Chase has recently added to its already impressive credit card lineup with the all-new Chase Freedom Flex℠. This new member of the Freedom family has created quite a stir in the credit card world with its excellent earning potential and high-quality benefits. But how does it stack up against other cards, like say the ever-popular Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card? Show
If you’re on the fence about which Chase credit card to choose, use this comparison of the Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Chase Freedom Flex to see which credit card offers the most value for you. The Chase Sapphire Preferred is known as a beginner travel card that can help you start earning points toward future trips and vacations. It’s been around for more than a decade and is still counted as one of the best rewards credit cards available because of its useful perks and benefits. The Chase Freedom Flex is a new Chase card that offers multiple ways to earn valuable rewards on everyday spending. It also has excellent benefits and has immediately become a top contender for one of the best cashback credit cards on the market. Here, we’ll take a side-by-side look at how both cards match up against each other so you can see which one might be a better fit for you.
What both cards excel atBoth the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Freedom Flex were designed with different cardholders in mind: the Sapphire Preferred is primarily meant to be a travel credit card, whereas the Freedom Flex is a cashback credit card that earns big rewards on common purchases. However, you will see some overlap between the two cards:
4 important differences between the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Chase Freedom FlexTo really compare the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Chase Freedom Flex, we need to dig into the differences between each card. Both Chase credit cards have a few similarities, but they’re ultimately different categories of cards. Knowing how they’re different will help you decide if one card might be a better match for you than the other. 1. Sign-up bonusA hallmark of many of the best rewards credit cards is a generous welcome bonus. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you get 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. With the Chase Freedom Flex, it’s $200 cash back after spending $500 in the first 3 months. Overall, the 60,000 points are worth much more than $200, though you do have to spend a bit more to earn the bigger bonus. If you also factor in the 25% increased rate on travel redemptions for the Sapphire Preferred, you’re looking at a sizable amount of value to put toward your next trip. If you can meet the spending requirement, the Sapphire Preferred’s sign-up bonus easily beats out the sign-up bonus from the Freedom Flex. Learn more at our Chase Sapphire Preferred review, 2. Earning potentialThis is a tough comparison because the earning potential on each card depends on what you’re using it for. For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred earns 5X points on Lyft rides and travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards; 3X points on eligible dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases; 2X points on travel; and 1X points per $1 on all other eligible purchases. So if you frequently spend on travel, dining, online groceries, and streaming services, you can earn plenty of bonus points with the Sapphire Preferred. With the Chase Freedom Flex, you earn 5% on rotating quarterly categories (on up to $1,500 spent) and travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal; 3% at restaurants (including takeout and delivery) and drugstores; and 1% on all other purchases. With rotating bonus categories available on the Freedom Flex, you potentially have additional opportunities to earn bonus rewards. Plus, many of these bonus categories encompass areas in which people typically have common expenses. You can’t plan for the rotating categories, but in the past, these categories have included purchases from grocery stores, Amazon.com, Walmart, gas stations, streaming services like Hulu and Apple Music, and more. If you’re primarily focused on earning rewards from travel purchases, the Sapphire Preferred is a safe bet, though it also offers bonus points in other categories. However, the Freedom Flex provides a wide range of ways to earn bonus rewards and could be the better option depending on your typical spending habits. 3. FeesThe fees associated with a credit card can heavily affect your decision to get one. The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee, whereas the Chase Freedom Flex has a $0 annual fee. By cost alone, the Freedom Flex is the winner here. However, $95 isn’t much to pay and can easily be offset if you can leverage the Sapphire Preferred’s multiple benefits, including its annual $50 hotel credit. Keep in mind, the Sapphire Preferred also has no foreign transaction fees, but the Freedom Flex has a foreign transaction fee of 3%. So for making purchases abroad, the Sapphire Preferred makes a lot more sense. 4. Intro APRAn introductory APR period on a new credit card can be a great way to avoid interest on balance transfers or purchases for a set amount of time. The Chase Sapphire Preferred doesn’t have an intro APR offer, but you can find one on the Chase Freedom Flex. With the Freedom Flex, you get 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months (then 17.99% to 26.74% (variable)). This automatic offer for new cardmembers can help you better manage your finances because your purchases won’t accrue any interest for a while. So if you need to make some bigger purchases and want time to pay them off, the Freedom Flex provides a great opportunity to do so. Learn more at our Chase Freedom Flex review. Which card should you choose?The Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Chase Freedom Flex competition doesn’t have a clear winner. The best card for you depends on what you need the card for and what you’re hoping to gain. The Sapphire Preferred is best for individuals who want to earn rewards in common categories and then redeem them for travel. When you use your rewards to book travel through the Chase portal, they're worth 25% more. The Freedom Flex earns cash back from a variety of sources, which is helpful for racking up rewards from everyday spending. And then you have similar redemption options between