Chase Freedom 5x Surprise Category For March 2025: Insurance, Tax Prep

In the Chase app, there is showing a “birthday surprise category” on the Chase Freedom and Freedom Flex cards. In celebration of the 15th birthday of the Chase Freedom, the Freedom cards will earn 5%/5x on Insurance payments and on Tax Preparation Services during the month of March.

It’s not clear in the fine print whether these will be combined for the regular quarterly $1,500 limit or whether this will be separate. Also not clear whether that will have a separate activation page. I expect we’ll find out more as the promo timeframe gets closer.

Tax prep isn’t a huge spend category for most people, I’d guess. Insurance, on the other hand, can be a really nice category at 5x as someone can max out their insurance payments for the year (life, health, auto, home, etc). But again, it’s not clear what the limits will be on this of if it’ll combine with the other Freedom 5% $1,500 limit.

Hat tip to reader mangorunner

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Eric
Eric (@guest_1970820)
December 16, 2024 14:56

what type of insurance applies for the insurance and this only works if you have part of your $1.5K limit available? Is this like Auto insurance and homeowners insurance?

Queue_Underflow
Queue_Underflow (@guest_1970823)
December 16, 2024 14:57

The MCCs for insurance aren’t specific so any should work.

John
John (@guest_1970766)
December 16, 2024 13:51

It’s great but I’m expecting everything to be maxed out by Norwegian Cruise Lines.
This comment is sponsored by Norwegian Cruise Lines.

Queue_Underflow
Queue_Underflow (@guest_1970772)
December 16, 2024 13:57

Are you one of those “influencers” I keep hearing about?

Eric 🔗
Eric 🔗 (@guest_1970726)
December 16, 2024 12:49

Does anyone else feel that  Chuck is really fortunate to only have at most $1500 in yearly expenses for the bolded categories below?

as someone can max out their insurance payments for the year (life, health, auto, home, etc). “?

AC
AC (@guest_1970731)
December 16, 2024 12:54

Why are you worried about someone else’s expenses?

Eric 🔗
Eric 🔗 (@guest_1970734)
December 16, 2024 12:59
  AC

How am I worried? I am envious of him for having such low insurance expenses. Why are you worried about a comment that I made that wasn’t about you?

scott
scott (@guest_1970743)
December 16, 2024 13:06

I reduced my insurance to less than $1500. I get life/health through work. P2 and I are down to one car since we both work from home(this reduced our car insurance by 50%).

S.C
S.C (@guest_1970744)
December 16, 2024 13:07

Many of us have multiple Freedom cards. You have no way of inferring what his expenses are or how many cards he has. Also, I read his statement as saying that maxing out your insurance payments is the limit for how much potential 5x category expenses can be created… not that he or anyone else will have low enough expenses to max it out and still get 5x on all of it.

Eric 🔗
Eric 🔗 (@guest_1970746)
December 16, 2024 13:11

He wrote “as someone can max out their insurance payments for the year”, NOT “as someone can max out their $1500 quarterly limit by paying for insurance”.

Celia 🔗
Celia 🔗 (@guest_1970759)
December 16, 2024 13:42

I think you’re reading it wrong. He doesn’t say he’s the one maxing it out. He’s simply saying that someone can max out their insurance payments for the year.

Eric 🔗
Eric 🔗 (@guest_1970787)
December 16, 2024 14:22

Celia 🔗,

No, I read it exactly the way that you did. However, I would never make the statement that he did, knowing how much I pay for insurance in a year.

That is why I inferred (possibly incorrectly) that  Chuck pays $1500 or less per year in total insurance payments.

Regardless, your comment indirectly disagrees with how S.C interpreted Chuck’s comment.

Celia 🔗
Celia 🔗 (@guest_1970789)
December 16, 2024 14:28

Sorry, didn’t see SC’s comment. I was just referring to your comment about being envious that he’d pay that little. Though, honestly, the number didn’t surprise me. My auto, home and umbrella are less than 1500/yr. though my premium dates don’t line up with this offer.

Eric 🔗
Eric 🔗 (@guest_1970793)
December 16, 2024 14:34

That’s interesting. That’s exactly why I wrote the question to begin with.

AC acted like I was insulting  Chuck when I was actually envious of him. I was just curious what others thought about Chuck’s comment.

