How to Earn Up to 17X Chase Points on Dining Through 2026 with the Chase Freedom Flex®

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Did you know you can earn up to 17X Chase points on dining through the end of 2026, plus 5X on groceries through March 2027, with a card that has no annual fee? It’s the Chase Freedom Flex®, and right now it’s one of the best $0 cards for anyone who loves eating out. Here’s exactly how the stack works, bestie.

Learn More about the Chase Freedom Flex®

The quick version

Dining: Earn 7X on dining through December 31, 2026 after you activate the Q4 bonus categories, plus an additional 10X on qualifying Paze checkouts, on up to $1,500 in Paze purchases per month. That’s up to 17X total.
Groceries: Earn 5X through March 2027 with quarterly activation, on up to $1,500 in combined bonus-category purchases per quarter.
Welcome bonus: Earn a $250 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. That’s 25,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.
Annual fee: $0.

How the 17X on dining adds up

The Chase Freedom Flex® earns rewards as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points. Chase advertises them as cash back, so 5% cash back is the same as 5X points. Here’s how three earning layers stack on an eligible dining purchase:

3X everyday dining. The Freedom Flex® always earns 3X on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services.
Q4 2026 bonus category. Dining is a 5% quarterly bonus category from October 1 through December 31, 2026. Combined with the standard dining rate, you’ll earn 7X total on eligible dining purchases this quarter, on up to $1,500 in combined bonus-category purchases. You have to activate here by December 14, 2026.
+10X with Paze. Earn an additional 10X when you pay with your Freedom Flex® through Paze at qualifying checkouts, on up to $1,500 in purchases per month.

7X + 10X = up to 17X on dining. For example, a $100 qualifying dinner paid through Paze would earn up to 1,700 points.

What is Paze?

Paze is an online checkout wallet from the banks, a bit like Apple Pay but for websites. You add your Chase card once, then choose Paze at checkout on participating merchants’ online ordering pages. Lots of restaurants that take online orders through Clover offer it.

Tips so your Paze orders count

Add your Freedom Flex® to Paze before you order.
Order on the restaurant’s website in a browser. Paze isn’t available inside every restaurant app or website.
Not every merchant or order qualifies. Rewards depend on how the merchant codes the purchase, so check your Chase account after your first order.
Keep an eye on the caps: $1,500 per month for the Paze bonus and $1,500 per quarter in combined bonus-category purchases. After you hit the quarterly cap, dining goes back to 3X.

Plus 5X on groceries for 6 months

Grocery stores are a 5% bonus category in Q4 2026 (October to December, excluding Walmart® and Target®), and again in Q1 2027 (January to March). That’s 5X on groceries through March 2027.

Two things to know: you have to activate each quarter separately, and the $1,500 quarterly cap is shared across all of that quarter’s bonus categories. In Q4, that means dining and groceries share the same $1,500.

The welcome bonus: $250 (25,000 points)

Earn a $250 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. That’s 25,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.

My favorite part: if you also have an eligible Chase card that can transfer points (like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card), you can combine your Freedom Flex® points onto that card. From there you can transfer them to Chase’s airline and hotel partners, which is where points can potentially be worth a lot more for travel. Point values vary and aren’t guaranteed.

Other Chase Freedom Flex® perks

5X on travel booked through Chase Travel℠
3X on dining and drugstore purchases
1X on all other purchases
$0 annual fee

How to get the most out of it

Open the card and hit the $500 spend for your $250 welcome bonus.
Activate the Q4 categories here (or in the Chase app) by December 14, 2026.
Add your card to Paze and use it for online restaurant orders through December 31, 2026.
Activate the Q1 2027 categories in January to keep earning 5X on groceries.
If you have a Sapphire or Ink Preferred card, combine your points there for travel.