Chase Freedom $100 Bonus Cash Back Review

5/7/2013 Update: We're sorry, Chase Freedom® Visa is no longer available on CreditDonkey. This offer may have been discontinued or may no longer be available to new applicants.

Cash Back Program

The Chase Freedom Card helps you earn cash back on virtually everything you buy. You earn an unlimited 1% cash back rate on most purchases.

You also earn bonus cash back on rotating categories throughout the year (free activation required each quarter). You earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 worth of quarterly purchases in each category. If you spend over this limit, you go back to regular 1% rate.

The bonus categories for 2012 are:

• gas stations and Amazon.com for Jan. 1 to Mar. 31
  
• grocery stores and movie theatres for Apr. 1 to June 30
  
• restaurants and gas stations for July 1 to Sept 30
  
• hotels(on hotel rooms purchased directly with the hotel), airlines(on tickets purchased directly with the airline), Best Buy® and Kohl’s® for Oct. 1 to Dec. 31

The bonus categories for 2013 are:

• gas stations, drugstores and Starbucks® stores for January to March
  
• restaurants, movie theaters, and Lowe's® for April to June
  
• gas stations, theme parks, and Kohl's® for July to September
  
• Amazon.com and select department stores for October to December

Signup Bonus

When you first sign up for the Chase Freedom Card, you are eligible for a nice bonus. If you make $500 worth of purchases on your card within the first 3 months of your account, you receive $100 in bonus cash back.

This bonus is in addition to your regular cash back rewards so you earn even more than $100 on your first $500 of purchases.

Since this card has no annual fee, the signup bonus gives you an easy and cost-effective way to earn some free cash back.

0% Introductory APR

This card also has a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers. After that, the APR will be a variable rate, currently 13.99% - 22.99% depending on your creditworthiness. Make sure to read our guide on balance transfers.

Pros

• Earns 1% cash back on purchases
  
• Earns 5% bonus cash back on rotating bonus categories throughout the year
  
• No annual fee
  
• Gives a signup bonus of $100 cash back after your first $500 of purchases within the first 3 months from account opening

Cons

• 3% foreign transaction fee - if you plan to travel overseas often, make sure to compare no foreign transaction fee credit cards.

Bottom Line:

The Chase Freedom card is a great way to start earning free cash back. Since the card has no annual fee, it offers a cost-effective way for you to earn rewards.