I’m glad that you and scott chimed in, showing me that it is possible to pay that little in a year. 😀

Eric 🔗
Eric 🔗 (@guest_1970800)
December 16, 2024 14:39

Celia 🔗,

I just realized that you didn’t mention health insurance. That was the main one that caught me by surprise that  Chuck is paying less than $1500 per year, including health. Agree?

Celia 🔗
Celia 🔗 (@guest_1970811)
December 16, 2024 14:46

I don’t know, some don’t own a car or a house. But again, I think he was speaking in general terms in both person and policy options. FWIW, I don’t pay for health, spouse’s employer covers it.

J2🤓
J2🤓 (@guest_1970814)
December 16, 2024 14:50

He’s on obamacare.

John
John (@guest_1970764)
December 16, 2024 13:49

I can’t max anything out either. It’s not like I can move my auto insurance to March when it’s due in January.
Life and health is through employer.

Konrad
Konrad (@guest_1970778)
December 16, 2024 14:03

Exactly. And Home is bundled up in my mortgage payments.

Eric 🔗
Eric 🔗 (@guest_1970788)
December 16, 2024 14:26

John,

My car insurance is also due in January so I have the same problem that you have. However, like calwatch, I have other plans for the category. 😉

calwatch
calwatch (@guest_1970701)
December 16, 2024 12:16

With grocery in the $1500 I expect I will use most, if not all, on grocery for VGC to make tax payments. Now if taxes were qualified and not tax prep, that would be really helpful but also really unlikely.

Eric 🔗
Eric 🔗 (@guest_1970728)
December 16, 2024 12:50

Which Visa GCs consistently work to pay taxes nowadays?

RiskandReward
RiskandReward (@guest_1970815)
December 16, 2024 14:51

If those store bought gift cards are Vanilla or Incomm, it may be hard to use them online.

sam
sam (@guest_1970690)
December 16, 2024 11:54

Insurance, next time they’re sponsored by United Health

Kevin
Kevin (@guest_1970674)
December 16, 2024 11:37

Nothing says happy birthday like taxes and insurance.

Money H Word
Money H Word (@guest_1970685)
December 16, 2024 11:52

Luigi has entered the chat

B
B (@guest_1970782)
December 16, 2024 14:07

Who is chase banks CEO? Just wondering

fed
fed (@guest_1970641)
December 16, 2024 10:54

how to find it in app??

Brian
Brian (@guest_1970657)
December 16, 2024 11:20

It’s in the fine print on the page where you learn about the q1 category

HarryTheFirstHarry
HarryTheFirstHarry (@guest_1970625)
December 16, 2024 10:28

If Sapphire continues Insurance then it will either 5x points on Freedom or 1x points and 25% redemption discount on CSR. Wile the redemption discount is certainly better, if travel is on the horizon, might be worth saving that up for the 50% travel but if not, I guess CSR would be the better option.

Paron
Paron (@guest_1970637)
December 16, 2024 10:47

I would do a dual scenario. For example, if the payment is for $1000, spend $952.38 on Freedom and $47.62 on CSR to use all the points earned from Freedom to offset the insurance costs.

Paron
Paron (@guest_1970640)
December 16, 2024 10:51

Essentially a 6.012% discount off insurance premium

Sebastian
Sebastian (@guest_1970677)
December 16, 2024 11:41

What?

frank
frank (@guest_1970624)
December 16, 2024 10:26

In the same screenshot after the red circle it says the surprise category is included in the 1500 limit.

DSP
DSP (@guest_1970688)
December 16, 2024 11:54

“Including in our surprise category” sounds pretty cut and dry to me.

Eric 🔗
Eric 🔗 (@guest_1970730)
December 16, 2024 12:53

 Chuck,

I just looked at the screenshot. I agree with frank. It’s quite clear to me that the surprise category is part of the $1500 quarterly limit.

Sam
Sam (@guest_1970786)
December 16, 2024 14:15

I agree with frank. It says “up to $1500…including our surprise category”.

scripta
scripta (@guest_1970799)
December 16, 2024 14:38

It’s very clear that the surprise category is included in the $1500 cap.

Caesar
Caesar (@guest_1970809)
December 16, 2024 14:46

Delete

Howie
Howie (@guest_1970620)
December 16, 2024 10:16

Am I the only one reading this as “[tax] insurance”?
The “&” is what’s making me suspect that.

scripta
scripta (@guest_1970794)
December 16, 2024 14:35

You probably are, because “tax insurance” is not something the average Freedom card user cares about.