Maximizing theme park and entertainment purchases with the Chase Freedom Flex

One of our top cash-back credit card recommendations is the Chase Freedom Flex, which offers 5% cash back on rotating categories every quarter. Better yet, if you hold a Chase Ultimate Rewards points-earning credit card, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, you can turn that cash back into 5 points per dollar spent by combining your points.

A new quarter has just started, and through Sept. 30, Freedom Flex and Chase Freedom (no longer available to applicants) cardholders can earn 5% back (or 5 points per dollar spent) on up to $1,500 of spending at gas stations and on EV charging and select entertainment purchases (and 1%, or 1 point per dollar spent, after that.)

You must activate the bonus categories before Sept. 14.

The final category — select entertainment purchases — offers a great opportunity to maximize your cash back or points-earning on popular summer activities, including:

• Amusement parks
• Aquariums
• Bands
• Carnivals
• Circuses
• Concerts
• Entertainers
• Major sporting events
• Museums
• Theatrical productions
• Tourist attractions and exhibits
• Zoos

Note that bowling alleys, casinos, dance halls/clubs, horse racing tracks and movie theaters are excluded.

Very few credit cards offer bonus cash back on entertainment spending, with the top contenders netting 3%-5%. So the inclusion of these purchases for bonus cash back or points on the Freedom/Freedom Flex this quarter is great news for those spending big on summer vacation activities.

Notably, using your Freedom/Freedom Flex card is one of the best ways to maximize your return on buying tickets for Disney and Universal Studios this summer. And, as long as you make your purchase by Sept. 30, you can earn the bonus cash back or points for visits into the fall, winter and next year.

Furthermore, with sky-high prices for concerts, sporting events and tourist attractions, getting a healthy return on your purchases can help take the sting out of high inflation.

Remember to activate the bonus categories on your card before Sept. 14 and complete your purchases by Sept. 30 to take advantage of these elevated earning rates.

For more information, read our full review of the Chase Freedom Flex card.

Application link: Chase Freedom Flex with a $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.