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On paper, the Chase Freedom Flex® (see rates and fees) and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) are two very different rewards cards designed for very different cardholders. But while it's true they each can hold a different place in your wallet, that doesn't make them competition. Indeed, these two cards are most valuable when you use them together. Let's take a deeper dive into both cards.
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Chase Freedom Flex® | Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card |
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Credit Rating Requirement:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Good/Excellent (670-850) |
Credit Rating Requirement:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Good/Excellent (670-850) |
Welcome Offer: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening! $200 bonus |
Welcome Offer: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. 100,000 bonus points |
Rewards Program: 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter! Plus, earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases. 5% cash back offer |
Rewards Program: Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more. 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases |
Intro APR: 0% Intro APR on Purchases Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 15 months Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months |
Intro APR: N/A Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A |
Regular APR: 18.99% - 28.49% Variable |
Regular APR: 19.99% - 28.24% Variable |
Annual Fee: $0 |
Annual Fee: $95 |
Highlights:
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If I had to recommend just one of these cards for most people, it would be the Chase Freedom Flex®. The rotating rewards category can be very lucrative, and it suits a lot of spending styles. The static dining and drugstore bonus categories are also quite useful.
Plus, there is no annual card fee, so you're never worrying about whether you're getting full value from your credit card. Oh, and the welcome bonus is nothing to scoff at! Add Chase's various purchase and travel protections, and you really have a very solid cash back rewards card.
Apply for Chase Freedom Flex®.
The main reason you'd want a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card instead of a Chase Freedom Flex® would be if you travel regularly. You'll get bonus Ultimate Rewards points on travel purchases (and dining), and you can use those rewards to book more travel, for free. In fact, cardholders get a 25% bonus on points redemptions in the Chase Travel portal.
There is an annual fee, but the welcome bonus makes up for it for at least a few years. And you get elevated versions of those awesome purchase and travel protections, which can definitely provide a ton of value.
All that said, the very best method, in my opinion, is to get both cards. When you have a Sapphire card, you can pool the points you earn from all your Chase cards together to use for travel. This makes the 5% cash back you could earn with a Chase Freedom Flex® card more equivalent to 5X points per dollar, which is a huge increase in potential value.
Apply for Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout credit cards.
Offer | Our Rating | Welcome Offer | Rewards Program | APR | Learn More |
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Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
|
Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. | 1% - 5% Cashback Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. |
Intro: Purchases: 0%, 15 months Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months Regular: 18.24% - 27.24% Variable APR |
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Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
|
$200 cash rewards Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. | 2% cash rewards Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. |
Intro: 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers Purchases: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening Balance Transfers: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers Regular: 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR |
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Apply Now for Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
On Bank of America's Secure Website. |
Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
|
25,000 points 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases | 1.5-3 points per dollar Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on travel purchases booked through the Bank of America Travel Center. |
Intro: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the intro APR offer ends, 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers will apply. A 3% fee for 60 days from account opening, then 4% fee applies to all balance transfers. Balance transfers may not be used to pay any account provided by Bank of America. Purchases: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days Regular: 18.24% - 28.24% (Variable) |
Apply Now for Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
On Bank of America's Secure Website. |
Whether you only want one card, or are simply trying to choose which one to get first, knowing how each card's features stack up to the other can be a helpful place to start.
Winner: Chase Freedom Flex®
This is an easy win for the Chase Freedom Flex® since it has no annual fee. This is always ideal, since it won't matter how often you do -- or don't -- use the card as you don't need to make up any extra value.
In contrast, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a $95 annual fee. This means you really need to get at least that much value from the card to make it worth keeping. For me, the welcome bonus is a huge part of that for at least the first year. But ideally, you'll also get some good return on your rewards by transferring them for travel. Additionally, the card has some travel and partner credits that can add more value.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Considering it has no annual fee, the Chase Freedom Flex® typically has a very respectable welcome offer. The offer I most often see is a $200 bonus when you spend $500 in the first 3 months. This is a great return on your spend, plus the low spending requirement makes this bonus accessible to people on all different budgets.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card wins this round, however. Its usual bonus is worth at least three times the usual Freedom bonus -- and it's even better during a special promo. Plus, if you transfer those points to a travel partner, you could potentially double or even triple your per-point value. (Ever wanted to fly to Europe in business class?)
Winner: Chase Freedom Flex®
Here's another place where picking a winner is easy peasy. That's because the Chase Freedom Flex® is only of the two cards to offer an intro APR of any kind. More than that, however, it's a good intro 0% APR offer of 15 months for both purchases and balance transfers.
After the intro APR expires, the go-to 18.99% - 28.49% Variable APR applies.
Winner: Everyone, especially if you have both cards!
The Chase Freedom Flex® has both rotating and static cash back rewards categories:
You won't know the categories for the year until a few weeks before the new quarter, but they're usually useful and popular categories like grocery stores, hotels, or even gym memberships.
Although the Chase Freedom Flex® is advertised as a cash back rewards card, it technically earns Ultimate Rewards points. If you don't have a Chase travel rewards card, however, your main redemption option is going to be for cash back in the form of a statement credit.
In comparison, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a travel rewards card, but it also has some other useful bonus categories:
The Ultimate Rewards points you earn with this card can be redeemed for statement credit, but you'll get a much better return if you use them for travel. You can get $0.0125 per point in the Chase Travel portal. Or you can transfer to a hotel or airline partner and potentially double or triple your return.
Since each card is designed to cover mostly different types of purchases, this isn't really an apples-to-apples comparison. Indeed, the two cards have little overlap, making them good complements to each other.
Which brings me back to my original point: These two cards are actually best as a team. If you have both cards, then you can pool your rewards from each. This allows you to use rewards earned with the Chase Freedom Flex® for free travel.
In the battle of Chase Freedom Flex® vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, well, everyone's a winner. These two cards are excellent companions. (Indeed, you could also add the Chase Freedom Unlimited® card to cover your non-category purchases. This is one variation of the infamous Chase Trifecta.)
If you want to choose just one, pick whichever best suits your needs. Folks who travel often may get a lot of value from the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Others may get more out of the rotating rewards of the Chase Freedom Flex®. Ultimately, I don't think there are any losers in either case.
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR 0% Intro APR on Purchases
Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 15 months
Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months
Regular APR
18.99% - 28.49% Variable
Rewards 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter! Plus, earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases.
5% cash back offer
Annual Fee
$0
Welcome Offer Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening!
$200 bonus
This Chase card is one of our favorites, and with good reason. You earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate, alongside other standout perks (and at least 1% on all purchases). Plus, this one comes without an annual fee and with a generous welcome bonus.
Read Full ReviewGood/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR N/A
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
19.99% - 28.24% Variable
Rewards Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases
Annual Fee
$95
Welcome Offer Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
100,000 bonus points
This card easily justifies the (very reasonable) annual fee with benefits that deliver real value. For a limited time, earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months, which we estimate is worth $1,250 in Chase Travel℠ value. Plus, enjoy bonus travel and dining rewards, a $50 annual hotel credit, and 25% more value when booking through Chase Travel. With added travel protections like rental car insurance and trip reimbursement, we think this card is a game-changer for any traveler.
Read Full ReviewWe're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. Motley Fool Money does not cover all offers on the market. Motley Fool Money is 100% owned and operated by The Motley Fool. Our knowledgeable team of personal finance editors and analysts are employed by The Motley Fool and held to the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands. Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.
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