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U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card vs. Chase Freedom Flex
Claire Dickey is a product editor for Bankrate, CreditCards.com and To Her Credit. Before joining Bankrate, Claire worked as a copywriter for brands within the telecommunications industry as well as a hybrid marketing and content writer.
Raina is a freelance personal finance writer and editor whose work has appeared in CNET Money, Newsweek Vault, NextAdvisor with TIME (now merged with CNET Money), MarketWatch, Forbes Advisor and more.
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The U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card and the Chase Freedom Flex® are both no-annual-fee cash back cards with multiple rewards categories, welcome bonus offers and intro APR offers.
The biggest difference is that the Chase Freedom Flex® has rotating quarterly bonus categories predetermined by Chase, while the U.S. Bank Cash+ lets you choose your own bonus categories.
U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card would be a better option if you want more flexibility and a higher cap for bonus category earnings.
The Chase Freedom Flex would be a better option if you’re okay with tailoring your spending to Chase’s quarterly cash back calendar and want more redemption options and card benefits.
Both the U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card* and the Chase Freedom Flex®* can help you earn up to 5% cash back on bonus categories and select everyday purchases — but which is the best option for you? The distinction lies in how the bonus categories are determined, the categories available, the cap on those rewards and more.
Main details
Cards
U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card
Chase Freedom Flex®
Welcome bonus
Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
$200 bonus after spending $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
Rewards rate
5 percent cash back in two eligible categories of your choice (on up to $2,000 in combined purchases per quarter, then 1 percent back; activation required)
5 percent cash back on prepaid airfare, hotel stays and car rentals through the Rewards Center
Unlimited 2 percent cash back on one choice everyday category (activation required)
1 percent cash back on all other purchases
5 percent cash back on activated bonus category purchases each quarter (on up to $1,500 in combined purchases, then 1 percent back)
5 percent cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
3 percent cash back on dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services) and drugstore purchases
2 percent cash back on eligible Lyft purchases (through Sept. 30, 2027)
1 percent cash back on all other purchases
Intro APR
Zero percent intro APR for 15 billing cycles on purchases and on balance transfers made within 60 days of account opening (18.49% - 28.74% Variable APR thereafter); balance transfer fee of 5 percent (minimum $5) of each transfer applies
Zero percent intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers (18.99% - 28.49% Variable APR thereafter); intro balance transfer fee of 3 percent (minimum $5) of each transfer (applies to balances transferred in the first 60 days, then 5 percent thereafter).
Annual fee
$0
$0
Chase Freedom Flex vs. U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card highlights
Welcome bonus winner
Chase Freedom Flex
The U.S. Bank Cash+ offers a $200 cash bonus when you spend $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of account opening, while the Chase Freedom Flex offers a $200 cash bonus after spending $500 within the first three months of account opening.
Although the value of these cards’ welcome bonuses are the same, the Chase Freedom Flex wins in this category since its bonus is easier to obtain. With it, you’ll only need to spend about $167 per month for three months to earn the bonus. With the U.S. Bank Cash+, you’ll need to spend double — $334 per month — for three months to earn the bonus.
Rewards rate winner
Tie
On the surface, the rewards rates for these two cards seem similar.
With the U.S. Bank Cash+, you’ll earn 5 percent cash back on purchases in two categories of your choice (on up to $2,000 in combined purchases per quarter, then 1 percent back). You must enroll in your chosen categories every quarter and can choose from two of the following:
Fast food
Ground transportation
Select clothing stores
Cellphone providers
Electronics stores
TV, internet and streaming services
Gyms and fitness centers
Home utilities
Sporting goods stores
Department stores
Furniture stores
Movie theaters
By contrast, the Chase Freedom Flex earns 5 percent cash back (on up to $1,500 in combined purchases each quarter, then 1 percent) on rotating categories determined by the Chase cash back calendar. There are usually at least two categories active simultaneously per quarter, sometimes more. As with the U.S. Bank Cash+, you need to activate the categories each quarter in order to earn the 5 percent rate. The categories for each quarter can vary from year to year, but past categories have included:
Grocery stores (excluding Walmart and Target)
Fitness clubs and gym memberships
Amazon
Select streaming services
Gas stations and EV charging
Select live entertainment
Instacart
The U.S. Bank Cash+ also earns unlimited 2 percent cash back on one everyday category you choose from the following list (activation required):
Grocery stores and grocery delivery (excluding discount stores/supercenters and wholesale clubs)
Restaurants
Gas stations and EV charging stations
Meanwhile, the Chase Freedom Flex earns unlimited 3 percent cash back on dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services) and drugstore purchases. It also earns 2 percent cash back on eligible Lyft purchases through Sept. 30, 2027.
