Chase Freedom Unlimited® review: well-rounded rewards card with no annual fee (2023)

FAQs

Is Chase Freedom Unlimited hard to get approved? ›

Is Chase Freedom Unlimited hard to get? You'll need good to excellent credit to qualify for the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. Generally speaking, this is defined as a credit score of 690 or better. But a credit score alone isn't enough to qualify for any credit card.

Also, Freedom Unlimited^® cardmembers will continue to earn 1.5% cash back on all other purchases, and No Annual Fee.

You Chase Freedom Unlimited® could be denied because of a low credit score (below 700), not enough annual income, or too many recent credit inquiries. Other grounds for denial could be incomplete or inaccurate information on the application, or a pending bankruptcy on your credit report.

There's no specific annual income required to qualify for a credit card, especially because credit card companies look at many factors to help determine whether or not you qualify.

According to the terms and conditions for the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, you could wind up with either the Visa Platinum® account, you'll receive a minimum credit limit of $500, with a potential limit of up to $4,999.

How often does Chase increase credit limits? Chase may automatically increase your credit limit every six to 12 months if you're a borrower in good standing. Whether or not Chase will automatically increase your credit line depends on several factors, including your credit score, account history and credit utilization.

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Chase Freedom Unlimited®* both come with no annual fee, but the Chase Freedom Flex earns the most in rotating quarterly bonus categories, while the Chase Freedom Unlimited offers steady category bonuses and 1.5 percent back on all purchases.

Chase is one of the major credit card companies that waive annual fees for all of their personal credit cards for spouses and active-duty service members. While all of their personal cards are applicable for this benefit, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of their best cards for points and discount benefits.

Effective September 15, 2020, the Freedom card is closed for new applicants. If you have the Freedom card, your card won't be canceled, but you do have a few options about what you want to do.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited card is fairly hard to get because you need good to excellent credit to qualify for it, which is a credit score of 700 or better. Applicants for Chase Freedom Unlimited will also need an annual income that demonstrates an ability to make at least the card's minimum payment every month.

What is the Chase 2 30 rule? ›

Two Cards Per 30 Days

Chase generally limits credit card approvals to two Chase credit cards per rolling 30-day period. Data points conflict on this but a safe bet is to apply for no more than two personal Chase credit cards or one personal and one business Chase credit card every 30 days.

Where your annual net income is how much you bring home in your actual paychecks after deductions are taken out, your gross income is how much you earn before deductions and taxes are taken out. If you apply for the Chase Freedom Unlimited®*, for example, they'll ask for your “total gross annual income.”

What will be my credit limit for a salary of ₹50,000? Typically, your credit limit is 2 or 3 times of your current salary. So, if your salary is ₹50,000, you can expect your credit limit to be anywhere between ₹1 lakh and ₹1.5 lakh.

Chase has one good starter credit card, the Chase Freedom® Student credit card, but it's only available to students. It offers 1% cash back on purchases plus a $50 bonus after your first purchase and a $20 good standing reward after every account anniversary.

The hardest Chase credit card to get is Chase Sapphire Reserve® because it requires a credit score of at least 750 for high chances of approval.

A good guideline is the 30% rule: Use no more than 30% of your credit limit to keep your debt-to-credit ratio strong. Staying under 10% is even better. In a real-life budget, the 30% rule works like this: If you have a card with a $1,000 credit limit, it's best not to have more than a $300 balance at any time.

This means you should take care not to spend more than 30% of your available credit at any given time. For instance, let's say you had a $5,000 monthly credit limit on your credit card. According to the 30% rule, you'd want to be sure you didn't spend more than $1,500 per month, or 30%.

In general, car dealerships accept credit cards. You might even be able to use a card to buy a vehicle. However, it's more likely that the dealership will take a credit card for a down payment or a part of the down payment up to a certain amount. For you, using a credit card is a convenience or maybe a necessity.

Reduced income

Chase periodically prompts credit card customers to update their annual income. If you report a lower annual income than you had when you were approved for your card, they could lower your credit limit to match the decrease in your income.

Yes, Chase may automatically increase a credit limit for eligible cardholders. Credit card issuers like Chase consider several factors before offering an automatic increase, like the cardholder's credit score, credit utilization rate and how long a credit account has been open.

Do credit cards increase your limit without telling you? ›

You can ask for a credit limit increase on an existing credit card. A credit card company may also increase your limit without a request from you.

Although both cards offer excellent earning potential, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card has an edge over the Freedom Unlimited card thanks to its generous welcome bonus and the opportunity to receive better value for your points at redemption time. The card also offers better travel insurance benefits.

It's generally recommended that you have two to three credit card accounts at a time, in addition to other types of credit. Remember that your total available credit and your debt to credit ratio can impact your credit scores. If you have more than three credit cards, it may be hard to keep track of monthly payments.

If you're wondering which card is better between the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Chase Freedom Unlimited, for most people the Chase Sapphire Reserve is better suited to those who spend more money on travel, while the Freedom Unlimited is better for maximizing everyday spending.

If you have a Chase credit card you can call the customer service number on the back of the card or call 877-469-0110 to speak to a Chase customer service representative. Let the representative know you are thinking about closing your account and want to know if there is a way to get the annual fee waived.

Remember, a lot of the benefits of the Amex Gold card pay for its annual fee, so we recommend the Amex Gold card to enthusiastic travelers looking for outsized rewards. We recommend the Freedom Unlimited card to the no-frills customer looking to focus on cash-back rewards with low fees.

Chase recently launched a new cash-back credit card, the Chase Freedom Flex℠. This card replaces the Chase Freedom as an option for new cardholders, although existing Chase Freedom customers can keep their old card.

