The Chase 5/24 rule is the widely reported practice of Chase declining most credit card applications from people who have opened five or more credit card accounts, with any bank, in the past 24 months. If you are at four or fewer, you are generally clear. If you are at five or more, approval for a new Chase card is unlikely no matter how strong your credit score is.
Because the count includes cards from every issuer, 5/24 affects your whole application plan, not only your Chase cards. This guide explains what is known about the rule, how to count your own number, and how to order your applications so a Chase card you want is not locked out for two years.
Where the Rule Comes From
Chase has never published 5/24 as a written policy. What is known comes from years of consistent approval and denial reports from applicants, which is why the details below are described as reported behavior rather than official terms.
Chase does say on its own card pages that recent account activity can matter. The Sapphire Preferred offer details state that Chase may also consider the number of cards you have opened and closed when deciding bonus eligibility. That line is about the bonus rather than approval, but it confirms that how often you open cards is something Chase looks at.
Not a Credit Score Issue
The 5/24 rule is a count, not a score factor. Someone with excellent credit and six new cards in two years can be declined, while someone with a modest score and two new cards may be approved.
What Counts Toward Your Five
The core of the rule is simple: new credit card accounts opened in the last 24 months, at any bank, count. A card you opened and later closed still counts, because the rule looks at when the account was opened, not whether it is still active.
Beyond that, reports differ on some edge cases. Charge cards and retail cards that appear on your personal credit report are generally reported to count. Business cards are less clear: most business cards do not appear on personal credit reports, so they usually do not add to your count, but some issuers do report business cards to the personal bureaus. Authorized user accounts are also disputed, since they show up on your report even though you did not apply for them. When in doubt, assume an account counts if it appears on your personal credit report.
| Account type | Generally counts? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Personal credit cards (any bank) | Yes | Closed cards opened in the window still count |
| Charge cards and retail cards | Usually | Depends on whether the account is on your personal report |
| Business credit cards | Usually not | Counts if the issuer reports it to your personal credit file |
| Authorized user cards | Disputed | Shows on your report; reports conflict |
| Hard inquiries and denied applications | No | Only opened accounts count toward the five |
| Auto loans, mortgages, student loans | No | Installment loans are not credit cards |
Counting Your Own 5/24 Status
Do not count from memory. Pull your credit reports and work from the open dates listed there. The CFPB notes you can get free reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion once a week at AnnualCreditReport.com, so checking all three before an application costs nothing.
From there, the process takes a few minutes. List every credit card account with an open date in the last 24 months. Include closed accounts and anything that appears as an authorized user account. Sort the list by open date and count. If the total is five or more, note the open date of the oldest account on the list, since that is the first one to fall out of the window.
Here is a worked example for an application in late October 2026. Suppose your reports show cards opened in September 2024, March 2025, January 2026, May 2026, and August 2026. The September 2024 card is now more than 24 months old, so it no longer counts, and you are at 4/24. If that first card had been opened in December 2024 instead, all five would fall inside the window and you would stay at 5/24 until December 2026 passes.
Leave a Buffer
Count 24 months from the open date on your report, then wait until the following month before applying. Bureaus can display dates slightly differently, and applying a few weeks early is a common way to get an avoidable denial.
Putting Chase First in Your Application Order
The practical takeaway from 5/24 is about sequence. Every card you open with another issuer uses one of your five slots, and Chase is the issuer that cares about the count. If you want one or more Chase cards, apply for them while you are still under 5/24, then add cards from other banks afterward.
For someone building a rewards setup, that usually means starting with the Chase cards you plan to keep. A common pairing is a no-annual-fee everyday card such as the Freedom Unlimited, which lists no annual fee and 1.5% cash back on purchases outside its bonus categories, alongside a travel card like the Sapphire Preferred. Our credit card combo strategy guide explains how those cards work together.
Spacing matters too. Opening five cards in quick succession puts you over 5/24 for close to two years. If you are pacing applications for welcome bonuses, our guide to maximizing a credit card welcome bonus covers how to time spending requirements so you are not juggling several at once.
5/24 Versus Chase's Bonus Eligibility Rules
The 5/24 rule is easy to confuse with the bonus restrictions Chase prints in its offer terms, but they are separate checks. The 5/24 rule is about whether you are approved at all. Bonus rules decide whether an approved account earns the welcome offer.
Those bonus rules vary by card. The Freedom Unlimited offer is not available to previous cardmembers who received its new cardmember bonus within the last 24 months. The Sapphire Preferred terms state that the card is unavailable to you if you currently have this card open, and that the bonus may not be available if you previously held the card. Being under 5/24 does not override any of these, so read the offer details for the specific card before applying. Welcome offers change, so confirm the current terms on the issuer page at the time you apply.
Mistakes That Cost People a Chase Approval
Forgetting store cards. A retail card opened for a one-time checkout discount can still appear on your credit report and use up a slot.
Ignoring authorized user accounts. Being added to a family member's card can show up as a new account on your report, so check your reports before assuming you are under the limit.
Opening easy-approval cards first. Applying for cards from other issuers before your Chase cards can use up your slots and push the Chase cards you want back by up to two years.
Opening more cards than you can manage. Staying under 5/24 is a timing constraint, not a goal. Our guide on how many credit cards you should have covers the credit score and payment trade-offs of adding accounts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chase does not publish a list, so there is no official answer. Reports indicate it applies to most Chase-issued credit cards, including many co-branded cards. If a specific card matters to you, plan as though 5/24 applies.
Yes. Personal Chase cards opened in the last 24 months count the same as cards from any other bank.
It is unlikely. Applicants over the limit are generally declined regardless of income or credit score. The more reliable path is to wait until enough accounts age out of the 24-month window.
No. The rule counts opened accounts, so a denied application does not add to your total. Inquiries can still affect your credit score and an issuer's overall decision.