Essentially, this means the U.S. Bank Cash+ will have two 5 percent categories and one 2 percent category at any given time, but you get to choose the categories (from a list of options). The Chase Freedom Flex will have at least two 5 percent categories (sometimes more), two 3 percent categories and one 2 percent category active at any given time, but they’re predetermined by Chase. It’s worth noting that the U.S. Bank Cash+ has a slightly higher quarterly spending cap on the 5 percent categories — $2,000 vs. the Chase Freedom Flex’s $1,500.
Finally, the U.S. Bank Cash+ earns unlimited 5 percent cash back on prepaid air, hotel and car reservations booked through the Rewards Center, while the Chase Freedom Flex earns unlimited 5 percent cash back on all Chase Travel purchases.
Which card is better comes down to what you value more: more total bonus categories with the Chase Freedom Flex, or the ability to choose your own bonus categories with the U.S. Bank Cash+. The fact that the Chase Freedom Flex’s rewards come in the form of Ultimate Rewards Points — which comes with more redemption options, especially when paired with a premium Chase travel card — might also matter to some.
Annual fee winner
Tie
Neither card charges an annual fee, so they tie in this category.
Here’s a breakdown of how much you can earn by maxing out the capped bonus categories of each card and by spending on everyday purchases like groceries, dining and more.
U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card vs. Chase Freedom Flex spending example
Let’s say your quarterly spending breaks down as follows:
$2,000 combined spending in each card’s respective 5% bonus categories ($8,000 annually)
$900 on restaurants/dining, which you choose as your 2 percent category for the U.S. Bank Cash+ ($3,600 annually)
$250 on eligible travel purchases through the U.S. Bank Rewards Center or Chase Travel ($1,000 annually)
$150 on drugstore purchases ($600 annually)
$150 on Lyft rides ($600 annually)
$300 on miscellaneous purchases ($1,200 annually)
Here’s how much you’d earn with each card:
U.S. Bank Cash+
By maxing out the 5 percent categories each quarter, you’d earn $400 a year from those bonus categories, plus an additional $72 from your chosen 2 percent category (restaurants). You’ll also earn $50 a year from travel purchased through the Rewards Center. All your other purchases — drugstore, Lyft and miscellaneous purchases — would earn 1 percent back, netting you $24 in total cash back. Altogether, that’s $546 in annual rewards, plus an additional $200 from the welcome bonus in the first year, for a grand total of $746.
Chase Freedom Flex
With the Chase Freedom Flex, you’d earn $320 annually from the quarterly bonus categories — $75 each quarter from the first $1,500 in purchases (which earn 5 percent back), plus $5 each quarter from the remaining $500 in purchases (which earn 1 percent back). You’d also earn $108 from dining, $18 from drugstore purchases, $12 from Lyft rides and $50 from Chase Travel purchases each year. Finally, you’d earn an additional $12 annually from miscellaneous purchases, for a total of $508 in yearly rewards. With the $200 welcome bonus, that’s $708 in the first year.
Ultimately, how much you earn with each card comes down to your spending habits. If your spending habits better align with the Chase Freedom Flex’s bonus categories, for example, then you’ll likely earn more with that card than with the U.S. Bank Cash+. The U.S. Bank Cash+ slightly favors large spenders thanks to the higher spending cap for the 5 percent categories, but it loses that advantage if you don’t spend enough to max out the quarterly categories on either card in the first place.
