Chase 5% bonus categories are set for the first quarter of 2026, and they bring a mix of everyday spending, travel and charitable giving for eligible cardholders.
Key Points
From Jan. 1 through March 31, 2026, customers with the Chase Freedom Flex® and legacy Chase Freedom® cards can earn elevated cash back on dining, Norwegian Cruise Line purchases and donations to the American Heart Association. The new lineup arrives as cardholders prepare their budgets and rewards strategies for the new year.
The Chase 5% bonus categories continue to use the familiar rotating model: quarterly bonuses on up to $1,500 in combined spending across featured categories, with 1% back on all other non‑bonus purchases.
Chase 5% Bonus Categories Q1 2026: What’s Included
For the first quarter of 2026, Chase 5% bonus categories will cover three distinct areas:
- Dining
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- American Heart Association
From Jan. 1 to March 31, 2026, Freedom Flex and Freedom cardholders can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases across these categories. Once that cap is reached, spending in those categories reverts to the cards’ standard 1% rate for the rest of the quarter. All non‑bonus spending also earns 1% back.
As in past quarters, participation is not automatic. Holders of eligible Chase Freedom products must activate the Chase 5% bonus categories for Q1 2026 by March 14, 2026.
However, rewards are applied retroactively within the quarter. That means purchases made in the bonus categories between Jan. 1 and March 31 can still qualify for the higher rate, as long as activation is completed by the March 14 deadline.
Dining Delivers Up to 7% Cash Back
Dining is often one of the most popular Chase 5% bonus categories, and it plays a central role in the Q1 2026 lineup.
For the Chase Freedom Flex®, dining already earns 3% cash back on an ongoing basis. During the first quarter of 2026, that base rate will be supplemented by an additional 4% from the rotating bonus, for a total of up to 7% cash back on eligible dining purchases.
Qualifying spending in this Chase 5% bonus category includes:
- Traditional dine‑in restaurant visits
- Takeout orders from eligible restaurants
- Delivery orders from eligible restaurants
Several types of transactions will not count toward the dining bonus, even if they are food‑related. Excluded from the category are:
- Bakeries
- Caterers
- Meal kit delivery services
- Gift card purchases
For cardholders, that distinction matters. Only restaurant spending that fits the issuer’s definition of dining will earn the elevated rate during the first quarter.
Norwegian Cruise Line Returns as a Travel Bonus
The travel component of the Chase 5% bonus categories for Q1 2026 focuses on a single, specific provider: Norwegian Cruise Line.
This is not the first time Norwegian has appeared in the rotating calendar. The cruise line was also a featured bonus category in the first quarter of 2025, and its return in the same slot for 2026 highlights Chase’s willingness to revisit niche travel partners.
To qualify for the 5% cash back within this category, purchases must be made directly with Norwegian Cruise Line. That includes eligible transactions such as bookings or payments handled through the cruise line itself.
Spending routed through third‑party vendors or travel agencies does not qualify for the Q1 Norwegian Cruise Line bonus, even if the end product is a cruise with the same operator. For cardholders, that means the path of purchase — direct versus via an intermediary — will determine whether transactions earn 5% or the standard 1% rate.
American Heart Association Joins as a New Charity Category
In a notable change, the Chase 5% bonus categories for Q1 2026 also extend to a national nonprofit. For the first time, the American Heart Association appears as a stand‑alone rotating bonus category.
Through March 31, 2026, eligible Freedom and Freedom Flex customers can earn enhanced cash back on qualifying donations made directly through the American Heart Association’s official channels.
There are a few important nuances:
- The bonus covers donations processed through the organization’s main, official platforms.
- Local American Heart Association chapters may not qualify for the higher rate, even if they are affiliated with the national organization.
In past years, Chase has offered higher rewards for “select charities,” typically toward the end of the year. The inclusion of the American Heart Association in the first quarter of 2026 marks a shift, bringing a named charity into the early‑year Chase 5% bonus categories rather than limiting such incentives to the holiday season.
How Q1 2026 Compares With the 2025 Bonus Calendar
The new Chase 5% bonus categories for Q1 2026 follow a busy 2025 calendar that cycled through groceries, travel, entertainment and online shopping.
Here is how Chase structured the Freedom and Freedom Flex rotating bonuses in 2025:
- Q1 2025 (Jan. 1 – March 31)
- Grocery stores
- Fitness clubs
- Hair, nails and spa services
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- March only: Tax preparation and insurance
- Q2 2025 (April 1 – June 30)
- Amazon
- Select streaming services
- June only: Eligible internet, cable and phone services
- Q3 2025 (July 1 – Sept. 30)
- Gas
- EV charging
- Live entertainment
- Instacart
- Q4 2025 (Oct. 1 – Dec. 31)
- Chase Travel℠
- Department stores
- Old Navy
- December only: PayPal
Against that backdrop, the Chase 5% bonus categories for Q1 2026 show both continuity and change. Norwegian Cruise Line reappears in the same first‑quarter travel slot it held in 2025, while grocery stores, fitness clubs and personal care services rotate out in favor of dining.
At the same time, the American Heart Association joins the lineup as a specific charity category, contrasting with the broader “select charities” approach Chase has used in previous years, typically later in the calendar.
What Cardholders Need to Know for Early 2026
With the Chase 5% bonus categories now defined for the first quarter of 2026, Freedom and Freedom Flex users have several key details to keep in mind:
- Eligibility: The rotating 5% rewards apply to purchases on the Chase Freedom Flex® and legacy Chase Freedom® cards.
- Timeframe: Dining, Norwegian Cruise Line and American Heart Association bonuses run from Jan. 1 through March 31, 2026.
- Earnings cap: The 5% rate applies on up to $1,500 in combined spending across all three categories. Above that amount, purchases earn 1% back.
- Base rate: All other non‑bonus purchases also earn 1% cash back.
- Activation required: Cardholders must activate the Chase 5% bonus categories for Q1 2026 by March 14, 2026.
- Retroactive rewards: Once activation is completed by the deadline, qualifying purchases made earlier in the quarter will earn the bonus rate retroactively.
Within those parameters, the new quarter’s structure blends day‑to‑day restaurant spending, more specialized travel purchases and charitable donations to a national health organization. For existing cardholders, the announcement offers a clear view of how the first three months of 2026 will reward different types of spending under the rotating calendar.
As the new year approaches, the Chase 5% bonus categories for Q1 2026 give Freedom and Freedom Flex users a defined set of targets — from meals out to cruise bookings and direct gifts to the American Heart Association — for earning elevated cash back.
