The Chase 5/24 rule explained: the order to apply in
Last updated: October 2, 2026 Card terms checked: September 2026
Chase's 5/24 rule is an unpublished but widely documented pattern: if you have opened five or more new personal credit cards, from any bank, in the last 24 months, Chase will very likely decline a new application. It matters for card stacking because Chase counts new cards from every bank and the other issuers do not count your total, so Chase usually goes first in the order of applications. The rule is based on applicant reports, not a published Chase policy, and it can change without notice.
Approval is always the issuer's decision, and every card should be paid in full each month.
What 5/24 is
| Counts toward 5/24 | Does not count |
|---|---|
| Personal credit cards from any bank, including store cards and credit union cards | Most business cards from Chase, Amex, Citi, Bank of America, and U.S. Bank |
| Authorized user accounts that appear on your credit report | Mortgages, auto loans, and student loans |
| Business cards that report to personal credit: most Capital One business cards (reported exceptions: Venture X Business and Spark Cash Plus) and Discover business cards | Denied applications and hard inquiries |
| Cards you have since closed, if opened in the past 24 months | Cards opened more than 24 months ago |
How to count your number
Chase works from your credit report, not your memory, so use the same source:
- Pull your reports at AnnualCreditReport.com, the free official site for all three bureaus.
- List every credit card account opened in the past 24 months, open or closed, with the month opened.
- Look at the oldest one. It stops counting 24 months after it was opened. Reports differ on the exact day it drops off, so allow a few extra days past the anniversary before you apply.
A hypothetical example:
| Card | Opened | Counts until about |
|---|---|---|
| Store card | March 2025 | March 2027 |
| Cash back card | November 2025 | November 2027 |
| Travel card | June 2026 | June 2028 |
| Current count | 3/24 |
Two more personal cards from anyone and Chase is closed to this household. In March 2027 the store card stops counting and they drop back to 2.
Authorized user accounts are the ones that catch people. If a spouse or parent added you to their card, that account often appears on your report as a new account, and Chase counts it. Applicants report that after a denial, calling Chase's reconsideration line to explain an authorized user account sometimes gets it left out of the count. That is not a policy you can count on. If you know you will be applying, the cleaner move is to ask to be removed as an authorized user a month or two ahead.
Chase's other rules
| Chase rule | What applicants report or terms say | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 5/24 (personal and business cards) | Denied at five or more new personal cards in 24 months, any bank | Unpublished; long-standing |
| Sapphire bonus | Each Sapphire card's bonus generally once; an eligibility message appears before the credit pull | In offer terms since January 2026 |
| 2/30 | About two personal approvals per 30 days | Unpublished; reported |
| 3/24 for Ink business cards | Denials at 3/24 and 4/24 reported since about September 16, 2026, mainly for sole proprietors | Unconfirmed; conflicting reports |
Plan as if the Ink business-card reports are real, but know they are unconfirmed.
How other issuers differ
| Issuer | Main rule | Uses your total new-card count? |
|---|---|---|
| Chase | 5/24; Sapphire once-per-card bonus | Yes |
| American Express | Once per card ("have or have had"); Green, Gold, Platinum family order; message before submit | No |
| Citi | One application per 8 days and two per 65 (reported); Strata bonus once-per-card language (September 2026) | No |
| Capital One | About one new card per six months and a cap on personal cards (reported); pulls all three bureaus | No hard count |
The other issuers do not use your total new-card count, which is why a Chase application should come before the cards that would otherwise use up your slots.
The order to apply in
For the stack in the 3-card stack, starting from a hypothetical 2/24:
| When | Card | Count after | Why this spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Month 0 | Chase Sapphire Preferred | 3/24 | Chase first, while under 5/24. The stack's Travel Earner |
| About month 3 | American Express Gold | 4/24 | Amex ignores your total. The Category Earner |
| About month 6 | Citi Double Cash | 5/24 | Citi ignores your total. The Catch-All. Chase is now closed until the oldest card ages off, and that is fine |
If you also want a Chase business card, apply for it before the personal ones. Space applications about three months apart. See how to maximize sign-up bonuses and what issuers check before approving premium cards. To decide which cards deserve your slots, use the free rewards calculator.
Cards mentioned
- Chase Sapphire Preferred (issuer terms)
- American Express Gold (issuer terms)
- Citi Double Cash (issuer terms)