Chase 5/24 Rule Explained: What It Is & How to Work Around It

If you’re getting into the credit card rewards game, you’ll hear about the “Chase 5/24 rule” within your first week. It’s the single most important rule in travel hacking, and it’s destroyed countless applications.

Here’s everything you need to know to work with it, not against it. If you’re new to travel rewards, check out our beginner’s guide to points and miles first.

What Is the Chase 5/24 Rule?

The 5/24 rule is simple: Chase will automatically deny your application if you’ve opened 5 or more personal credit cards in the past 24 months — from ANY issuer, not just Chase.

Opened 2 Chase cards, 2 Amex cards, and 1 Capital One card in the last two years? That’s 5 cards. You’re at 5/24. Apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred? Instant denial.

This isn’t a soft guideline. It’s a hard rule coded into Chase’s approval system. No amount of excellent credit, high income, or long Chase history will override it.

Why Does Chase Have This Rule?

Chase introduced 5/24 around 2016 to combat “churners” — people who sign up for cards, grab the bonus, and move on.

The rule forces you to be strategic about which cards you open and when. Chase knows their cards are premium products. If you want them, you need to prioritize them.

From Chase’s perspective: why give you a 75,000-point bonus if you’ve been hopping between cards every few months?

What Counts Toward 5/24?

Here’s where it gets nuanced. Not everything hits your 5/24 count equally.

✅ DOES Count Toward 5/24:

• Personal credit cards from any issuer (Chase, Amex, Citi, Capital One, Discover, store cards, etc.)
• Authorized user accounts on personal cards
• Personal cards that report to your credit — even if you don’t use them

❌ Does NOT Count Toward 5/24:

• Business credit cards that don’t report to personal credit (most Amex, Capital One, and other business cards)
• Chase business cards you already have (they don’t add to your count once opened)
• Charge cards (like Amex Green, Gold, Platinum — these are technically not credit cards)
• Corporate cards issued by your employer
• Credit limit increases on existing cards
• Store cards that are closed-loop (can only be used at that store)

The Business Card Loophole

This is the biggest insight: Business cards from most issuers don’t report to personal credit bureaus.

That means you can stack up:

• Amex Business Gold, Blue Business Plus, Business Platinum
• Capital One Spark cards
• Citi Business cards
• Bank of America Business cards

…and none of them will count toward your 5/24 number.

Important exception: Chase business cards (Ink Preferred, Ink Cash, Ink Unlimited) still REQUIRE you to be under 5/24 to get approved. They just don’t ADD to your count once you have them.

How to Check Your 5/24 Status

Here’s how to calculate your current status:

1. Pull your credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com (free)
2. Count personal credit cards opened in the last 24 months
3. Don’t count: Business cards, charge cards, or corporate cards
4. Do count: Authorized user cards (even if you plan to dispute them)

Pro tip: Use the Credit Karma app for a quick visual — it shows account opening dates. Just remember it only shows what’s on TransUnion and Equifax, not Experian.

Example Calculation

Let’s say your report shows:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred (opened 8 months ago) ✓
• Amex Gold (opened 14 months ago) ✓
• Citi Double Cash (opened 18 months ago) ✓
• Amex Business Gold (opened 6 months ago) ✗ — business card
• Capital One Venture X (opened 22 months ago) ✓
• Old Discover card (opened 3 years ago) ✗ — outside 24 months

Your 5/24 count: 4/24. You can still get one more Chase card.

The Authorized User Problem (And Solution)

Authorized user accounts appear on your credit report and count toward 5/24. This catches people off guard — especially if a parent added you to their card years ago.

The fix: Call Chase reconsideration at 1-888-270-2127 after your denial. Explain that the account(s) in question are authorized user accounts, not primary accounts you opened.

Chase will typically exclude AU accounts from your count. Have the specific account details ready:

• Which card is the AU account
• Who the primary cardholder is
• Approximate account age

This one phone call can save an otherwise dead application.

Which Chase Cards Are Subject to 5/24?

