Applying for new credit card accounts to travel more comes with all kinds of considerations, from protecting your credit score to navigating different banks and mastering all the different points and miles out there. Chase is one of the titans of the world of points and miles, and it has one of the most important restrictions to keep in mind: the Chase 5/24 Rule.

From Amex to Capital One to Chase and every bank in between, this rule is one of the strictest you'll find when it comes to getting approved – or denied – for new credit cards. If you open too many cards in the last two years, it means Chase may shut you down from getting a new credit card.

We'll run you through the basics of this rule, how it works, and why it means you should prioritize getting Chase credit cards before looking to other banks if you're getting started in this world of travel rewards.

Related Reading: Master Guide to Credit Card Applications: All the Rules You Need to Know, Bank by Bank

 

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What is the Chase 5/24 Rule?

The Chase 5/24 rule is a hard-and-fast restriction rolled out years ago in order to limit card applicants from opening credit cards for the sole purpose of earning bonus points. If you've heard of the phrase “churning,” that's exactly what this rule is designed to crack down on.

Here's what it boils down to:

  • If you have opened five or more credit cards in the past 24 months from any bank credit card issuers (not just Chase cards), you will not be approved for Chase credit cards, regardless of your credit score or history with Chase bank.
  • The rule does not count credit inquiries, but rather new cards you have applied for and been approved.

So if you have opened five or more new credit cards in the past 24 months, you will likely not be approved for Chase credit cards that are subject to the 5/24 rule. As you'll see, all of Chase's personal credit cards fall under this rule.

Chase isn't just looking at your history with Chase cards to make this determination: Personal credit cards from any bank will add to your 5/24 count. 

The rule is not officially published through any of Chase's platforms. Case in point: If you ask about it in a Chase branch, many employees have likely not heard of it.

 

What Chase Credit Cards are Affected by the 5/24 Rule?

For years, all Chase credit cards have been impacted by the Chase 5/24 rule. Once you're over that threshold, you will not be approved for any of these cards until you fall below the threshold.

Below is the current list of credit cards that are impacted by the 5/24 rule. If you have been approved for five or more cards in the last 24 months, you likely won't be approved for any of these cards.

Related Reading: The Best Credit Cards to Get if You Are Under the Chase 5/24 Rule

 

Are Business Credit Cards Impacted by Chase 5/24?

Business credit cards work a bit differently with the Chase 5/24 rule.

When it comes to Chase business credit cards specifically, you'll need to be underneath the 5/24 rule to get approved and earn a points bonus … but that approval will not add to your 5/24 count. 

For example, let's say you want to apply for the *chase ink preferred*. If you've opened five or more credit cards in the last 24 months, you'd almost certainly get denied. But let's say you've opened four credit cards over the last two years. You could get approved … and if you do, you'd remain at 4/24 under this rule.

In general, most business card approvals do not count toward your 5/24 total. That includes business cards from American Express, Chase, Citi, Bank of America, and more.

The reason? Business credit card accounts typically don't show on your personal credit report.

 

Chase 5/24 Rule Frequently Asked Questions

Do Authorized User Accounts Count Toward the Chase 5/24 Rule?

Authorized user accounts will typically appear on your personal credit report. That means they will be counted towards your 5/24 status.

But that's not the end of the story. There are many data points out suggesting that calling the Chase reconsideration phone line may result in some representatives removing authorized user accounts from your 5/24 status.

This ultimately allows you to be approved for Chase cards, assuming your authorized user accounts put you over the 5/24 rule. Chase's reconsideration phone lines are as follows:

  • Reconsideration (Personal): 888-270-2127
  • Reconsideration (Business): 800-453-9719

Read More: Everything You Need to Know About Credit Card Authorized Users

 

Do Retail Store Credit Cards Count Towards the Chase 5/24 Rule?

If you have specific retail store credit cards, these will only count towards your 5/24 status if the card can be used outside of the specific store.

This means if the card has a payment network listed on it such as Visa, American Express, Discover, or Mastercard, it will be counted. If not, the card will not count against your 5/24 status.

 

Do Mortgages, Auto Loans, or Student Loans Count Towards the Chase 5/24 Rule?

Other lines of credit like mortgages, auto loans, student loans, home equity lines of credit, etc. should not count towards your 5/24 status as they are not a bank credit card.

The Chase 5/24 rule will not apply to these lines of credit. It only applies to personal credit cards that you are approved for (with the exception of retail store credit cards that are not part of a larger payment network).

 

How Are the 24 Months Calculated?

The Chase 5/24 rule is calculated on a card membership basis, not a calendar year. For example, if you are above 5/24 and fall below it on May 15th, you would need to wait until June first before you applied for a card that was subjected to the Chase 5/24 Rule.

 

How Can I Track My Chase 5/24 Status?

The best time to get started tracking your 5/24 status is right away, even if opening five or more credit cards in a 24-month period sounds crazy to you.

Over the years, the best tool I have found to do this is a service called Travel Freely. It allows you to track the credit cards you have opened and closed and comes up with an automated 5/24 number. It also alerts you to annual fee due dates and much more.

Best of all, the service is completely free to use and doesn't track any sensitive financial information. It simply works off of the day in which you open and close a new card account.

Read more: Travel Freely: The Best Way to Keep Credit Cards Organized

 

Travel Freely Chase 5/24 Rule tracker

 

Of course, this data is only as good as you make it. It does require staying on top of the dates you've opened and closed credit cards, but the service makes that very easy to do.

Another great option is to use a service like Credit Karma, or even Experian. These should show you a list of all your open credit accounts and when they were opened. From here, you should be able to calculate which ones will count toward your 5/24 status. Although, Travel Freely will do that math automatically.

Read More: How to Track Your Chase 5/24 Status (& Why You Should)

 

Ways Around the 5/24 Rule

Patience is really the only sure-fire way out of the 5/24 restrictions if you're looking to open a new personal Chase credit card. From time to time, we hear of travelers well over the 5/24 rule being approved for various Chase credit cards … but it's very hit or miss.

Sometimes applying for a new card in person at a Chase bank branch is enough to skirt the rule. As a personal example, a member of our team applied for the *chase sapphire preferred* in-branch during a limited-time offer back in 2023, despite opening more than five new cards in the prior 24 months. After initially getting rejected, he asked the banker for immediate reconsideration and after a brief phone call, he was surprisingly approved!

Speaking of limited-time offers, Chase is seemingly more likely to approve those over 5/24 when they're running a big, limited-time offer. Whether they have an internal quota they're trying to meet with new card acquisitions or the applications go through a different underwriting process is anyones guess – but if you've been eyeing a Chase card and are over 5/24, going after a limited-time bonus might be your best bet. 

Finally, if you already have a bank account or credit card with Chase, you can check your personalized “Just for you” offers to see if you're targeted for a specific card. If you are, chances are you'll get approved even if you're over 5/24. To check for these offers, just click the menu button when logged into your account and scroll down to the “Explore Products” section and then click on “Just for you.”

 

Chase Just for you offers

 

Applying in-branch, asking for reconsideration when rejected, or just waiting for new accounts to mature is really all you can do if you're over 5/24.

Regardless of the aforementioned workarounds, we don't recommend you recklessly apply for cards if you're well over the 5/24 rule, as it needlessly adds additional credit checks to your report. This could make it harder to open new cards in the future … even when you're under 5/24. 

 

Bottom Line

If you understand the restrictions of the Chase 5/24 rule, you should be able to navigate it without much issue. This is among the most restrictive credit card application rules out there.

And that's the reason we always recommend that you should start with Chase credit cards before any other bank. Before long, it may be too late.