Why you should get the U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card
The U.S. Bank Cash+ offers a wide variety of categories to choose from, including a number of less common categories like home utilities, cellphone providers and several specialty stores. However, it’s important to remember that you must activate your categories each quarter by logging in to your account. Otherwise, those purchases will earn 1 percent cash back.
The U.S. Bank Cash+ doesn’t have as many benefits as the Chase Freedom Flex, but you’ll get access to:
U.S. Bank’s ExtendPay Plan, which allows you to divide eligible credit card purchases into fixed monthly payments with no interest, but a small fixed monthly fee.
Rewards Center Shopping Deals, where you can earn additional cash back on purchases with select online merchants.
Visa Signature benefits, which include zero fraud liability, lost or stolen card reporting, pay-per-use roadside dispatch and more.
Cash back can be redeemed for a statement credit, a direct deposit to an eligible U.S. Bank account, gift cards, or Real-Time rewards (essentially a statement credit towards a specific purchase). Cash rewards will expire at the end of the calendar month 36 months after the billing cycle in which they were earned.
The recommended credit score for the U.S. Bank Cash+ is good to excellent (670 to 850).
Why you should get the Chase Freedom Flex
One of the main reasons to go with the Chase Freedom Flex over the U.S. Bank Cash+ is that the former technically earns rewards in the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, which is one of the most valuable credit card loyalty programs today. The Chase Freedom Flex also offers an incredible number of benefits for a no-annual-fee card, plus more ways to redeem rewards.
Some of the Chase Freedom Flex’s numerous benefits include:
Six months of complimentary DoorDash DashPass, after which you’ll automatically be enrolled in a paid DashPass subscription at the current monthly rate until you cancel (activate by Dec. 31, 2027). Once you activate the offer, you’ll also get up to $10 off quarterly on non-restaurant DoorDash orders with an active DashPass through Dec. 31, 2027.
World Elite Mastercard benefits, which include perks like three free months of Instacart+ (through Jan. 31, 2027) and a $5 Lyft credit every time you take three or more rides in one calendar month (through Jan. 31, 2026).
Consumer and travel protections like zero fraud liability, purchase protection, extended warranty coverage, cellphone protection (terms apply), trip cancellation/interruption insurance, 24/7 fraud monitoring, auto rental coverage and travel and emergency assistance services
You can redeem your rewards for statement credits, direct deposits, travel bookings through Chase Travel, gift cards, shopping with points on Amazon.com or via PayPal and more. Unlike the U.S. Bank Cash+, Chase rewards do not expire as long as your account is open and in good standing.
The recommended credit score for the Chase Freedom Flex is good to excellent (670 to 850).
The bottom line
As you compare the U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card vs. Chase Freedom Flex, know that both cards are excellent bonus category cash back cards. That said, choose the U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card if you want the flexibility of choosing your own categories. It also boasts a slightly higher cap on its 5 percent cash back category.
But if you’re more interested in card benefits, flexible redemption options and maximizing your earning potential in more categories simultaneously, choose the Chase Freedom Flex.
Ultimately, the better card for you will largely depend on your spending habits, the benefits you’re looking for and how you’d like to redeem your rewards.
*The information about the U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card and Chase Freedom Flex℠ has been collected independently by Bankrate. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.
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APA:
Dickey, C. (2025, August 27). U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card vs. Chase Freedom Flex. Bankrate. Retrieved September 15, 2025, from https://venture-ascend.live/credit-cards/reviews/u-s-bank-cash-visa-signature-card-vs-chase-freedom/
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Dickey, Claire. "U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card vs. Chase Freedom Flex." Bankrate. 27 August 2025, https://venture-ascend.live/credit-cards/reviews/u-s-bank-cash-visa-signature-card-vs-chase-freedom/.
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Dickey, Claire. "U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card vs. Chase Freedom Flex." Bankrate. August 27, 2025. https://venture-ascend.live/credit-cards/reviews/u-s-bank-cash-visa-signature-card-vs-chase-freedom/.
