The Chase Freedom Unlimited and Chase Freedom cards both have a permanent slot in my wallet. With no annual fees on either card, I enjoy earning 1.5x on every purchase with the Chase Freedom Unlimited and maximizing the rotating 5x categories each quarter with the Chase Freedom.
Chase Freedom and Chase Freedom Unlimited cards currently offer a generous promotion through March 31, 2019 where you can earn 10% cash back on hotel purchases made through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal using your Chase Freedom/Freedom Unlimited card. The promotion is capped at a maximum spend of $2,500.
Keep in mind that you will need to make and pay for the booking with your Freedom/Freedom Unlimited credit card through Chase’s Ultimate Rewards portal. When you make hotel bookings through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal (a third party booking engine powered by Expedia), you will not be able to receive any elite status benefits or hotel points that would otherwise apply on direct bookings.
Bottom Line
10x back is a very generous return, because of the ability to transfer the 10x in “cash back†into Ultimate Rewards points that are transferable to travel partners when paired with a premium Chase Ultimate Rewards card (such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred). I value Ultimate Rewards points at 2 cents each. This offer is more generous than the 10x miles you can earn when booking Hotels.com stays with the Capital One Venture card (learn more).
Keep in mind that you’ll get a better return by using the Citi Prestige card on 4-night stays to take advantage of the fourth night free benefit, and if you have top-tier hotel status that offers valuable benefits (such as free breakfasts for the whole family) then booking direct makes more sense.
Of course, if you don’t have elite status, don’t care about earning points during your stay, and just want to save, earning 10% back makes perfect sense.
What are your thoughts? Will you book hotel stays with your using your Freedom cards?
I like keeping status vs using expedia to book unless i need a hotel in a place with no status hotel available!