Guides · Cards & Points

What Is the Chase 5/24 Rule?

Last checked: 2026-10-23

The Chase 5/24 rule is an unofficial, applicant-reported rule. As reported, Chase will usually decline a personal card application if you have opened five or more personal credit cards, from any bank, in the past 24 months.

Chase does not currently publish a detailed 5/24 policy. Independent reports document language that briefly appeared on the Sapphire Reserve application in 2016 and was later removed. Everything else here comes from independent outlets and applicants, so it may be wrong or out of date.

If you're at 4/24, another personal card approval would bring your count to 5/24. Being below the reported limit does not guarantee approval. Chase decides each application based on its own review.

The short version

• It counts reported personal card accounts opened in the last 24 months, from every issuer, not just Chase.
• It is reported to limit Chase approvals, but Chase reviews your credit history, and not every type of account counts toward the limit.
• Closing a counted card does not remove it from the count. Time does.

A quick note on where this comes from.

Chase's own site says it may look at how many cards you've opened and closed when it decides on welcome bonus eligibility. That language appears in the offer details section of the Sapphire Preferred page.

That bonus eligibility language is separate from the reported 5/24 approval restriction. Treat 5/24 as a reported pattern, not a promise.

Accounts reported to count

• Personal credit cards and charge cards
• Store cards, including some cards usable only at one retailer
• Cards you've already closed, until they age out
• Authorized user accounts, if they show on your credit report (some people report that Chase excludes these when asked, but it isn't consistent)
• Some business cards that report account openings to personal credit reports, including cards from Discover, TD Bank, and certain Capital One products. Check the specific card rather than relying only on the issuer name.

Accounts generally reported not to count

• Most business cards, because they usually don't report to your personal credit
• Denied applications and hard inquiries
• Mortgages, auto loans, and student loans

Product changes, where you switch one card to another within the same issuer, usually don't count. It depends on how the issuer processes the change.

Which Chase cards it applies to

It's reported to apply to most Chase cards, including the Sapphire, Freedom, and Ink lines, along with the airline and hotel co-brands.

Those lists are built by applicants, and Chase doesn't confirm them. Because of that, we won't hand you a card-by-card list that could point you in the wrong direction.

Chase business cards are generally reported to be subject to 5/24 when you apply. They usually do not add an account to your personal credit report afterward.

Reports since September 2026 describe tighter approval restrictions for some sole proprietor business applications, often called 3/24. Reports differ on the scope. Some point to Ink cards only. Exceptions have also been reported. We found no official Chase explanation.

How to check your count

Review your credit reports and count reported card accounts opened within the past 24 months. Include closed cards and any business card accounts that count.

AnnualCreditReport.com is free, and Chase's own education page points people there as well.

Use account opening dates, not application dates.

Recent accounts may not appear right away, so include cards you know you opened even if they haven't shown up on your report yet.

We found no official Chase 5/24 calculator, and the count includes cards from other banks.

If you're over

Mostly, applicants wait.

Independent guides commonly recommend waiting until the first day of the month after a counted account reaches 24 months before applying. Chase does not publish an exact reset date.

A few things applicants report doing while they wait. These are not recommendations, and they are not Chase guidance:

• Some applicants apply for Chase cards before cards from other issuers.
• Some applicants apply for Chase business cards before personal cards, because business cards usually don't report to personal credit.
• A product change may be available after a year, depending on the card and eligibility. It normally does not earn a new account welcome bonus, although a targeted upgrade offer can differ. Chase decides.
• Watch for "just for you" offers inside your logged-in Chase account. Some people report these can get approved even over the limit. It's reported only, and there's no recipe. Offers are not guaranteed, and Chase does not confirm this.

If you're denied, Chase's general education page says your credit history generally has to have changed before reconsideration. This is not a published 5/24 requirement. Follow the instructions in your denial notice.

How reliably is it enforced?

Reported as usually enforced.

Applicants and writers also report some approvals over the limit. Chase does not currently publish a detailed 5/24 policy, has not confirmed any exceptions, and results vary.

Questions people ask

crazy4points is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Chase, and card names belong to their owners. Chase does not currently publish a detailed 5/24 policy; everything about it here is reported by independent outlets and may be wrong or out of date. This is general information, not financial advice or a recommendation to apply for any card. We may or may not receive compensation from some links on our site; this guide has none. Confirm current terms on Chase's official pages before you apply. Rewards only make sense when you pay your credit card bill in full.