Of all the bank rules and restrictions in the world of points and miles, none gets more digital ink than Chase's dreaded 5/24 Rule. It's practically gospel among countless travel sites and influencers that focus on credit cards … and that makes opening a card from any other bank a cardinal sin.
But if you ask us, the supposedly sacred Chase 5/24 Rule is overblown.
What's the 5/24 rule? While you won't find it anywhere on Chase's site, the 5/24 rule is a restriction designed to limit applicants from opening multiple credit cards to keep earning big welcome bonuses. If you've opened five or more new credit cards – with any bank, not just Chase – in the last 24 months, this rule means Chase will deny your application.
We've written why it's best to start with Chase credit cards and we stand by that – the logic is sound. In fact, following the Chase 5/24 Rule is still good as a general guideline, a way to ensure travelers who are just learning about travel rewards don't miss out on the biggest and best bonuses to fuel their future trips.
But when it comes to travel and personal finance, there's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all answer. And some on social media, internet forums, and travel blogs take it too far, preaching the importance of following Chase's biggest restriction above all else.
Here's what you need to know about Chase's 5/24 Rule … and why it might be worth writing off altogether.
Go deeper: Everything You Need to Know About the Chase 5/24 Rule
Why The Chase 5/24 Rule Matters (To Some)
Let's start with addressing why this rule matters to some travelers … before getting into why it might not (and probably shouldn't) apply to you.
From the co-branded United Airlines cards to Southwest to many foreign airlines as well as Hyatt and Marriott, Chase is a huge player in the travel credit card market. More importantly, the bank has its own line of Ultimate Rewards cards like the *chase sapphire preferred* and *chase sapphire reserve*, whose points you can use to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and more through the Chase Travel℠ portal or transfer directly to a slew of travel partners.
That one-two punch of co-branded cards and Chase Ultimate Rewards makes Chase one of the biggest and best banks when it comes to travel rewards credit cards. For beginners and experts alike, ensuring you're eligible to open a Chase card is a wise idea …
… but only within reason. And telling everyone – no matter their travel goals or financial situation – to simply forget about anything with the name American Express, Capital One, or Citi on it just isn't reasonable.
How Many Cards Are You Really Opening?
Be honest with yourself: How many new credit cards are you actually opening? Or planning to open?
Many Americans are understandably wary of credit cards and guarding their credit score – and they should be: Credit cards are serious business. For most people, the thought of adding more than one new credit card a year sounds insane and irresponsible, let alone five over a two-year span.
To be clear: It can be done responsibly. So long as you pay your balance in full and on time, your credit score will improve over time – even as you continually add new credit cards to your wallet.
Even so, that five-card threshold is unrealistic to the vast majority of travelers. Say you get two new cards every 12 months … you'll still be eligible for a new Chase card if a good offer comes around. And if you're operating in a two-player system – where you and a spouse or partner are both opening new credit cards – that's four per year, more than enough for most households to fund their future travels.
But much of the supposed expert guidance about how critical the Chase 5/24 Rule is – and that you should never open a card from another bank like American Express or Capital One, no matter how amazing that 175,000-point bonus may be – is written by travelers who have dozens of credit cards in their desks. It might be the right mindset for them and for the small subset of fellow super users … but totally irrelevant to you.
And then there's the money you need to spend to actually earn that big bonus. Given that most cards require spending $4,000 (or more) in three months to earn a bonus, that can really add up. Even though there are some creative ways to increase your credit card spending – without making unnecessary purchases – there's little incentive to open a new card at all.
So yes, it's important to be aware of Chase's 5/24 Rule, most travelers don't need to be concerned with it because it's never going to impact them.
And How Many Chase Cards Would You Really Want?
Let's say you're dead set on opening a bunch of credit cards over the next year or two and know you can do so responsibly. You could
Realistically, how many Chase cards are actually worth opening? Odds are, it's less than five – and not just in a two-year span, but ever.
Let's start with the obvious. Having a Chase Sapphire Preferred (or Reserve) makes total sense. They're two of the best travel cards on the market, unlocking Chase's stable of travel partners and some outstanding built-in travel insurance.
But beyond that, there aren't many slam dunks that would be worth fiercely protecting your 5/24 status … at the expense of other, arguably more valuable options from other banks:
- Adding a Chase card like the Chase Freedom Flex or the *freedom unlimited* can make good sense for earning additional points in bonus categories that aren't covered by either Sapphire Card – especially since neither of them charges an annual fee.
- If you live in a United or Southwest stronghold, one of those credit cards could be worth the travel benefits and earning some more points. For others, they're easily worth skipping.
- And maybe it's worth adding in a co-branded hotel card from Marriott or Hyatt within that same two-year span for its annual free night award and other perks.
Oh, and you can't pick up both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve Card thanks to a different Chase rule that restricts you from earning bonuses on both cards within a four-year span. You could upgrade (or downgrade) from one to the other after a year, but that still only counts as one card by Chase's math.
