I wouldn’t call Free Hit vs Wildcard one of the great debates of our times. They’re only FPL chips, after all. That said, learning the difference between your wildcard and free hit in Fantasy Premier League is definitely, 100% necessary if you want to play the game properly.
If you wanted to get a FPL wildcard vs free hit rundown, you came to the right place, my friend. Read on to learn the differences between the two chips, when and how to use them most effectively… and more!
What is the Difference Between the Wildcard and Free Hit in FPL?
If you’ve been confused about your free hit vs wildcard, that’s understandable. No need to be embarrassed – this is a safe space.
First things first – they’re both ‘chips’. Chips are basically special powers that you’re given in FPL. There are four in total: Wildcard, Free Hit, Triple Captain, and Bench Boost.
(I’ve written summaries of both the triple captain chip, and the bench boost. In short, they’re both pretty self-explanatory, and both very different from the wildcard and free hit.)
There’s one key similarity between your wildcard and free hit. They both allow you to make unlimited transfers to your team. You will still have to stay within your budget though, of course.
Back in the old days (i.e. before 2025), you only got one free hit, whereas you got two wildcards. Nowadays, you’re spoiled with having two of both. Thus, there’s only one main FPL free hit vs wildcard difference remaining.
Permanence.
The free hit lasts for one gameweek only. Yes, you can make unlimited transfers for that week, and create a completely new team. After that week though, your team will revert to exactly how it was.
By contrast, the changes you make on your wildcard are permanent. Your team won’t reset after that gameweek. Instead, you’ll keep all those players going forward.
Free Hit vs Wildcard – When Should You Use Them?
So, now you know the main differences between the wildcard and free hit in Fantasy Premier League. That was pretty straightforward, wasn’t it?
Well, guess what isn’t straightforward – actually using them properly.
In addition to the differences in the rules, the ways in which you should deploy your wildcard vs your free hit also differ. The first example is in when you should use each chip.
When to Use Your Free Hit
Technically, you can use your free hits whenever you like… but don’t do that. This is an incredibly powerful tool, when used correctly, which can give you a monster gameweek.
Generally speaking, you can use your first free hit whenever you like, but should wait longer into the second half of the season to use your last one.
That’s because you’ll be targeting double gameweeks with it, since these have a much better chance of bringing big returns. Most of those double gameweeks happen later in the season, usually because earlier games are moved back due to cup commitments.
When to Use Your Wildcards
Regarding our other chip, as noted you must use one wildcard in the first half of the season and one in the second half.
For your first wildcard, I generally (not always!) recommend waiting as long as you can.
It’s easy to panic early in the season, and assume you’re off to a terrible start. In reality, you’re probably not, and even if you are then a few smart transfers should fix things. If your team is truly a disaster, though – if you’re literally struggling to put out 10-11 players – you can use it earlier.
For your second wildcard, it’s fine to use it a little earlier.
Mostly, that’s because you’ll be using all your other chips (free hit, triple captain, and bench boost) in the later weeks. And, of course, you can only use one chip per gameweek. You therefore need to not only use your wildcard in a week you’re not using another chip, but also use it early enough to take advantage of the upcoming double gameweeks.
In Summary
- Wait to use your second free hit until later in the second half of the season, when the double gameweeks begin
- Try to wait at least 10 gameweeks, preferably longer, to use your first wildcard, unless you’re really desperate
- Use your second wildcard early enough to take advantage of upcoming double gameweeks
Wildcard vs Free Hit – How Should You Use Them?
There’s not only a difference between when you should use your wildcard vs free hit, but how you should use them. These chips might sound similar on the surface, but do serve different purposes.
Using Your Free Hit
For starters, the free hit is… a free hit. Basically, you’re taking a big swing for one week only. You literally just have one objective: score as many points as possible in that single gameweek.
That doesn’t mean, however, that you should treat it as a ‘punt’, and just have fun with it. Perish the thought!
Rather, you should still put plenty of time and effort into researching not only when to use your free hit, but who to put in your team. When you get it right, the free hit should deliver you with a hefty 90-100+pts… but only if you pick the right players.
(Not to sound like a broken record, but – again – make sure you get as many double gameweek players as possible on your free hit).
Using Your Wildcard
I know you don’t want to hear this… but using your wildcard is harder than using your free hit.
As noted, with your free hit you’re worrying about one week only. With your wildcard, you’re looking ahead for at least the next several gameweeks.
That being said, don’t panic. You can obviously still use your regular transfers. You’ll want to bank your first one after wildcarding, but – after that – you can use two free transfers to fix any major mistakes you’ve made in your selection.
In general though, you really should be looking at the mid-term, at the very least, with your wildcard. You want players who have good fixtures over the next 4-8 gameweeks, not only the next 1-2.
Obviously, this is more time-consuming, and requires more research. It’s also a lot of fun, though! Analysing fixtures, weighing up Player A vs B, and trying to make everything fit into our budget… these are the challenges we enjoy in FPL!
Finally, remember that you don’t have to do it all alone. Several times a year, you’ll find yourself in a ‘wildcard season’, in which loads of people are playing their wildcards. In conjunction, you’ll also find a lot of FPL experts posting guides with suggested picks.
You don’t necessarily need to copy these guides player-for-player. But they can both give you a good template to work from, and help you identify players with good fixtures you might have otherwise overlooked.
FPL Wildcard vs Free Hit – Final Thoughts
With that, the great free hit vs wildcard debate is settled… they’re both great!
In all seriousness, these are two extremely valuable tools in your FPL inventory. The ways in which they’re used differ significantly. But – when deployed correctly – they can give a major boost to your ranking.
To reiterate an important point, whether you’re using your wildcard or free hit, you don’t need to do so alone. The internet is full of helpful resources… but of course we’re the best one! If you ever want any help using your chips, just give us a shout on Reddit or Twitter, and we’ll dish you some incredible advice.
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