What earns 5%
Grocery stores, excluding Walmart and Target. Chase's exclusion list also names wholesale and warehouse clubs, discount stores and drugstores.
Dining. Bakeries, caterers, meal kit delivery services and gift card merchants are excluded. Food and drink sold inside stadiums, hotels, casinos, theme parks, or grocery and department stores is also excluded unless the merchant is classified as a restaurant.
American Red Cross donations, only when made through official Red Cross channels, such as redcross.org/chase.
The cap and the deadline
5% applies to up to $1,500 in combined purchases across the quarter's categories. After that, purchases earn the card's normal rate.
Activate at ChaseBonus.com or in your Chase account by December 14, 2026. Don't wait for the last day: activate early and check your account.
Dining can earn more
Freedom Flex already earns 3x on dining all year. Reporting for Q4 2026 says the quarterly bonus stacks on top, for 7x on dining in total. Check the rate in your Chase account before relying on it.
How Rune helps
Rune shows what the card earns now and what it earns after you activate, counts the stacked dining rate, and reminds you to activate at the start of the quarter and halfway through. Your cards stay on your phone.
See which card to use for groceries and dining
Based on Chase's announcement and public reporting as of 2026-10. Categories, caps and deadlines change; confirm with Chase.