the two cards, except the Freedom Flex doesn’t give you 25% more value for travel redemptions and you can’t transfer points to airline or hotel partners. It’s difficult to choose between the two, which is why it makes a lot of sense to simply go with both credit cards. With both cards, there’s only a low annual fee of $95 to worry about, which can be offset by the rewards you earn. Chase allows you to combine points between some of its cards, so you can earn on your Freedom Flex and then move your points onto your Sapphire Preferred. This would give your points more value because they’re worth 25% more toward travel redemptions on the Sapphire Preferred. You’d also have more earning potential with both cards. To maximize your earnings, simply use whichever card earns the highest rate on your purchases. For instance, the Freedom Flex would be better for restaurant and drugstore purchases, whereas the Sapphire Preferred is better for travel purchases that aren’t through Chase. Then, combine your points onto the Sapphire Preferred and get a higher rate for travel redemptions. To offset the $95 annual fee on spending alone, you’d need to earn at least 7,600 points each year. This number of points is worth $95 (7,600 x 0.0125 = 95) toward Chase travel redemptions on the Sapphire Preferred. If you didn’t earn points in any bonus categories at all on either card, that’s $7,600 you’d have to spend to earn that amount of points. However, you’d likely be using these cards on purchases in bonus categories, so the target spend should realistically be much lower. If you used your Freedom Flex on only the 5% rotating bonus categories, you’d need to spend $1,520 on the year to earn 7,600 (1,520 x 5 = 7,600) points. Of course, you can also have a combination of earnings from the two cards as you use them throughout the year. Overall, just spending a few thousand on the year could be more than enough to offset the $95 annual fee, though you can easily spend more than that on dining, groceries, travel, drugstores, utilities, gas, and other expenses. Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Chase Freedom Flex FAQsThe
better Chase family of cards depends on your financial goals and spending habits. If you mainly want to earn rewards and redeem them for travel via the Chase portal or transfer them to partners like Marriott Bonvoy or British Airways, it makes more sense to go with a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve® over a Chase Freedom Unlimited® or Chase Freedom Flex card. If you mainly want a card to earn cashback rewards from everyday spending, the Chase Freedom
Unlimited and Chase Freedom Flex are the better options. Of course, you can also go with multiple Chase cards. This would give you the widest range of earning potential and redemption options. Use whichever card earns the best rewards rate on each purchase and then combine your points for free through your Chase online account. Then redeem your points however you’d like. If it’s for travel redemptions, the Chase Sapphire cards get higher redemption rates on travel. Yes, you can have both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Chase Freedom Flex. This is an excellent pairing of two cards because they complement each other well. Earn on everyday purchases with the Freedom Flex and on travel with the Sapphire Preferred. Then, combine your rewards through your Chase online account onto the Sapphire Preferred, and they will be worth 25% more toward travel redemptions. Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred still worth it?The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is well worth it. Its earning potential and valuable benefits can easily offset the $95 annual fee, but you also get 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. The sign-up bonus alone can cover your annual fee for multiple years. The bottom lineAlthough there’s no obvious winner between the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Freedom Flex, it’s clear both cards offer amazing value when you consider their benefits and rewards, though the Sapphire Preferred primarily focuses on travel and the Freedom Flex is designed for everyday spending. Overall, the best option for you may be to go with both cards. This will give you the highest earning potential and more lucrative options for points redemptions. Learn about the Chase 5/24 rule before applying for Chase credit cards so you can avoid a few simple mistakes. Author Details
 Ben Walker, CEPF Ben Walker, CEPF, is a credit cards and travel writer at FinanceBuzz who loves helping others achieve their travel goals through financially sound decisions. For over a decade, he has been using credit card points and miles for the sole purpose of traveling the world. Ben is a Certified Educator of Personal Finance and has been featured in The Washington Post, MSN, Debt.com, and Finder.com. What's the difference between Chase Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited?The difference between the two is how they earn in other categories. The Chase Freedom Flex℠ card offers 5% back on categories that rotate each quarter, up to $1,500 in spending. The Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers 1.5% back on every dollar spent — no matter the category — with no spending limit on rewards.
Is Chase Freedom or sapphire better?Chase Freedom Unlimited is better for everyday use and intro APRs. But Chase Sapphire Preferred is the clear choice for travel rewards and a big initial bonus. Sapphire Preferred also has a $0 foreign transaction fee, while Freedom Unlimited charges 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars.
Which card is better Freedom Flex or unlimited?Winner: It depends how you want to each cash back. If you want a card that doesn't require activation, the Freedom Unlimited wins. Otherwise, a 5% cash-back rate on rotating categories with the Freedom Flex is quite good. Keep in mind the bonus as well.
What is better than Chase Sapphire Preferred?Capital One Venture is a better credit card than Chase Sapphire Preferred because it gives more value over the long haul with its ongoing rewards rate of 2 miles / $1 spent on all purchases. Chase Sapphire Preferred is still a great option, though, and it's best for travelers who want a lot of value upfront.
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Freedom flex vs freedom unlimited vs sapphire preferred
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