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We’re now in the first days of October so we’re into the final quarter of the year and that means that the new bonus categories for the Chase Freedom Flex® credit card and the legacy Chase Freedom credit card have now gone live.
Chase Freedom 4Q 2022 bonus categories
In the fourth quarter of 2022 the Chase Freedom Flex® credit card (review) and the legacy Chase Freedom credit card are offering 5% cashback (or 5 points/dollar) on up to $1,500 of spending in the following categories:
- Walmart
- PayPal
Don’t forget that these quarterly bonus categories are in addition to the permanent bonus categories that the Chase Freedom Flex® credit card offers – Travel (booked through Chase), Drugstores & Dining) – so make sure you’re making the most of those as well.
Thoughts
There are a few points to make here but the key ones surround what will and what will not trigger the bonus in each category (you’ll find a full list here).
The Walmart bonus category is mostly self-explanatory although it’s worth pointing out that not everything you can purchase within a Walmart store will trigger the bonus.
Purchases with non-Walmart merchants operating within or on Walmart premises (including merchants that sell fast food, beauty services, and gas stations that are not Walmart branded) will not trigger the bonus and neither will any purchases made with Walmart-affiliated merchants (including Sam’s Club) or purchases with local delivery agents linked to Walmart (e.g. Shipt).
All other purchases made at Walmart Discount Stores, Walmart SuperCenters, Walmart Neighborhood Markets, walmart.com, and Walmart branded gas stations operated by Walmart should trigger the bonus.
When it comes to PayPal, things are even simpler. Xoom transfer payments are excluded but just about all purchase transactions made using a Chase Freedom Flex® credit card or Chase Freedom Card via PayPal will trigger the bonus.
Note: Friends and Family or Person-to-Person (P2P) transactions made on PayPal may be prohibited or not eligible for the 5% bonus.
On the whole, this is a rather underwhelming set of bonus categories (if you can call 2 bonus categories a set!)
In Q3, Chase offered us more than two bonus categories for the first time in ages so it’s disappointing to see the return to just two bonus categories in Q4. Also, the fact these are the same categories that were offered in Q4 last year shows a lack of creativity on the part of whoever is charged with deciding what deals should be offered.
Still, that being said, as Walmart sells a LOT of different things and as an ever-increasing number of retailers now accept PayPal as a form of payment, it shouldn’t be very difficult to max out the 4Q bonuses that are on offer and that’s probably what’s most important here.
Bottom Line
The 4Q 2022 bonus categories for the Chase Freedom Flex® credit card and the legacy Chase Freedom credit card are now live and include Walmart and PayPal. Registration for these bonus earning opportunities will remain open through 14 December (here) and bonus points will be earned for spending in these categories between 1 October and 31 December 2022.
