Chase just announced its 5x bonus categories for the Chase Freedom card for Q1 2019, and you can activate your bonus starting Saturday, so you don’t forget when it takes effect.
From January 1 to March 31, you’ll earn five points per dollar on your first $1,500 in purchases at gas stations and drug stores, as well as a category I don’t recall ever seeing before: toll charges. That’s a pretty straightforward list, especially compared to Q4, and if you drive a lot, it ought to be lucrative.
As always, we recommend pairing the Chase Freedom card with a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve, which allows you to convert your cash back points (worth $.01 each) into Ultimate Rewards points, which are far more valuable when used to book travel. For example, just yesterday I booked a $236 flight on United with 12,500 points transferred from my Chase account, meaning the points were worth nearly $.02 each.