Chase’s 5/24 rule: Everything you need to know

In the points and miles world, a mention of the infamous 5/24 rule is sure to follow whenever a Chase card comes up. In short, this refers to the unofficial rule that Chase won’t approve a credit card application for someone who has opened five or more new credit cards from any issuer in the past 24 months.

However, without any official published policy from Chase, dissecting the 5/24 rule still relies heavily on crowdsourced data. There are outlier data points that can turn out to be false, as well as exceptions to what we generally believe to be true.

Here’s everything you need to know about Chase’s 5/24 restrictions.

In order to be approved for any Chase card subject to 5/24, you cannot have opened five or more personal credit cards across all banks in the last 24 months (more on business cards in a moment).

This means you actually need to be under 5/24 to be approved. The 5/24 rule only applies to getting approved for cards issued by Chase, but your 5/24 count includes credit cards from all banks.

Related: The best ways to use your 5/24 slots

Are all Chase cards subject to 5/24?

Most travel cards issued by Chase are subject to 5/24 for approval, including cobranded cards. The following are cards reported to be subject to the 5/24 rule:

*The information for these cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

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Reader reports also indicate that applying for too many Chase cards too quickly can lead to account scrutiny and shutdowns, regardless of your 5/24 status. Some online reports have noted that Chase will not accept you for more than two new accounts within 30 days.

Because of that, a general recommendation is to avoid applying for a new account more frequently than every three or four months.

Remember that 5/24 is not the only factor determining whether your Chase credit card application is approved — your credit score, income, debt levels and many other variables are also considered. For business cards, Chase also sometimes requests documentation such as financial statements or articles of organization to show that you have a legitimate business or sole proprietorship.

Related: Clearing up the confusion: How to complete a Chase business credit card application

We’ve found the easiest way to check your 5/24 status is to sign up for Experian’s free credit report service (make sure you don’t accidentally sign up for a paid service — unless that’s your intention).

Using the Experian app, you can view all of your accounts and sort them by the date they were opened. From here, count anything opened within the last 24 months. Chase only looks at whether an account was opened — it doesn’t matter if you’ve since closed it.

According to most recent data points, you will not technically be below 5/24 until the first day of the 25th month after your fifth account was opened. For example, if your fifth most recent account was opened on Oct. 17, 2023, do not apply for a new card until at least Nov. 1, 2025.

Related: How to calculate your 5/24 standing

• All personal credit cards opened with any bank in the immediate past 24 months (even if they’re now closed).
• Business cards opened with Discover and TD Bank in the past 24 months, plus any Capital One small-business card other than the Capital One Spark Travel Elite card and Capital One Spark Cash Plus accounts.
• Authorized user cards from another person’s personal card opened in the past 24 months, as they’re reported on your credit report. However, you can call the Chase reconsideration line and ask for these accounts to not be considered.
• Specific store cards opened in the last 24 months that are part of a national payment system and can be used elsewhere. Some data points suggest that even store cards that can only be used at a single establishment also now count. Assume that if it shows up on your credit report then Chase will count it.

The information for the Spark Travel Elite card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

The following accounts will not count toward your 5/24 standing:

Related: These business cards can help you stay under Chase’s 5/24 rule

Depending on how a bank processes a card conversion or upgrade — also known as a product change — it might not be reported as a new account. Before completing an upgrade or product change, ask the bank if a hard credit pull will be completed. In addition, ask if you’ll receive a new account number after the switch.

If the answer to one (or both) of these questions is yes, that could be a sign the account will be considered new and add to your 5/24 standing.

Related: Do product changes and conversions count against Chase’s 5/24 rule?

There have been some instances recently where cardholders bypassed the 5/24 rule through targeted “Just for you” offers. To see if you’re targeted, navigate to “Just for you” under “Explore products” in the left-hand menu bar when you’re logged in to your Chase personal account.

If you desperately want a card now and are over 5/24, you can attempt a product change within the Chase Ultimate Rewards card family (assuming you’ve held the card you want to convert for at least a year). However, unless you’ve been specifically targeted for a bonus to upgrade a card, you will not receive a sign-up bonus for any product change.

Related: When should you ignore Chase’s 5/24 rule?

Yes. Approvals for credit cards issued by banks other than Chase are not affected by your 5/24 score. Of course, each bank does have its own approval criteria.

Do Chase business cards count toward my 5/24 score?

No. If you are approved for a Chase business card, it shouldn’t add to your 5/24 standing. However, you must be below 5/24 to get approved for most Chase business cards.

What if I’m under 5/24 but have authorized user accounts on my credit report that make me appear at (or over) 5/24?

Your application may be outright denied or marked for further review. In either case, you’ll want to call the Chase reconsideration line and note which accounts are authorized user accounts. The agent will likely ask whether you are responsible for these accounts and may approve you if someone else is the primary cardholder. However, this is a manual process, and it may not work.

Instead, consider planning ahead and removing yourself as an authorized user at least a month before submitting your application.

Related: How TPG staffers with the most credit cards handle Chase’s 5/24 rule

Chase’s 5/24 is a firmly entrenched rule with no signs of disappearing any time soon. This means you need to be extremely strategic about your application and rewards strategy so you can maximize your five allowed Chase slots.

If you’re starting in the realm of credit card rewards and aren’t close to 5/24, you’ll want to prioritize getting Chase cards first. But remember not to try to fill your five slots with Chase cards too quickly. Take it slow and be smart about which cards you apply for and when you do it.

For additional reading, check out our picks for the best credit cards.

Apply here: Chase Sapphire Preferred, earning 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Reserve, earning 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.