Chase forcibly changed my Freedom from MasterCard to Visa. I activated the new Visa, thereby shutting the old MasterCard account number. I did not update the card in PayPal. When I paid an online merchant with PayPal, the charge was authorized and posted to my new Freedom Visa.
I thought I had a valid data pointer, but I did not. The italicized phrase is not correct. Chase just confirmed for me that they left the MasterCard open and it will remain valid for another couple of months, even if I swipe it at a store that never charged it before. So currently, I can use either the new Visa or the old MasterCard and the charges will all appear on the same bill.