Chase Freedom Flex drops its foreign transaction fee and loses cell phone protection
Chase's no-annual-fee Freedom Flex no longer charges a foreign transaction fee, per Chase's own card page. The same change, dated 20 September 2026 by AwardWallet, removed the card's cell phone protection. The refreshed card is now live with new card art.
In this article
The Chase Freedom Flex no longer charges a foreign transaction fee. Chase's own product page now carries the line "NEW No foreign transaction fees" next to the card's earn rates, and Frequent Miler reported this week that the refreshed card, with new card art, is now live.
The trade: the same change took away the card's cell phone protection.
What changed
| Before | Now | |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign transaction fee | 3% | None |
| Cell phone protection (pay your phone bill with the card) | Included | Removed |
| Annual fee | $0 | $0 |
AwardWallet, working from Chase's cardholder email, dates both changes to 20 September 2026, and says phone losses incurred through 19 September 2026 stay covered. Frequent Miler describes the two changes the same way and says they are now in force.
What did not change
Chase's page lists the same earn structure the card had before:
- 5% cash back on up to $1,500 a quarter in rotating categories you activate
- 5% on travel bought through Chase Travel
- 3% on dining (including takeout) and drugstores
- 1% on everything else
The public welcome offer on Chase's page is $200 after $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
Frequent Miler also reports a 10% Points Boost on select hotel bookings through Chase Travel as part of the refresh. Chase's product page does not mention it, so treat that one as reported until Chase lists it.
Who should care
- Anyone who travels or buys from overseas merchants. Until now, the Freedom Flex was a card to leave at home abroad. With no foreign transaction fee, its 5% quarterly categories and 3% dining now work outside the US without a 3% haircut. Frequent Miler notes a reader report that grocery 5% applied overseas this quarter.
- Anyone who relied on it for phone cover. If you paid your wireless bill with the Freedom Flex for the protection, that reason is gone. Check whether another card in your wallet still includes cell phone protection before your next bill.
What we changed on CardPolo
Our catalog listed the Freedom Flex with a 3% foreign transaction fee. It now shows none, sourced to Chase's page as read on 7 November 2026, so the card can now appear in our zero-forex lists and forex comparisons.
Want to know whether the Freedom Flex earns its place next to the cards you already hold? Take the Polo Match quiz, or ask Polo Brain which card to use for a specific purchase abroad.
Sources
Every claim on this page is backed by a primary or reputable source.
Cards affected
Card figures on CardPolo come from our catalog, each with an issuer source and a verified date where we have checked it. Spot something out of date? Tell us at [email protected].
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