Chase will not approve you for most of its cards if you have opened five or more new credit cards from any issuer in the past 24 months. This is the 5/24 rule. Chase has never officially published it, but it is consistently enforced and thoroughly documented by the credit card community.
This guide tells you what counts toward 5/24, what does not, how to check your current position, and what to do based on where you stand.
What the 5/24 Rule Is
When you apply for most Chase personal credit cards, Chase pulls your credit report and counts how many new credit accounts you have opened in the last 24 months across all issuers. If that number is five or more, Chase denies the application automatically. The rule does not care which issuer issued the card, how much credit you have, or how good your credit score is.
The threshold is based on accounts that appear on your personal credit report as “new” (opened within the past 24 months). It is not based on the number of cards you currently have open.
What Counts Toward 5/24
- Personal credit cards from any issuer: Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, store cards, and all co-branded personal cards count. Opening a Citi card counts. Opening an Amex card counts. Opening a Target RedCard counts.
- Closed accounts: If you opened a card in the past 24 months and then closed it, it still counts. The clock starts at opening, not closing.
- Authorized user accounts: If someone added you as an authorized user, that account typically appears on your credit report and counts toward 5/24. The exception: some Chase reconsideration reps will remove AU accounts from the count if you call and ask them to disregard those accounts when evaluating your application. This is not guaranteed, but it is consistently reported as working.
What Does NOT Count Toward 5/24
- Business credit cards from most issuers: Business cards from Chase (Ink series), American Express, Citi, Bank of America, and most other major issuers do not report to personal credit bureaus, so they do not appear on your personal report and do not count toward 5/24. Capital One business cards are an exception: they report to personal bureaus and do count.
- Cards opened more than 24 months ago: Once a card’s opening date is more than 24 months in the past, it stops counting. Your 5/24 status changes as old cards age off.
- Loans, mortgages, and auto loans: Installment debt does not count toward 5/24. Only credit card accounts (revolving credit) count.
How to Check Your Current 5/24 Status
Pull your credit report from annualcreditreport.com (Equifax or TransUnion are the most complete for this purpose). Look at the “accounts” section and count every credit card account with an opening date within the past 24 months. That number is your current 5/24 count.
Do not use the free credit monitoring Chase provides in your account, which may not show all issuers. Use the full credit report to get an accurate count.
Your count decreases automatically as cards age past the 24-month mark. If you are at 5/24 because of a card you opened 23 months ago, you will drop to 4/24 one month from now without doing anything.
Action Plan by 5/24 Position
If you are at 0/24 to 3/24
You have room. Chase cards are accessible. The core question is which card to get first. The Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95 annual fee) earns 3x on dining, 3x on streaming, 3x on online groceries, and 2x on travel (as of 2026-03-22). It is the entry point to Chase Ultimate Rewards with transfer partner access. If you only ever open one Chase travel card, this is the one.
The Chase Freedom Unlimited ($0 annual fee) is an excellent companion card: it earns 3x on dining and drugstores and 1.5x everywhere else, with no annual fee. If you pair it with the Sapphire Preferred, its flat 1.5x becomes transferable to Chase airline and hotel partners.
If you are at 4/24
You have one Chase slot left before hitting the limit. Use it intentionally. The Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve should almost always be the last Chase card you open before crossing 5/24. These are the gateway to Ultimate Rewards transfer partners. Once you have either Sapphire card in hand, you can continue opening cards from other issuers freely.
After crossing 5/24, you can still open Chase Ink Business cards without using a 5/24 slot, since they do not appear on your personal report. Chase Freedom cards and personal Sapphire cards, however, will be blocked.
If you are at 5/24 or above
You cannot be approved for most Chase personal cards right now. Your options:
- Wait for cards to age off. Count the exact date 24 months from when you opened your oldest counted card. On that date, your count drops by one. Plan your next Chase application for shortly after.
- Open Chase Ink Business cards in the meantime. The Ink Business Cash ($0 annual fee, 5% on office supplies and internet/cable/phone on up to $25,000/year) and Ink Business Preferred ($95 annual fee, 3x on travel and select business categories) are available to sole proprietors and freelancers. They do not count toward 5/24.
- Try co-branded cards via targeted offers. Some Chase co-branded airline and hotel cards (Hyatt, IHG, Marriott) have been approved via targeted mail or email offers even when the applicant was over 5/24. This is not guaranteed and depends on whether Chase sends you a targeted offer, but it is worth checking if you receive one.
The Sapphire 48-Month Rule: Now Eliminated
Until June 2025, Chase also had a separate rule: you could not earn a new Sapphire welcome bonus if you had received a Sapphire bonus in the past 48 months. That rule has been eliminated. As of 2026, there is no Sapphire-to-Sapphire bonus restriction beyond the standard 5/24 gate. If you received a Sapphire Preferred bonus years ago and are now under 5/24, you can apply for the Sapphire Reserve (or vice versa) and receive the welcome bonus.
Verify this at the time of your application, as Chase card terms can change.
One-Card Priority If You Have One Slot Left
| Card | Annual Fee | Why Prioritize |
|---|---|---|
| Chase Sapphire Preferred | $95 | Unlocks UR transfer partners; strong welcome bonus historically |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | $795 | Same transfer partners; better for heavy travel spenders who use $300 travel credit |
| Chase Freedom Flex | $0 | Prioritize only if you already have a Sapphire card; lower priority as last slot |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited | $0 | Same (better as a second or third Chase card after Sapphire) |
Bottom Line
The 5/24 rule is Chase’s most important approval filter to understand before applying for any of its cards. If you are under 5/24, prioritize the Sapphire Preferred as your Chase anchor card: it opens the UR transfer partner network and is the most valuable card to have in hand before crossing the threshold. If you are already over 5/24, focus on Chase Ink Business cards (which ignore 5/24) while you wait for older personal cards to age off. Your count updates automatically as cards cross the 24-month mark.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does a Chase Ink card count toward 5/24?
A: No. Chase Ink Business cards (Cash, Preferred, Unlimited) do not report to personal credit bureaus, so they do not appear on your personal credit report and do not count toward 5/24. You can open Ink cards freely without affecting your 5/24 position.
Q: I was added as an authorized user on someone else’s card. Does that count?
A: Yes, AU accounts typically appear on your personal credit report and count toward 5/24. However, if you call Chase’s reconsideration line after an application denial, you can ask the representative to disregard AU accounts in their evaluation. Many applicants have reported success with this approach.
Q: I closed a card I opened 18 months ago. Does it still count?
A: Yes. The 5/24 rule counts accounts based on when they were opened, not whether they are currently open. Closing a card does not remove it from your 24-month count.
Q: When does my 5/24 count update?
A: Your count drops by one when each card passes its 24-month opening anniversary. If you opened four cards in the past 24 months, one of them from 23 months ago, your count will drop to 3/24 in one month without any action on your part.
Q: Is the Sapphire 48-month bonus restriction still in effect?
A: No. Chase eliminated the 48-month Sapphire-to-Sapphire bonus restriction in June 2025. As of 2026, there is no separate Sapphire bonus cooling period beyond the standard 5/24 approval gate. Verify current terms when applying.