How to Pay With Paze at Clover Checkout (Sep 2026)
NCnextcard team
How to earn 17x points on Dining in Q4 2026
NC
nextcard teamPublished Sep 22, 2026
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The information related to Chase Freedom (Classic Visa Freedom) was collected independently by nextcard and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
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Product details may vary. Please see the issuer website for current information. nextcard does not receive commission for this product.The Chase Freedom Flex® can earn 17 points per dollar on eligible dining purchases from October 1 through December 31, 2026 by combining its standard dining rewards, Q4 bonus category and Chase's additional 10x Paze offer.
The biggest limitation: the full 17x rate is available on at most $1,500 of qualifying dining purchases for the entire quarter, with less room if you use the quarterly bonus on other purchases.
TL;DR
Earn up to 17x points on dining from October 1–December 31, 2026: stack Freedom Flex’s standard 3x dining rewards, the activated Q4 bonus of 4x, and the additional 10x Paze offer
Order through participating Clover restaurant websites and pay with Paze using your eligible Freedom Flex
Watch both caps: Q4 bonus categories share a $1,500 quarterly spending limit, while Paze’s $1,500 limit resets monthly
How the Freedom Flex 17x dining stack works
By combining different promotions and earning bonuses on the same dining purchase, you can earn quite a few points:
Rewards component | Points per $1 |
|---|---|
Freedom Flex's standard dining rewards | 3x |
Additional Q4 dining category bonus after activation | 4x |
Additional Chase Paze promotional bonus | 10x |
Total | 17x |
Why is the quarterly component 4x when Chase advertises 5% cash back? The advertised 5% includes the card's 1% base rewards. That base is already included in the standard 3% dining rate, so counting it again would overstate the return.
Additionally, Chase cashback is earned as points. So 5% cashback = 5x points.
Chase explicitly confirms that Q4 dining earns 3% standard dining rewards + 4% quarterly bonus = 7% cash back. Adding the separate 10x Paze promotion produces the calculated 17x total.
Therefore, a $100 qualifying dining purchase would earn 1,700 points, worth $17.00 in cash back (or more if transferred to a partner like United Airlines with a partner card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card).
Limited Time Offer! Earn a $250 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening!
How to pay with Paze at a Clover restaurant
Step by step guide to walk you through the process for maximizing your Freedom Flex:
1. Activate your Freedom Flex Q4 2026 categories
Visit chasebonus.com and activate by December 14, 2026. The October–December 2026 categories are dining, grocery stores (excluding Walmart and Target), and American Red Cross donations. They share a $1,500 quarterly spending cap.
Activate before you start using the stack so you have one less step to remember. The Q4 earning period begins October 1, 2026.
2. Check your Chase/Paze offer and activate your wallet
Sign in to Chase and look in your Freedom Flex account's benefits for the additional 10x Paze promotion (see screenshot below). Confirm that the offer applies to your account and review its current terms. Having a card in Paze does not, by itself, establish eligibility for a promotional bonus.
If you have the offer, you can get 10x additional points on top of your normal card earnings when you check out with Paze at participating merchants through December 31, 2026 (up to $1,500 in Paze checkout purchases per month).
To set up your Paze wallet, open the Chase mobile app, select your card, then go to Manage account → Digital Wallets → Paze. Follow the activation prompts. Chase's Paze setup instructions
3. Find a participating restaurant
Next, use the nextcard Paze Clover Map to find nearby restaurants and their Clover online-ordering link.
4. Order through the website and choose Paze
Add your food to the restaurant's Clover online cart. Make sure you aren’t using the Clover mobile app; Paze will not show up as a checkout method here.
Login to your Paze wallet, choose your Freedom Flex, and checkout with Paze.
Congrats! If you’ve done everything correctly, you’ll see a ton of bonus points raining in.
For additional troubleshooting, see nextcard's Clover and Paze checkout guide.
The two spending caps you need to track
The Freedom Flex quarterly categories and Paze promotion run on different schedules:
Bonus | Eligible spending limit | What uses the limit |
|---|---|---|
Q4 additional 4x | $1,500 for October–December 2026 combined across all Q4 categories | All purchases in the activated Q4 categories |
Paze checkout additional 10x | Up to $1,500 each month | All qualifying Paze checkout purchases made with the eligible card |
The quarterly limit comes from Freedom Flex's quarterly bonus caps; the monthly limit comes from the Paze offer terms.
For example, if you've already used $400 of your quarterly bonused allowance on groceries, only $1,100 remains for dining at the full 17x rate. A separate qualifying Paze purchase also reduces your available Paze 10x bonus allowance for that month, even if it isn't dining.
New Freedom Flex cardholders can also earn the new limited time $250 welcome bonus
The Freedom Flex also launched a brand new limited time bonus offer where you can earn $250 cashback after $500 in purchases in the first three months from account opening. If you’ve received this new cardmember bonus in the past 24 months, you likely aren’t eligible for a new bonus.
If you qualify for that welcome offer, the Paze promotion, and your dining purchases meet the applicable timing requirements, the same spending can contribute towards everything:
Rewards source | Points earned |
|---|---|
Welcome bonus after meeting its requirements | 25,000 |
$1,500 in qualifying dining purchases at 17x | 25,500 |
Combined value | 50,500 points |
Limited Time Offer! Earn a $250 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening!
Final thoughts
This dining stack is currently one of the best options out there and makes the Chase Freedom Flex® especially useful in Q4 2026. Even if you don’t want to order via Clover, you can still earn 7x back on dining spend, which is already best in class in itself.
FAQs
Is 17x the same as 17% cash back?
Yes, when redeemed for cash back at 1 cent per point. Freedom Flex tracks cash-back rewards as points, so 1,700 points earned on a $100 eligible purchase can be redeemed for $17.
If you then have a partner card like the Sapphire Preferred, you can transfer those points to airlines like United or Southwest.
Does every Clover restaurant qualify?
No. The restaurant must have an online Clover ordering page. Use the nextcard Clover/Paze map to find candidates, then confirm Paze shows up at checkout.
Do I need to be a new Freedom Flex cardholder?
The dining stack doesn't depend on earning a welcome bonus. Existing Freedom Flex cardholders can use it if their accounts qualify for the Paze promotion and they activate the quarterly categories.
Can I earn 17x on $1,500 every month?
No. The Q4 2026 category 4x bonus applies to $1,500 of combined category spending across the whole quarter. Once you've used it, qualifying dining can still earn 13x while the separate Paze bonus remains available within its monthly cap.
What should I check if the rewards look wrong?
Confirm that you selected your Chase Freedom Flex® through Paze, activated Q4 bonus categories, and stayed within both caps. Check the merchant category and allow for the Paze bonus's separate posting timeline.
Avoid leaving purchases until December 31: Chase says quarterly-category purchases must post by the quarter's last day. Chase Freedom Flex FAQs
Does this stack work with the original Chase Freedom (Classic Visa Freedom) card?
Yes—if your original Chase Freedom account has the additional 10x Paze offer, you can earn 15x on qualifying dining purchases during Q4 2026:
1x standard purchase rewards
4x additional quarterly bonus after activation
10x additional Paze promotional bonus
The original Freedom doesn’t have Freedom Flex’s standard 3x dining rate, which explains the difference.
