Q3 2025 Chase Freedom Categories: Where to Earn 5X This Quarter
The Chase Freedom and Freedom Flex cards continue to be a critical component of our travel hacking strategy, and the Q3 2025 Chase Freedom 5X categories are especially strong. If you’re planning summer trips, stocking up on groceries, or heading out to concerts or baseball games, this quarter offers plenty of ways to earn easy bonus points.
From July 1 to September 30, 2025, you’ll earn 5x Ultimate Rewards points (or 5% cash back) on up to $1,500 in combined spending across these categories after activation:
Q3 2025 Bonus Categories:
- Gas Stations
- EV Charging Stations
- Live Entertainment
- Instacart
That’s up to 7,500 points (or $75 cash back) per card — and potentially a lot more if you’re into travel rewards. Let’s break it all down.
What are the Chase Freedom Quarterly Categories?
Every quarter, Chase releases a new set of bonus categories for its Freedom and Freedom Flex cards. When you activate the offer, you earn 5X (instead of the usual 1X) on select categories, up to a combined $1,500 in spend per quarter. If you have both the original Freedom and the Freedom Flex, you can earn 15,000 points on the $1,500 spend on each card.
You can activate Q3 2025 Chase Freedom categories now on your Chase account — but don’t wait too long, as activation closes on September 14, 2025. Activation is a requirement to earn the 5x points.
Q3 2025 Chase Freedom: Gas Stations & EV Charging – A Classic Summer Bonus
Why it matters: With summer travel in full swing, gas and charging expenses can rack up fast. This category gives you an easy way to earn 5x on everyday transit costs. It definitely would have been nice to have the 5x on gas when we were driving through the Dakotas to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Wind Cave National Park, and Badlands National Park in June.
What qualifies:
- Traditional gas stations (Chevron, BP, Shell, etc.)
- Warehouse clubs with gas (e.g., Costco — but only if it’s categorized as a standalone gas station). If you’re not sure, check a previous purchase to see how it is categorized.
- Standalone EV charging networks (ChargePoint, EVgo, Electrify America, etc.).
Pro Tip: Make sure to pay at the pump or charging terminal. Purchases made inside convenience stores may not code as eligible gas station transactions.
I’ll probably be earning some points on gas stations – 5x is more than my other cards offer on gas. I don’t spend enough to max out the category, so I’ll be looking at the other areas.
If you aren’t going to hit the maximum $1,500 spend on these categories, you could buy gift cards at gas stations that you know you will use in the future. Or, if there’s a gas station near your house you go to all the time, buy gift cards for there! Don’t spend money you don’t need to, but if it’s something you will use in the somewhat near future, why not earn 5x instead of 1, 2, or 3x on another card?
Q3 2025 Chase Freedom: Live Entertainment – Your Summer Fun, Rewarded
This is typically one of the Chase categories, and it can be incredibly rewarding if planned appropriately.
What qualifies:
- Concerts, music festivals, and theater tickets
- Sporting events (MLB, WNBA, MLS, etc.)
- Movie theaters
- Museums, zoos, aquariums
- Amusement parks and theme parks
Most major ticketing platforms (e.g., Ticketmaster, StubHub, Live Nation) and venue box offices will code correctly, but if you’re unsure, check with the merchant or Chase’s merchant category tool.
If you’re wondering, Can I buy resale tickets on StubHub or SeatGeek?
Yes — as long as the purchase is categorized as “entertainment.” You can verify this post-purchase on your Chase statement.
Maximizing tip: Planning a trip to Disney, Universal, or a concert in the next few months? Buy the tickets now and use your Freedom card to get the bonus.
Instacart – Max Out on Grocery Delivery
Instacart is back as a 5X category, and it’s a great one whether you use it regularly or occasionally.
What qualifies:
- Grocery, household, and retail orders via Instacart.com or the app
- Instacart+ memberships and fees
- Delivery and service fees
Now I had hoped to be able to buy Instacart gift cards through MileagePlus X — United’s shopping app. It’s typically been offering 1–2 United miles per dollar, and if you hold a United credit card, you’ll earn a 25% bonus on those miles — even if you don’t use your United card to pay. But I tested it, and Instacart via MileagePlus X does not give the 5x on the Freedom and Freedom Flex. Wishful thinking on my part, because purchasing Instacart gift cards via MPX in Q1 2025 did earn me 5x on these cards.
Now, how will I be getting my maximum 15,000 Ultimate Rewards points this quarter? I hold both a Freedom and Freedom Flex, so I can earn 7,500 Ultimate Rewards Points on each card. I had hoped that I would be able to I stock up on Instacart gift cards through Instacart directly because our household uses Instacart frequently. That way, I’ll have proactively earned 5x Ultimate Rewards points.
However, I tried this – Instacart gift cards, even purchased directly through Instacart, do not code as Instacart. Instead, they code as LGC Instacart Giftcard, which is a Merchant Type of “Store value card purchase”. When I noticed I didn’t get my 5x, I inquired with Chase – it was the merchant type. Kind of disappointing considering the gift card purchase was through Instacart and not a third-party vendor selling an Instacart gift card.
Knowing this, I used this opportunity to stock up on things we know we’ll need through Instacart – toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, etc. to maximize my Ultimate Rewards points earnings. I bought a bunch of Halloween candy from Costco through Instacart as well. Could I have waited until next month? Sure, but I wouldn’t have gotten 5x points on the purchase.
How to Turn Chase Freedom Points into Travel Rewards
Now for the good stuff: turning those 5X rewards into free flights, hotel nights, and more.
By default, Chase Freedom/Flex earns cash back — but if you also hold a Chase Sapphire Preferred®, Sapphire Reserve®, or Ink Business Preferred®, you can:
- Combine points between cards
- Redeem through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal for 25–50% more value
- Or transfer points 1:1 to travel partners like Hyatt, United, Southwest, and Air Canada
Let’s say you max out your Q3 2025 Chase Freedom categories and earn 7,500 points:
- That’s $75 in cash back, or…
- 9,375 points of travel value if booked through the Chase portal with Sapphire Preferred (25% boost) (Note: this will change in October 2025)
- Or potentially even more if transferred to Hyatt or airline partners
Example: 7,500–8,000 points can often book a one-way domestic flight, a Hyatt Category 1–2 hotel night, or cover taxes/fees on international award travel.
Strategy Tips to Maximize Q3 2025 Chase Freedom Categories
Here’s how to get the most from your Freedom card this quarter:
- Set a reminder to activate your categories (you must do this manually by Sept 14). If you have both a Freedom and Freedom Flex, you’ll need to activate on each card separately.
- Prepay for entertainment tickets now (especially if you’ll be near the $1,500 cap)
- Use gift cards smartly — at gas stations, theme parks, or Instacart
- Track your $1,500 spend with Chase’s in-app tracker
Final Thoughts: Q3 2025 Chase Freedom Categories
The Q3 2025 Chase Freedom bonus categories are practical and well-timed for summer expenses. Whether you’re heading to a baseball game, ordering groceries from your couch, or filling up the tank on a road trip, you’re getting rewarded.
And if you’re a points-and-miles enthusiast, this is an easy 7,500-point (or 15,000 or even 30,000 if you have a two-player strategy) boost that could be the difference between paying cash or flying free. With a little planning — and the right Chase combo — you’ll stretch these rewards a lot further.
Want more Chase?