Chips are four one-off plays that can hand you a few dozen points of advantage — or expire unused. In 2026/27 the rules have changed, and that changes the whole strategy. So let us start with what is new.
What changed in 2026/27: two sets instead of one
Until now you had each chip once per season. Now you get two sets of four, eight in total: Wildcard, Free Hit, Triple Captain and Bench Boost — one of each for the first half of the season and one of each for the second.
The consequence to keep in mind from Gameweek 1:
The first set must be played before the Gameweek 19 deadline, on Saturday 2 January at 13:30 GMT. Chips left unused at that point simply expire — they do not carry over into the second half.
The second set refreshes for the second half of the campaign. That means saving a chip “for a rainy day” is no longer safe: the rainy day may not arrive before January, and the chip will be gone.
What each chip does
Wildcard — unlimited transfers with no points hit. You can rebuild the entire squad from scratch, and the changes are permanent.
Free Hit — a one-off squad for a single gameweek. Afterwards your team reverts to what it was before. It is the only chip that changes nothing permanently.
Triple Captain — your captain scores triple points instead of double.
Bench Boost — the points of your four benched players count towards your total. All fifteen score instead of eleven.
When to play each one
Wildcard
The Wildcard is not for fixing one bad transfer. Play it when several problems pile up at once: three or four players with a difficult run of fixtures, plus injuries, plus a squad you cannot tidy up with two moves.
In the first half of the season the sweet spot is usually somewhere around Gameweeks 8 to 12, when you can see which teams are genuinely good and your opening picks have aged. There is little point playing it in the first three gameweeks — after two matches nobody knows anything for certain.
Bench Boost
This is the most demanding chip, because it only pays off when all fifteen of your players actually play. A £4.0m backup goalkeeper who sits on his club’s bench will return zero.
Bench Boost works best in a double gameweek, where some teams play twice. Fifteen players can then cover twenty-odd fixtures. It takes preparation: the bench has to be strengthened a week in advance, usually with transfers made in the preceding weeks.
Triple Captain
The rule is simple: you want it on a forward or midfielder with two fixtures in one gameweek, ideally both against sides in the bottom half. If no good double gameweek arrives in the first half of the season, the next best option is a premium player with an easy home fixture.
What not to do: never Triple Captain a defender or a goalkeeper. Even a clean sheet with bonus points rarely clears the mid-teens, and a triple multiplier belongs where the ceiling is high.
Free Hit
Free Hit has two natural uses. The first is a blank gameweek, where a large share of teams do not play at all and you suddenly have six or seven starters. The second is the opposite — a one-off double gameweek that is not worth rebuilding your squad for permanently.
Two restrictions to remember: Free Hit cannot be played in Gameweek 1, and if you use the first one in Gameweek 19, you cannot play the second in Gameweek 20.
Rules that are easy to forget
- Only one chip per gameweek. You cannot combine Bench Boost with Triple Captain.
- Free Hit does not work in Gameweek 1.
- Free transfers roll up to five. An unused transfer carries into the next week, but anything above five banked is lost. Every transfer beyond your allowance costs four points.
- There are no extra transfers for the Africa Cup of Nations this season — the tournament is not taking place, so last season’s December allowance will not return.
The most common mistake this season
It will be holding chips for too long. For years the habit was to save them for spring, when cup rounds create the most double and blank gameweeks. In 2026/27 that habit costs you: the first set disappears on 2 January, and the first half of the season usually offers fewer of those opportunities than the second.
The practical conclusion: if a decent chance appears in November or December, take it. Waiting for the perfect one often ends with a chip expiring unplayed. A “good” chip played is worth more than a “perfect” chip wasted.
How our tools help
You do not have to track double and blank gameweeks yourself. Our recommended squad includes a chip radar that detects them automatically and states plainly whether the coming gameweek is worth a chip. Right now, before Gameweek 1, the message is unambiguous: there is neither a double nor a blank, so the chips stay in your pocket.
For planning ahead there is the fixture ticker, which shows five gameweeks at a time, so you can see a good Wildcard window forming. And if you are just starting out, begin with our complete beginner’s guide.
Season cheat sheet
- Wildcard — when the squad needs three or more changes at once. Not in the opening gameweeks.
- Bench Boost — a double gameweek plus fifteen players certain to start. Prepare the bench a week ahead.
- Triple Captain — a forward or midfielder with two fixtures, ideally against weaker sides.
- Free Hit — a rescue in a blank gameweek, or a one-off spike in a double. Not in Gameweek 1.
- The date you cannot forget — 2 January, 13:30 GMT. Everything unplayed from the first set expires then.
Rules described on the basis of official Premier League communications for the 2026/27 season. This article was produced with the support of AI tools. Fantasy PL Edge is not affiliated with the Premier League or the Fantasy Premier League game.