Chase Freedom Unlimited online application now available

As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of the next cards I was considering was the Chase Freedom Unlimited card (not to be confused with the Chase Freedom card) which became available last month. However, the only way you could apply for the card at that time was by visiting one of their branches directly or calling in and doing a PC (product change) from an already owned card. Since I had no interest in converting my current Chase Freedom card or standing in line for hours at a bank I decided to hold off on applying until applications became available online.

Luckily for me it appears that online applications are now being accepted and you can apply by going to https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/freedom-unlimited.

Just a reminder, the new Chase Freedom Unlimited card offers a flat 1.5% cash back on all purchases without any rotating quarterly bonus categories. The best part is that this card carries no annual fee which is what I find most appealing. And similar to the Chase Freedom, this card has the ability to earn Ultimate Reward points when paired with the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Ink Plus so it is not strictly a cash back only card. If you value Ultimate Reward points at roughly 2 cents per point which can easily be accomplished through their numerous transfer partners then you're essentially earning 3% back on all of your purchases which isn't half bad for a no annual fee card.

The sign up bonus for the card is $150 = 15,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $500 in the first 3 months which is very manageable. You can also get an additional $25 = 2,500 Ultimate Rewards points for adding an authorized user which totals 17,500 Ultimate Rewards points that roughly equals $350 in travel if you choose your transfer partners wisely.

Bottom Line

I've been looking for a card to fill my non-bonus spending and was excited when I heard about this option becoming available. Now that the application has gone online I plan to apply and hope for the best. I believe Chase's new "5/24" rule is in effect so if you've applied for more than 5 cards in a 2 year period you may be denied so choose your future cards wisely. I think I am either right at the cusp or maybe even exceeded that number so I would not be surprised if I got rejected. Here's hoping my math is wrong.