The rules
You have two sets of four chips: Wildcard, Free Hit, Bench Boost and Triple Captain. The first set covers gameweeks 1 to 19 and must be played before the gameweek 19 deadline (Friday, 1 January 2027 at 18:30 UK time); anything unused is lost. The second set covers gameweeks 20 to 38. You can play one chip per gameweek.
Wildcard
Unlimited free transfers, and the new squad stays. Play it just before a fixture swing, when several of your players face a hard run and others have an easy one, or after injuries leave you with more problems than free transfers can fix. Building the squad around the next five or six gameweeks is the usual aim; the squad builder finds the best 15 for any budget.
Free Hit
Unlimited transfers for one gameweek only; your squad goes back afterwards. It is strongest in a blank gameweek, when many teams don't play, or a double, when some play twice. Because your squad reverts, you can pick players you would never keep.
Bench Boost
Your four bench players score as well. It only pays if all fifteen play: save it for a week when your bench has good fixtures, ideally a double gameweek, and set it up a few weeks ahead with playing substitutes.
Triple Captain
Your captain scores three times his points instead of double. Use it on a premium player with two fixtures, or one very easy home match. A triple captain that blanks costs nothing extra, but it wastes the chip.
Choosing the week
A chip is worth the points you score with it minus the points you'd score without it, and that difference changes week by week. Gaffer Maths Pro's chip optimiser values each chip as a full plan with and without it for every gameweek in view, with a range, so you can see the best week for your squad rather than guess.