Chase Freedom 5x Categories disappearing?

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WavyCEO

Level 2 Member
Wow! If Chase does that they can expect to lose a lot of business I know a lot of people (and probably a lot on this forum) have the Freedom just for the 5X categories. I also can't imagine that they would force a PC and not grandfather some people into the regular Freedom. Then again this is Chase so who knows.
 
henrygeorge

henrygeorge

Level 2 Member
Picking up a 2nd FU? Does that mean you're under 5/24?

I PCed one of my 5XFreedoms to FU last night. The remaining categories aren't worth holding off if they're going to force PC later this year.
 
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Josh F

Level 2 Member
Charity Forum Mod
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Cliffbar

Level 2 Member
I'm highly skeptical. I don't buy the argument that they're losing money due to the 5% categories. I don't have data on this, but there seems to be a tendency of people in this hobby to overstate their impact on the financials of credit card companies (though perhaps 5/24 is a counterexample). It's likely that the vast majority of Freedom holders are not strategically using different cards at different times/vendors to maximize bonuses.
 
JakeFromStateFarm

JakeFromStateFarm

Points Junkie
I agree with Cliffbar above about the general public's misuse of the Chase Freedom. (Am I the only one who cringes when someone ahead of me in line pulls out a Freedom for a non-bonus category when they could have doubled, tripled, or quintupled their return with a different card?)

I firmly believe that Chase is exploring the possibility of merging these cards down the road, but I personally don't see that happening in 2016 or possibly even 2017. Afterall, they could have just introduced the FU and PC'd all original Freedom holders right from the start, but instead they are taking the time to measure customer interest in this card to see if it matches or exceeds competitors no AF, all-around cards like the Citi DC.
 
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seamuson

New Member
I also doubt they would do this. A lot of people use the Freedom casually and enjoy the cash back, so the backlash would probably reach far beyond people in the hobby. Plus, they've been marketing the crap out of the Freedom this past year, so I feel like that would just be a waste.
 
jd13

jd13

Level 1.75 Member
To us it seems completely irrational not to spend time debating which card is best for XYZ this month and ABC next month. Many people out there value a simple approach. That is what the 1.5x / 2x cards are marketed at. And there is nothing wrong with that.

I know quite a few people that are afraid of having more than 1 credit card. For many not in the game, one card suffices for all their needs. I work with a guy that puts all of his household spending on his Carnival cruise lines card. He takes his family on a cruise every year.

Back on topic, I would be upset if the rotating categories did go away. Then I would be even more concerned to see what Discover plans to do.
 
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damanjeff6

Level 2 Member
Chase likes to simplify their product line so I can see why they could want to remove the old freedom. Happened with Ink Bold and the no annual fee Sapphire so I can see it happening here too.
 
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daveinla

Level 2 Member
I wouldn't be surprised, it would make sense on their part. Most people I know don't want to think about which quarters get 5x, etc, and just want a single 1.5x or 2x card.
 
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daveinla

Level 2 Member
Looks like we're safe; I guess Chase wanted to have their hand in both the quarterly 5% as well as the 1.5% markets.
 
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mathlete

Level 2 Member
daveinla said:
I wouldn't be surprised, it would make sense on their part. Most people I know don't want to think about which quarters get 5x, etc, and just want a single 1.5x or 2x card.
Click to expand...
I know that I've become increasingly lazy and often forget. Getting an extra few bucks over a 2% card ($45 at most per quarter) is usually just not worth the effort.
 
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DanG

New Member
They are seemingly doubling down on these 5x too with the extension of the wholesale club CB
 
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