Beginning May 3, 2013 and continuing through the rest of the year, the Chase Sapphire® Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card will each earn 3x points on dining on the first Friday of each month as part of a new promotion from Chase called First Fridays. As each card normally earns 2x points per dollar spent on dining purchases, the promo represents an extra point per dollar on dining for the first Friday of each month.

In order to qualify for the bonus, your transaction must occur by midnight on May 3, June 7, July 5, August 2, September 6, October 4, November 1, or December 6, 2013 in the time zone in which you are dining. Allow 6 to 8 weeks after qualifying transactions for the bonus to post to your account. There is no limit on the number of bonus points you can earn from this offer.

In a move that will likely upset many long-term Chase Freedom cardholders, Chase is in the process of making changes to its Chase Exclusives program. The program–which is no longer available to new cardmembers–currently allows those with a Chase Freedom card and a Chase checking account to earn an additional bonus of 10% on all purchases (excluding 5% rotating category purchases) plus 10 bonus points per transaction. That’s in addition to the normal 1 point per $1 spent that you would earn on regular spending.

This bonus structure made the Chase Freedom the hands-down best credit card to use for small dollar transactions. For instance, a $1 purchase would earn 11 points–1 point for the dollar spent, plus another 10 bonus points for the transaction. Unfortunately, Chase will soon be replacing this rewards program in favor of a simpler structure, though far less lucrative on smaller transactions.
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