The Chase 5/24 rule is an important consideration for anyone applying for a Chase credit card. Chase will likely deny your credit card application if you've opened five or more new cards in the past 24 months. This rule applies to all Chase credit cards, including co-branded and small business cards.

Are Chase cards hard to get approved for? ›

To qualify for the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve, you'll likely need very good (740 or higher) to excellent credit (800 or higher). However, you'll likely have the best odds of approval for any Chase card if your credit score is in the very good to excellent range.

Applying for a new credit card can trigger a hard inquiry, which involves a lender looking at your credit reports. According to credit-scoring company FICO®, hard inquiries can cause a slight drop in your credit scores. Keep in mind: Hard inquiries usually stay on your credit reports for two years.

To be approved for a Chase credit card, you must have fewer than five approvals for credit cards within the last 24 months. When you apply for a Chase credit card, Chase will count the card you're applying for as part of your allowed five approvals.

There isn't a formal, consistent policy that limits the number or timing of your applications with Chase. The general rule of thumb is to limit applications to no more than one personal and one business card within 90 days. Still, I've also read reports of applicants being approved for two personal cards in a month.

The process involves applying for a credit card, getting approved, meeting a minimum spend within a set amount of time, earning a large welcome bonus, and canceling the card before the next annual fee is due. Once this is complete, the process is simply repeated again and again, hence the term churning.

With 52 weeks in the year, that means you work a total of 2,080 hours per year. Therefore a person making $15 an hour would make about $31,200 per year.

Yes, credit cards do check your income when you apply. Credit card issuers are required by law to consider your ability to repay debt prior to extending a new line of credit. So, listing your annual income is a requirement on every credit card application.

But generally, you should report only income that can be verified by tax returns, a letter or some other document. “Use common sense,” says Ira Rheingold, executive director of the National Association of Consumer Advocates. “If you can't prove the income exists, you shouldn't list it.”

A good credit limit is above $30,000, as that is the average credit card limit, according to Experian. To get a credit limit this high, you typically need an excellent credit score, a high income and little to no existing debt.

NerdWallet suggests using no more than 30% of your limits, and less is better. Charging too much on your cards, especially if you max them out, is associated with being a higher credit risk.

What is a normal credit limit? ›

What is considered a “normal” credit limit among most Americans? The average American had access to $30,233 in credit across all of their credit cards in 2021, according to Experian. But the average credit card balance was $5,221 — well below the average credit limit.

Experts broadly recommend having at least two credit cards across different networks. Having both a Visa^® and Mastercard^® comes in handy if a merchant doesn't take one of your cards. You may want to look for cards that offer different rewards, such as cash back and miles to take advantage of different perks.

Highest “Overall” Credit Limit: $500,000

The winners of the nosebleed award for the highest credit limit among cards for mere mortals are these twins: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve®, with annual fees in the mid-triple digits and high-double digits, respectively.

On our list, the card with the highest reported limit is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which some say offers a $100,000 limit. We've also seen an advertised maximum credit limit of $100,000 on the First Tech Odyssey Rewards™ World Elite Mastercard®, a credit union rewards card.

Is Chase Freedom Unlimited hard to get? You'll need good to excellent credit to qualify for the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. Generally speaking, this is defined as a credit score of 690 or better. But a credit score alone isn't enough to qualify for any credit card.

Chase credit cards are known for great rewards — including both sign-up bonuses and generous rates on spending — and a. Chase issues some of the best co-branded airline, hotel and store credit cards on the market.

The best Chase starter credit card is the Chase Freedom® Student credit card because it accepts applicants with limited credit history and reports to the three major credit bureaus on a monthly basis. Freedom Student also rewards cardholders with 1% cash back on all purchases, and it has a $0 annual fee.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is designed for people with good credit and better, with a FICO® Score of at least 670. The card will be hard to get with a much lower credit score. That's not to say applicants with lower scores can't secure approval.

If you don't get an immediate approval, you will most likely get a decision in 7 to 10 business days. However, sometimes it can take up to 30 days.

The easiest Chase credit card to get is the Chase Freedom® Student credit card, but it's only available to students. Applicants can get approved for this card with limited credit.

Is Chase Freedom being discontinued? ›

The Chase Freedom credit card is discontinued—here's what that means for existing Freedom cardholders.

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Chase Freedom Unlimited®* both come with no annual fee, but the Chase Freedom Flex earns the most in rotating quarterly bonus categories, while the Chase Freedom Unlimited offers steady category bonuses and 1.5 percent back on all purchases.

You'll need good or excellent credit to get most Chase cards. However, there are plenty of options from other issuers to choose from. A good example is the OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card. There's no credit check when you apply, so approval is almost guaranteed.

To be approved for a Chase credit card, you must have fewer than five approvals for credit cards within the last 24 months. When you apply for a Chase credit card, Chase will count the card you're applying for as part of your allowed five approvals.

It's generally recommended that you have two to three credit card accounts at a time, in addition to other types of credit. Remember that your total available credit and your debt to credit ratio can impact your credit scores. If you have more than three credit cards, it may be hard to keep track of monthly payments.

Chase approves most credit card applications instantly. As soon as you click submit, you should receive a decision within 60 seconds. However, some applications require further review.

You don't have enough income. You have too much debt relative to your income. There are too many recent inquiries on your credit report. There's a recent delinquency or error on your credit report.

Chase credit cards are known for great rewards — including both sign-up bonuses and generous rates on spending — and a. Chase issues some of the best co-branded airline, hotel and store credit cards on the market.

Centurion® Card from American Express

Why it's one of the hardest credit cards to get: The hardest credit card to get is the American Express Centurion Card. Known simply as the “Black Card,” you need an invitation to get Amex Centurion.