FPL: Chip Guide by Nick

Fantasy Premier League – Chips

Managers in Fantasy will now have TWO sets of chips to play in the 2025/26 season.

You will have a Wildcard, Free Hit, Triple Captain and Bench Boost chip to use in each half of the campaign, meaning eight chips in total. There will be no Assistant Manager chip in Fantasy this season.

Like the use of the first Wildcard in recent seasons, this first set of chips must be played before the Gameweek 19 deadline passes at 18:30 GMT on Tuesday 30 December. They cannot be carried over into the second half of 2025/26.

Clearly, this new set of chips adds an extra element of strategy in Fantasy.  

Managers have tended to keep their Free Hit, Triple Captain and Bench Boost chips for the latter stages of a campaign to help them navigate Blank and Double Gameweeks, which are caused by domestic cup competitions, with a club either having NO Premier League fixture or playing TWICE in one Gameweek.

Triple Captain

In Fantasy Premier League (FPL), the Triple Captain chip triples the points of your chosen captain for a single gameweek, rather than the usual doubling. It can be used once per season and is a powerful tool for boosting your score when you expect a player to have a particularly strong performance

In each of the last two seasons, the promoted clubs have all suffered relegation due to their defensive frailties.

So, to maximise the potential of the Triple Captain, it makes sense to use it on a big-hitting midfielder or forward who has a home match against such an opponent.

Bench Boost

The Bench Boost chip is more squad-dependant and can prove a handy option when all 15 of your players have favourable fixtures in a single Gameweek.

Another strategic option could be to use the Bench Boost chip in Gameweek 1. By following the form and team sheets over each club’s summer friendlies, you could immediately make a strong start to the new season.

From a practical point of view, using the Bench Boost chip this early negates the complexity involved in planning around it mid-season. It also allows you to then focus your transfers and budget exclusively on your starting XI.

The addition of defensive contribution points could now make budget defenders and midfielders more impactful.

Free Hit

The Free Hit chip allows you to make unlimited free transfers for one Gameweek only. After that Gameweek, your squad reverts to the 15 players you had before activating the Free Hit. This is a powerful tool for navigating blank or double Gameweeks, or when your squad is hit by injuries or suspensions. 

Here’s a breakdown of the Free Hit:

How it works:

Unlimited transfers:

For one Gameweek, you can make as many transfers as you want without incurring any points hits. 

Temporary squad:

Your team is completely replaced for the selected Gameweek, but reverts back to its original state afterwards. 

No saved transfers:

Any saved free transfers are lost when activating the Free Hit. 

No price changes:

You don’t benefit from any price changes during the Free Hit week. 

Cannot be cancelled:

Once activated, the Free Hit cannot be undone. 

Wildcard

In Fantasy Premier League (FPL), a Wildcard is a chip that allows managers to make unlimited free transfers to their 15-man squad without any points deductions for a single Gameweek. It’s a way to overhaul your team significantly, especially when facing injuries, suspensions, or unfavourable fixture swings. 

Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

Unlimited Transfers:

A Wildcard lets you change your entire squad, including any transfers you’ve already made that week, without incurring any points hits. 

Permanent Changes:

Unlike the Free Hit chip, changes made with the Wildcard are permanent and apply to future Gameweeks. 

Strategic Timing:

Many managers choose to play their Wildcard early in the season to capitalize on promising players or to target a specific set of fixtures. Others may save it for later, particularly around Double Gameweeks or when their squad needs a major overhaul

Chip Rules

All chips can be used twice a season.

The first Bench Boost and Triple Captain chips become available from the start of the season and must be used before the Gameweek 19 deadline on Tue 30 Dec 18:30. A second set of these chips then becomes available from Gameweek 20 and can be used right up to the end of the season. These chips are played when saving on the my team page. They can be cancelled at any time before the Gameweek deadline.

The first Free Hit chip becomes available after the first Gameweek of your season and must be used before the Gameweek 19 deadline on Tue 30 Dec 18:30. A second Free Hit becomes available from Gameweek 20 and can be used right up to the end of the season. This chip is activated when confirming your transfers and cannot be cancelled once confirmed.

The Free Hit chip cannot be played in consecutive Gameweeks. So if the first chip is played in Gameweek 19, the second Free Hit cannot be made active until Gameweek 21.

The first Wildcard becomes available after the first Gameweek of your season and must be used before the Gameweek 19 deadline on Tue 30 Dec 18:30. The second Wildcard will be available from Gameweek 20 in readiness for the January transfer window and remains available for use until the end of the season. The Wildcard chip is played when confirming transfers and cannot be cancelled once played.

No chips can be carried over from the first half of the season to the second, so the first chips must be played prior to the Gameweek 19 deadline on Tue 30 Dec 18:30.

only one chip may be active in a Gameweek. For example, it is not possible to make transfers with your Wildcard chip and then use your Bench Boost chip in the same Gameweek.

After playing your Free Hit chip, at the next deadline your bank balance and squad is restored to as they were at the previous deadline, with any player price changes in the previous gameweek reflected. Any change to your bank balance whilst the Free Hit chip was active will be lost

If you play your triple captain and they don’t play the triple points bonus will be passed to your vice-captain. If your vice-captain doesn’t play either then the bonus is lost, the chip isn’t returned.