Two changes to the Chase Freedom Flex took effect on September 20, 2026. The card lost its built in cell phone protection, and its 3% foreign transaction fee was removed. Chase emailed cardholders about both, and a redesigned card is already appearing in the Chase app.
What the phone benefit covered
Cardholders who paid a monthly wireless bill with the Freedom Flex were covered for damage or theft up to $800 per approved claim, with a $50 deductible, a limit of two claims per 12 month period, and a $1,000 annual maximum. Eligible losses incurred through September 19, 2026 are still covered. Anything after that is not.
Cell phone protection has been one of the more quietly valuable perks on no annual fee cards, and losing it narrows the gap between the Freedom Flex and plainer cash back products. Chase still offers the benefit on the Ink Business Preferred. Cardholders who want to keep phone coverage on a personal card will need to look at issuers such as Wells Fargo or American Express.
No more foreign transaction fee
The offsetting change is the end of the 3% surcharge on purchases made outside the United States or with foreign merchants. A no annual fee card with rotating 5% categories and no foreign transaction fee is a genuinely useful travel companion, which the Freedom Flex was not before this week.
Neither the Chase Freedom Unlimited nor the original Chase Freedom was named in the notices. The Freedom Flex rewards structure is unchanged: 5% on rotating quarterly categories on up to $1,500 in combined purchases after activation, 5% on travel booked through Chase Travel, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% elsewhere.