Chase Freedom Unlimited
$200 welcome bonus · 5% on travel (via portal) · $0 annual fee
The Freedom Unlimited's appeal is that its floor is high: 1.5% back on everything with no annual fee and no categories to activate, plus 3% on dining and drugstores and 5% on travel booked through the Chase portal. That combination is why it sits at #2 on our Best Cash Back list as the best no-fee pick, and it makes a natural partner for a card with rotating categories. Chase trimmed the signup bonus from $250 to $200 in April, though the $500 spend requirement over three months is still easy to clear, and the 15-month 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers gives new cardholders room to finance something. The tradeoffs are ordinary but real: there is a foreign transaction fee, so leave it behind when you travel abroad, and the 2% on Lyft rides through September 2027 applies only at Lyft. As a keep-forever no-fee card, it is hard to argue with.
Earn rates & credits
| Category | Rate |
|---|---|
Travel (via Portal) | 5% |
Dining | 3% |
Drugstores | 3% |
Transit On qualifying Lyft rides through September 30, 2027 (limited-time promo; 0.5% on top of the 1.5% base rate) Through Sep 30, 2027 | 2% |
Everything Else | 1.5% |
Card details
Regular APR | 18.24%–27.74% variable |
Intro APR on purchases | 0% for 15 months |
Intro APR on balance transfers | 0% for 15 months |
Foreign transaction fee | Yes |