Chips are single-use boosts that let you break the normal rules for one gameweek. Used well, they can swing a mini-league. Used carelessly, they are gone by Christmas with nothing to show for it. Here is each one, explained properly.
Wildcard: rebuild your whole team for free
The Wildcard lets you make unlimited transfers for one gameweek without any points cost. It is the most flexible chip in the game, and the most wasted. The best Wildcard is played with a plan: you are fixing several problems at once, or reshaping your squad for a long run of kind fixtures. Playing it to fix one injury is almost always a mistake.
Free Hit: a one-week team, then back to normal
The Free Hit lets you pick a completely different team for one gameweek only. After that gameweek, your original squad returns untouched. It shines in weeks when many teams do not play, or when a handful of sides play twice - you can load up on the teams with extra fixtures without wrecking your long-term squad.
Bench Boost: all fifteen players score
Normally only your eleven starters score. The Bench Boost makes all fifteen count for one gameweek. It is only worth playing when your bench is genuinely strong - four playing substitutes with decent fixtures. Playing it with two non-playing bench players is throwing the chip away.
Triple Captain: three times the captain
The Triple Captain triples your captain score instead of doubling it. The obvious temptation is to play it on the biggest name in the game, but the best use is a captain with two fixtures in one gameweek, or a home match against one of the weakest defences. A tripled blank is the most painful outcome in FPL, so certainty of minutes matters more than upside.
The golden rule of chips
Never play a chip because you feel bored or panicked. Every chip should answer a clear question: what does this gameweek offer that a normal week does not? If you cannot answer that, save it. Chips gain value as the season goes on and the fixture calendar creates special weeks.