All About Chase’s 5/24 Policy

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When you're starting out on your award travel journey, there are some bank rules and regulations you'll want to be aware of, most notably, Chase’s 5/24 rule. This unofficial rule from Chase bank will impact your ability to open cards with their bank so it is important to consider this into your card strategy! 

So what is 5/24?

The 5/24 rule from Chase bank means that you cannot be approved for a card from their bank if you have opened 5 or more personal cards in a 24 month time frame. And this includes cards from any bank or store, not just personal cards from Chase. Luckily, most business cards don’t count toward 5/24 so this is a great way to strategize your card opening long term. Keep in mind that business cards from Discover and some business cards from Capital One will count toward 5/24. 

Some examples

Let’s say Lori opens up a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, a Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, and a Costco credit card in a 9 month time frame. At this point in time, Lori is at 3/24 because all of these cards are personal credit cards. If Lori were to then open up a  Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card, she would still be at 3/24 because this card does not count toward 5/24. 

What if Meaghan opened up a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, the World of Hyatt Credit Card, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, an Old Navy credit card, and the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card in an 18 month period? She would now be at 5/24. She could apply for a card from another bank, but since she is at 5/24, she could not be approved for a personal or business card from Chase bank. You must be 4/24 or under to be approved for any card from Chase. At this point, her best option would be to either wait until one of these cards drops off after 24 months from opening, or she could open a business card from another bank that would not add to her 5/24 count. 

Why is this important

Because of the 5/24 rule, many people will opt to start out opening personal Chase cards first when they are new to points and miles. Chase has the most options for travel rewards credit cards and their points are incredibly valuable so you’ll want to keep this in mind as you begin to think about your first cards. 

This is also important to note as business cards can be a vital part of your award travel card strategy! They will help keep your 5/24 low, and it will give you a break in between applying for personal cards. Read all about business credit cards here! 

EDITORIAL DISCLOSURE: Opinions  expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.