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FPL chips explained: how and when to use every chip

What the Wildcard, Free Hit, Bench Boost and Triple Captain each do, how they fit together, and the mistakes that cost the most. The short version: there's rarely one perfect week, only a few good ones.

Published · Rules checked for 2026/27

Four questions before you play any chip

  • Is this week clearly better for this chip than the weeks you can already see ahead?
  • Could a free transfer or two fix the same problem without spending a chip?
  • How many gameweeks are left before this chip expires, at GW19 or GW38?
  • Would you still play it this week if nobody else was?

If you can answer all four with confidence, you're probably ready. If one of them makes you hesitate, it's worth a closer look at the options below.

What each chip does

ChipWhat it doesWhen you can play itOften used when
WildcardUnlimited free transfers for one gameweek. The new squad is permanent.GW2 to GW19, then GW20 to GW38Three or more players need replacing, or the fixtures are about to turn
Free HitUnlimited free transfers for one gameweek. Your old squad comes back the week after.GW2 to GW19, then GW20 to GW38Lots of teams blank or play twice, or your squad is short for just one week
Bench BoostPoints from all 15 players count, not just your starting 11.GW1 to GW19, then GW20 to GW38All four bench players are likely to start, ideally twice
Triple CaptainYour captain's points are tripled instead of doubled.GW1 to GW19, then GW20 to GW38A reliable premium player has a standout fixture, or two in one week

Two sets a season, and why that matters

Until 2025/26, you had a single Free Hit, Bench Boost and Triple Captain for the whole season; only the Wildcard came in two halves. Many managers held those chips for months, waiting for the double gameweeks in spring.

Now there are two of each, and the first set disappears after GW19. That changes the maths. A chip held back for a perfect week in December is a chip you might not use at all, and there's another one waiting in January. A good week now is often worth more than a perfect week that might never come.

That doesn't mean playing chips as early as possible. It means the cost of waiting is real, and worth counting alongside the reasons to wait.

Chips that work well together

Chips are often stronger in pairs, because one can set up the other. Three common pairings, each with a catch:

  • Wildcard, then Bench Boost. Use the Wildcard to build a squad where all 15 players start and have good fixtures, then boost the following week. The catch: it's tempting to pick bench players for that one week and live with them for months.
  • Free Hit for a blank or a double. When many teams don't play, or some play twice, a Free Hit lets you field a full side for that week without rebuilding your squad around it. The catch: use it early and you may face a big blank later without one.
  • Bench Boost in GW1, then an early Wildcard. Your bench is fully planned before a ball is kicked, so GW1 is one of the few weeks you know all 15 should play. An early Wildcard then fixes whatever pre-season got wrong. The catch: it commits you to Wildcarding early, whatever happens.

The chip mistakes that cost the most

  • Using a chip to fix a panic. A bad week feels like a crisis. Usually it's one bad week. A Wildcard played the morning after a blank is often a response to the score, not the squad. If a free transfer or two would fix the real problem, that's often the better option.
  • Chasing the crowd. When a million managers play the same chip on the same player, playing it too protects your rank but can't gain you much. Not playing it is a valid choice, as long as it's a choice and not a missed deadline.
  • Saving a chip until it expires. The GW19 deadline is easy to forget in a busy December. Waiting for a better week only works if that week comes before the chip runs out.
  • Building a worse team to suit a chip. Weakening your starting 11 to get a better bench, or bending your squad around one Triple Captain fixture, can cost more over the following weeks than the chip earns in one.

A guide to each chip

Each of these goes deeper on timing, with the options for and against:

Chips sit alongside your free transfers, not instead of them. For the week-to-week decisions, see when to roll, when to act, and how much team value matters.

When it's genuinely close

You've checked the fixtures, counted the weeks to the deadline and ruled out the bad options. What's left is two good ones: this week or a later one, this chip or that one. That's a 50/50, and agonising over it costs more than it gains.

Make the call and enjoy the week. If you really can't, that's what the coin is for.

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