Add it all up and you're still only at four Chase cards at the most.
There might be a few fringe cases here or there, where extreme travel credit card aficionados pick up an international airline's Chase card like from Air Canada or British Airways thanks to a big bonus. But if you're reading this, that probably doesn't apply to you.
So it's not just highly unlikely that you'd even want pick up five different Chase cards over 24 months. It's unlikely you'll have five-plus Chase travel cards in your lifetime.
Go All In and Don't Look Back
Let's take a look at the other end of the spectrum.
I'm talking about all you weirdos – and I can say that because I'm one of you – with a wallet busting at the seams full of credit cards. Oh, and don't forget all the ones stuffed in your desk drawer that you keep around just for the perks.
We're a small crowd … and it's important to admit that. But even for us, Chase's draconian 5/24 Rule isn't the end of the world: There are plenty of other fish in the sea, so to speak.
Banks like American Express, Barclays, Capital One, Citi, and even Wells Fargo issue a bevy of different travel cards and seem to come out with a new one every year or two. And there's simply too big of opportunity cost to staying under 5/24.
Ask yourself this: What are you giving up by holding out to stay (or fall back) under 5/24? For many, that cost is higher than what Chase will give you in return.
If you really want to go all in on traveling the world using points or miles, the best way to do it is to routinely pick up new card bonuses. With so many different banks offering travel rewards cards these days, your best course of action might be to just leave Chase in your rearview mirror and focus on adding new cards everywhere else.
And increasingly, there's a far more important source for piling up points … and it makes following Chase's 5/24 Rule to a T irrelevant.
Business Cards Don't Count
Whether you're running a corporation, have a small side hustle, or simply selling things on Facebook Marketplace, you're probably eligible for a small business credit card. And you're in luck.
From the relatively new *venture x business* to *biz platinum* to Chase's own *chase ink preferred*, business cards are getting much of the love with bigger bonuses lately. The bonuses aren't just bigger – they're easier to get, too.
One key exception to Chase's 5/24 Rule is that business cards don't count … with a catch.
If you want to open a new Chase business card, like the *chase ink preferred* or the *Ink Unlimited*, you'll need to be under 5/24 to get approved – but getting that new card won't add to your total. And same goes for new business cards with other banks like American Express and Capital One: Because the card is used for business, it won't show up on your personal credit report. And that means it isn't counted as part of Chase's 5/24 Rule, either.
That means so long as you stay at or under four new personal cards in a rolling 24-month period, you're good to go.
While you might think this doesn't apply to you, many Americans have what the banks would consider a small business.
Do you have any income from freelance work, or plans to start freelance work? You have a business. Have you ever sold an item on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Etsy, or other platforms, or have plans to do so in the future? You have a business.
At the end of the day, if you are selling any goods or services, or contracting with a company to do so in an attempt to make a profit, you have a small business and thus are typically eligible to apply for a small business credit card. That makes it possible for just about anybody to apply for a business credit card.
Just keep in mind: You should never lie or attempt to mislead a bank when applying for a business credit card. It's important to have a legitimate business, even if that business is just your own.
Overall, this wrinkle with small business cards makes the Chase 5/24 Rule even less relevant – even to points and miles power users.
Read more: The 5 Best Business Card Offers Right Now
How to Track Your 5/24 Status
Even if you're convinced it's not worth sweating, it's smart to keep tabs on your your Chase 5/24 status. We've got the tool for you.
Over the years, the best way we've found to monitor your 5/24 count is a service called Travel Freely. It allows you to easily track the credit cards you've opened and closed, automatically calculating your current 5/24 number. It also alerts you to annual fee due dates and provides guidance on when it's the right time to apply for a new card.
Best of all, the service is completely free to use and doesn't track any sensitive financial information. It simply works with the simple card information you manually enter, including the day you opened (and possibly closed) a card account.
Of course, this data is only as good as you make it. It requires staying on top of the dates you've opened and closed credit cards, but the service makes that very easy to do. Any time you add, product change, or close a card, just put the dates in Travel Freely and it will do the rest of the work for you.
Another great option for staying on top of things is to use a service like Credit Karma or even Experian to get a bigger-picture look at your credit. Either service should show you a list of all your open credit accounts and when they were opened. From here, you should be able to calculate which ones will count toward your 5/24 status – or just throw them into Travel Freely.
Read more: How to Track Your Chase 5/24 Status (& Why You Should)
Bottom Line
In the points and miles world, many travelers live and die by Chase's 5/24 Rule. Yet for most travelers, it's simply not worth the trouble.
If you're not already opening more than two credit cards per year (or four per household), then you have absolutely nothing to worry about. On the flip-side, if you're ready to go all-in with points and miles, your best move might just be to forget about Chase altogether after a few easy wins before moving onto other banks – or focusing on small business credit cards.