Cards that follow 5/24:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred
• Chase Sapphire Reserve
• Chase Freedom Flex
• Chase Freedom Unlimited
• Chase Freedom Rise
• Chase Ink Business Preferred
• Chase Ink Business Cash
• Chase Ink Business Unlimited
• Southwest personal and business cards
• United personal cards
• Marriott Boundless (personal)
• IHG personal cards
• British Airways card
• Aer Lingus card

Cards that MAY bypass 5/24: Some co-branded business cards have reportedly bypassed 5/24 in certain situations, including:

• IHG Business
• United Business
• Marriott Business

However — don’t count on these exceptions. They’re inconsistent and may not work. Assume all Chase cards follow 5/24 until proven otherwise.

Smart 5/24 Strategy: The Optimal Order

The golden rule: Hit Chase cards hard while you’re under 5/24, then move to other issuers.

Here’s a sample strategy for someone starting from 0/24:

Year One (Slots 1-4):

1. Chase Sapphire Preferred — 75K+ Ultimate Rewards
2. Chase Ink Business Preferred — 90K+ UR (doesn’t add to count!)
3. Chase Freedom Flex — 5x rotating categories
4. Chase Ink Cash — $750 bonus (doesn’t add to count!)
5. Chase Sapphire Reserve — upgrade or apply (wait for Sapphire eligibility)

Year Two+ (After 5/24):

• Amex Platinum, Gold, Green
• Amex business cards (any you want)
• Capital One Venture X
• Citi Premier
• Hilton, Marriott cards outside Chase

Why This Order?

Chase cards often have the best welcome bonuses and the most restrictive approval rules. Amex, Capital One, and Citi are generally more lenient about multiple cards.

Once you’re over 5/24, you can grab Amex cards easily — and their business cards don’t count toward your history anyway.

What If You’re Already Over 5/24?

If you’re at 6/24 or higher, you have a few options:

Option 1: Wait It Out

Cards fall off your 5/24 count 24 months after the account opening date. If your oldest card in the 24-month window opened 20 months ago, you’re just 4 months from being 4/24.

Option 2: Focus on Non-Chase Cards

Use this time to grab cards that don’t care about 5/24:

• Amex — Generally approves you based on their own history with you
• Capital One — Their own criteria, not 5/24-dependent
• Citi — Their own rules apply
• US Bank — Has its own velocity rules, not 5/24

Option 3: Business Cards Only

Keep opening business cards that don’t report to personal credit. You won’t ADD to your count, and eventually older personal cards will fall off.

Option 4: Modified Double Dip (Advanced)

On the day you drop from 5/24 to 4/24, you can theoretically apply for two Chase cards on the same day. This is risky and not guaranteed — Chase’s systems have gotten better at catching this.

I don’t recommend it for most people. Just be patient.

Common 5/24 Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Opening store cards casually That 20% off at checkout for opening a Target or Kohl’s card? It just cost you a Chase slot worth thousands in points.

Mistake 2: Forgetting authorized user accounts Always check for AU accounts before applying. You might be surprised what’s on your report.

Mistake 3: Not counting closed accounts A card you opened 10 months ago and closed 2 months later? Still counts. The 24 months starts from the opening date, not when you closed it.

Mistake 4: Assuming co-branded cards bypass 5/24 Some data points suggest certain cards bypass the rule, but it’s not consistent. Don’t bank your application on a loophole.

Mistake 5: Not calling reconsideration A denial isn’t always final. Chase reconsideration can approve you if there’s a fixable issue (like AU accounts or verification questions).

The Bottom Line

The Chase 5/24 rule forces you to be strategic, and that’s not a bad thing. Instead of randomly opening whatever card has a 10% discount banner, you’re now thinking about which cards actually deliver maximum value.

Key takeaways:

• Count personal cards only — business cards (except Chase’s) don’t count
• Prioritize Chase cards first if you’re under 5/24
• Call reconsideration if denied — it’s always worth the 10-minute call
• Be patient — slots open up every 24 months

The travel hackers who earn millions of points don’t fight 5/24. They work with it. Build your strategy around the rule, and you’ll come out ahead.

For more advanced strategies, check out our credit card churning guide and best credit cards for 2026.