If you've ever heard "you should get the Sapphire Preferred first," this is why.
Chase has an unwritten policy — never officially confirmed but consistently enforced for years — that they will deny your application for most of their cards if you've opened 5 or more credit cards from any issuer in the last 24 months. The community calls it the 5/24 rule, and it shapes how rewards-focused people sequence their credit card applications.
Here's exactly how it works.
The rule, simply
If you've opened 5 or more personal credit cards from any issuer (Amex, Capital One, Citi, store cards — anything) in the last 24 months, Chase will deny most of their applications regardless of your credit score, income, or relationship with Chase.
The 24-month clock is rolling. As old accounts age past the 24-month mark, they drop off the count. So someone who opened 5 cards in 2023 will be back under 5/24 by 2025.
Which Chase cards enforce the rule
Most consumer Chase cards are 5/24-restricted:
- All Sapphire cards (Preferred, Reserve)
- All Freedom cards (Unlimited, Flex, Rise)
- All Slate cards
- Co-branded cards (United, Southwest, Marriott Bonvoy, IHG, Disney, etc.)
Most Chase business cards are NOT subject to 5/24 — Ink Business Preferred, Ink Business Cash, Ink Business Unlimited. Business cards from most issuers also don't count toward your 5/24 count, which is part of why business cards are the workaround.
Which cards count toward the count
This is the part people get wrong.
Counts toward 5/24:
- Personal credit cards from any issuer (including Chase itself)
- Store credit cards (Macy's, Target, Amazon, etc.)
- Cards opened jointly or as primary on a joint account
Does NOT count toward 5/24:
- Business credit cards from most issuers (Capital One business cards are an exception — they DO show up on personal credit reports)
- Authorized user accounts (Chase technically counts these, but you can call and ask them to manually exclude)
- Cards that didn't actually open (denied applications, applications you cancelled before approval)
- Loans, mortgages, and lines of credit (only revolving credit cards count)
The reason business cards are valuable in this strategy: most issuers (Chase, Amex, Citi) don't report business cards to your personal credit report. So you can hold a Chase Ink Business Cash, an Amex Business Gold, a Capital One Spark Cash, and they don't show up in your 5/24 count even though you've opened them.
How to check your current 5/24 status
Pull your free credit report from annualcreditreport.com (or Credit Karma, Experian, etc.) and count the credit cards opened in the last 24 months.
Look at the "date opened" field on each account. Cards opened more than 24 months ago don't count. If you've authorized users on someone else's account, those count too unless Chase manually excludes them.
If you count 4 or fewer accounts opened in the last 24 months, you're under 5/24. If you count 5 or more, you're over and Chase will deny most applications.
Why the rule exists
Chase doesn't say. The widely accepted theory is that they identified a pattern: people who open lots of cards in short periods are more likely to be either churning sign-up bonuses (cancelling cards after the bonus, costing Chase money) or at risk of financial trouble.
Either way, Chase decided to filter those applicants out. It's not enforced by their underwriting algorithm — it's a hard rule applied before any credit-based decision. You can have a 800 credit score and $300,000 income and still get denied if you're over 5/24.
How to plan around 5/24
The classic strategy:
1. Get the Chase cards you want first. Before you accumulate cards from other issuers, sequence your Chase applications when you're under 5/24. Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve are the big ones; co-branded cards (Southwest, United) too if those airlines fit your travel.
2. Space out applications. Don't open 4 cards in 6 months. Apply for 1-2 cards per year max. This keeps you well under 5/24 indefinitely.
3. Use business cards for additional applications. Once you've gotten the Chase cards you want, you can still earn welcome bonuses on business cards without ticking up your 5/24 count. Chase Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited both have generous welcome bonuses and don't show up on your personal credit report.
4. Wait if you're over. If you're already over 5/24, the simplest solution is to wait. Don't open any new personal cards. As your existing accounts age past 24 months, your count drops. Eventually you'll be under 5 again.
The "what about Sapphire Preferred specifically" question
A lot of people ask if there's a way to get the Sapphire Preferred while over 5/24. The honest answer is: no reliable way.
In rare cases, people have reported approvals while at exactly 5/24, possibly because Chase's count of their cards was off by one (a card that just aged off, or an authorized user account). Don't bet on this.
The Sapphire Preferred is a strict 5/24 card. If you want it, get it while you're under 5/24, even if you have to wait several months for older accounts to age off your report.
Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve first?
If you're under 5/24 and want one of these cards, pick based on your travel:
- Sapphire Preferred ($95/year): Most people. Earns 3x dining, 2x travel, $50 hotel credit. Sweet spot for casual travelers.
- Sapphire Reserve ($550/year): Heavy travelers who'd actually use the lounge access, $300 travel credit, and primary rental car insurance. Math has to work.
You can't have both Sapphire cards at once — Chase only lets you hold one Sapphire product at a time. You can downgrade or upgrade between them later, but the welcome bonus only applies if you've never had any Sapphire card before, or if you've cancelled and waited 48 months.
What about other Chase cards?
A few Chase cards are NOT subject to 5/24 even on the consumer side:
- British Airways Visa Signature — sometimes
- Aeroplan Visa — sometimes
- IHG Premier and IHG Traveler — variable; reports go both ways
The list of exceptions changes over time as Chase tweaks their rules. Don't bet on an exception unless current data points (within the past 3-6 months) confirm it.
Bottom line
If you're new to credit card rewards: don't open 4 cards in your first year. Be intentional about the order, get the cards you want most from Chase first, and space out applications.
If you're already over 5/24: wait it out. Trying to game it usually doesn't work. Use the time to maximize the cards you already have.
If you're somewhere in between (2-3/24): plan your next 1-2 applications carefully. Make sure they include any Chase cards you want before you fill up your slots with other issuers.
