories feels too complicated, there’s another option. The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is the Freedom Flex’s sister cash-back credit card. It doesn’t offer rotating categories; instead, cardholders earn 5% cash back on Chase Travel℠ purchases, 3% cash back on dining and at drugstores, and 1.5% cash back on everything else. Its base rate of 1.5% outshines the Freedom Flex’s 1% cash back, so if you do a lot of non-bonus category spending, the Freedom Unlimited may be a better choice for you.
Chase Freedom Calendar vs. Discover Rewards Program
The Chase Rewards Calendar is a little different from the Discover 5% cash-back calendar. Discover announces categories for the upcoming quarter at the beginning of the last month of each current quarter, instead of on the 15th day, like Chase does. So, instead of announcing categories for October to December on Sept. 15, like Chase, Discover announces them around Sept. 1.
Similar to Chase, Discover rewards you with 5% cash back on eligible purchases in rotating categories on up to $1,500 spent each quarter (then 1%). However, Chase rewards 5% on all eligible purchases made during the quarter — before and after you activate — as long as you activate by the deadline. Discover only rewards 5% on purchases (on up to the quarterly maximum) made after you actually activate the rewards —not retroactively like Chase does.
So, if you activated the Discover 5% cash-back rewards during the last month of Q4 on Dec. 5, you’ll only earn 5% rewards on eligible purchases from Dec. 5 to Dec. 31, up to the spending cap. Any purchases you made with your Discover it® Cash Back from Oct. 1 to Dec. 4 would only earn 1% cash back.
Because Discover and Chase’s rotating categories are often similar, even though they occur during different times of the year, Chase’s program might fit your spending habits better if you fear you might forget to activate categories at the beginning of the quarter. With Chase, rewards are retroactive up to the deadline, which occurs close to the end of each quarter — the 14th day of the third month.
Other Benefits of the Chase Freedom Flex Card
The Chase Freedom Flex offers strong cash-back rewards, but it also comes with other benefits, including:
- $200 bonus after spending $500 within the first three months
- $0 annual fee
- 0% Intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months, then 18.99% - 28.49% Variable APR
- Zero liability protection for any authorized purchases
- Up to 120 days of purchase protection against damage or theft, up to $500 per item
- Extended warranty protection
- Free credit score and identity restoration services
- Fraud monitoring
- Auto rental coverage
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance — up to $1,500 per traveler and $6,000 per trip
- Travel and emergency assistance
Additionally, if you have a premium Chase credit card that earns Ultimate Rewards® points, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you can combine your rewards and transfer them to Chase’s airline and hotel partners. That’s in addition to using points for cash back, travel booked through Chase Travel, gift cards and more.
The information related to the Chase Freedom Flex® was collected by CardCritics™ and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardCritics™ does not receive a commission for this product.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Chase Freedom Calendar
The Chase Freedom 5% calendar offers a unique way to earn rewards using the Freedom Flex card. These answers to some frequently asked questions will help you decide if being a cardholder is worth it.
What are the categories for the current year?
The Chase Freedom categories for the current year changed quarterly. For January to March 2025, the categories were grocery stores (except Walmart and Target), fitness clubs and gym memberships, Norwegian Cruise Line, and hair, nails and spa services. From April to June 2025, the categories were Amazon and select streaming services. From July to September 2025, the categories are gas stations, EV charging, select live entertainment and Instacart. And from October to December 2025, the categories are department stores, Old Navy, Chase Travel and PayPal (December only).
These categories are revealed in the middle of the third month of the preceding quarter for the upcoming quarter. For example, categories for July to September were revealed on June 15, and categories for October to December were revealed on Sept. 15.
How can I check how much I’ve earned in 5% cash back?
The maximum you can earn from the 5% cash-back rotating Chase Freedom categories is $75 per quarter or $300 per year. To check how much you’ve earned, log into your Chase credit card account and navigate to your Chase Freedom dashboard.
Are the 5% categories the same for all cardholders?
The Chase Freedom 5% bonus categories are available to Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Freedom cardholders, and the categories are the same for all cardholders.
Can I activate the bonus categories retroactively?
Yes, as long as you activate the bonus categories by the deadlines — March 14, June 14, Sept. 14 and Dec. 14 — the rewards will be retroactive.
Is the Chase Freedom Flex worth it compared to flat-rate cards?
Yes, the Freedom Flex is worth it if you spend heavily in the categories it offers. Besides the 5% bonus cash-back in rotating categories, it also offers 5% cash back on Chase Travel purchases, 3% cash back on dining (including takeout) and at drugstores, and 1% cash back on everything else.
Can you earn 5% cash back after reaching the quarterly spending cap?
No, once you’ve reached the $1,500 quarterly spending cap, you’ll earn 1% in the bonus categories instead of 5%. However, with the Freedom Flex, you can still earn unlimited 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel and 3% cash back on dining and at drugstores.
Do you need a specific credit score to qualify for Freedom Flex?
Although Chase does not disclose the exact credit score needed to qualify for Freedom Flex, you’ll typically need at least a good credit score (670 or higher on FICO’s scale) to be considered. A credit score in this range doesn’t guarantee approval, however — the bank looks at other factors, including your overall credit profile and number of cards you’ve recently opened, when evaluating your application.
Are online purchases included in specific categories?
Sometimes. For example, in Q2 2025, one of the bonus categories was Amazon.com. And in December 2025 only, PayPal, which works for many online purchases, is a category. Other category purchases made through online or mobile digital wallets may not qualify for a rewards category if the technology used does not process the purchase in the rewards category.
