Reader Question: Is Chase Freedom Flex Product Change Considered A New Account?

We’ve gotten these questions dozens of times in the comments, so I figured we’d put out a dedicated post:

  • When I product change my Chase Freedom/other card to the Freedom Flex, will I get a new card number?

    • Yes, you’ll get a new card number. Downgrades/product changes don’t always result in a new card number, but in this case you’ll be changing a Visa Freedom/Sapphire/Slate/Unlimited card to become a Freedom Flex Mastercard, so the number will certainly change. The first digit of Visa cards is 4 and the first digit of Mastercards is 5.
  • Will the product change count as a new account against my 5/24 total?

    • It should not count as a new card account. When banks do product changes, they should be transferring over the old account history into the new one, and it’s thus considered a single account. This should be true even when a Visa card becomes a Mastercard.
  • Will the product change cause me to lose the age of my credit card accounts which helps my ‘average age of accounts‘ and increases my credit score?

    • Banks are supposed to transfer over the account history since it’s a continuation of the previous account. This is true even when the change is from Visa to Mastercard.

Remember, product changes happen all the time; this isn’t a unique situation, and banks know to maintain the account history when processing the change.

  • When I product change to the Freedom Flex, is it considered a new card which would allow me to get the signup bonus offer?

    • No, only if you apply for the Freedom Flex as a new card will you get the signup bonus offer ($200 + 5%). If you product change your existing card to become a Freedom Flex, you do not get the $200 offer, nor the 5% offer.
  • If I am in middle of my 5% Freedom grocery store year-long bonus and I product change the old Freedom to become a Freedom Flex, will I continue my 5% grocery earnings or is it considered a separate account after the product change?

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