This Chase Card Is Great for Groceries and Cash Back on Everything

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Woman shopping for produce wants to save with grocery cash back rewards
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Money Talks News has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Money Talks News and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

If you’re looking to make more of your good credit score, consider the Chase Freedom Unlimited card.

We already consider it one of the top cash-back credit cards available right now thanks to its offer of a flat 1.5% cash back on every purchase. There are no games with certain categories sometimes being worth more, or any questions about what qualifies. You always know what to expect back, regardless of what you buy or where you shop.

But there are sign-up bonuses available now that make this card instantly worth up to $800 in your first year, before you even look at that generous 1.5% cash back.

Get a big new bonus offer on groceries and more

Chase recently launched a new introductory offer for the Chase Freedom Unlimited card. For the first year, you get 5% cash back on up to $12,000 in grocery store purchases.

Chase Freedom Unlimited credit card
Chase / Money Talks News

There are a couple exclusions: Target and Walmart purchases are not eligible for the higher rate. But buying groceries anywhere else means you can net up to $600 cash back on groceries in the first year. And after that, you’ll still get the unlimited, normal 1.5% cash-back rate.

On top of that, there’s a $200 cash-back bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first three months.

That’s $800 you can rack up in your first year — assuming you spend $1,000 per month on groceries — plus 1.5% cash back on all your other purchases.

Since there’s no annual fee on the Chase Freedom Unlimited, and no cap or expiration date on the rewards you can earn, there’s no downside for responsible borrowers.

The card also has a 0% introductory APR, good for 15 months. Other card benefits include 5% cash back on Lyft rides through March 2022, and a free three months of DoorDash’s delivery subscription service DashPass, which eliminates delivery fees on eligible orders.

What about the drawbacks?

This isn’t one of those “too good to be true” offers.

While you may be able to find a credit card willing to give you a slightly higher cash-back rate on groceries, you’re likely to pay for it somehow: Either with an annual fee, or in terms of the time spent keeping track of shifting reward categories and exclusions.

If there’s one drawback worth mentioning, it’s probably the 3% foreign transaction fee. If you don’t make many online purchases using foreign currencies and aren’t traveling abroad, you probably won’t run into it. But if you do, consider using another card for those cases.

Overall, it’s hard to beat the simplicity offered by the Chase Freedom Unlimited.

Money Talks News has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Money Talks News and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

Looking for something else in a credit card? Use our credit card search tool to find the best card for you, no matter what you need or where you’re at.

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