Chase application rules

Chase offers some of the very best credit cards in the market – many of them are on our Top Credit Cards page.  I’ve earned millions of points via Chase credit cards over the years and they’ve been integral in achieving aspirational travel. If you really want to execute your wallet strategy to its fullest potential you need to know the rules of the Chase program. Let’s break them down so you are best educated on your application when it comes time to pull the trigger.

• 5/24
• 2/30
• 1/48
• Family Rules
• No Limit
• Point rake/take backs
• Ambiguous new language

Our favorite Chase cards earn Ultimate Rewards

5/24

• Almost all of Chase’s cards are a part of their 5/24 rule. This means that you can not sign up if you have opened more than 5 credit cards in the last 24 months.

2/30

• You can only be approved for 2 cards in a 30 day timeframe

Getting the sign up bonus a second time: 24 month and 48 month rules

24 months rule

• If you have had a Chase product in the past, it’s possible to get it again; however, you can’t get a sign up bonus until 24 months have passed from the date you bonus posted to your account. You also can’t add a second card to your wallet, meaning, you’d need to downgrade or cancel that card.

48 month rule

• Specific to the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can not receive a welcome bonus if you have received one on either the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve within the last 48 months.

Only one Chase Sapphire product

• If you currently hold a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve you cannot sign up for the card ( Anecdotally this applies to those who have the legacy Sapphire card as well ). Those who currently hold both can be grandfathered into holding both, but if you only have one, you’re restricted from another.

No limit on cards

• There is no preset limit on the number of cards you can keep with Chase.

In fact, I personally carry 9 cards and I am looking to add to that number in the near future. Here’s what I’m currently carrying

• • Chase Sapphire Preferred
  • Chase Freedom
  • Chase IHG Rewards Select
  • Chase IHG Premier
  • Chase World of Hyatt Card
  • Chase Ink Business Preferred (2 )
  • Chase Ink Business Cash
  • Chase Ink Business Unlimited

Chase Family Rules

Certain credit cards that Chase issues earn the same kind of points. We refer to that as a family of cards. For instance, the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve both earn Ultimate Rewards. The IHG Traveler and IHG Premier both earn IHG One Rewards. Chase has begun to implement family rules whereby you can only qualify for a bonus, and possibly even add the card to your wallet, on a single card per family.

• Southwest cards
• IHG Cards
• Sapphire Cards

Chase will rake your sign up bonus back if you close your card too soon

Under no circumstances should you close a card within the first 12 months of cardmembership, so these rules should be completely moot, but they’ve been added to application language so we will highlight them.

• Hyatt cards – 3 months
  • “If your account is not open for at least three months, Hyatt and Chase reserve the right to deduct the Bonus Points from your World of Hyatt account.”
• Marriott cards – 6 months
  • “If your account is not open for at least six months, Marriott and Chase reserve the right to deduct the bonus points from your Marriott Bonvoy account.”
• United cards – 6 months
  •  “If your account is not open for at least six months, United and Chase reserve the right to deduct the bonus miles from your MileagePlus Program account.”
• IHG cards – uhhhh
  •  “Chase may close your credit card account or suspend your right to use your credit card account, at any time for any reason, including account inactivity.”

Chase has added new language that could prohibit holding more than one card that earns the same kind of point

This language was just recently added to all Chase applications. This hasn’t been in force long enough to know if this is just there to give Chase leeway in denying sign up bonuses, or if this means some pretty bad news for all of us who have a Chase Sapphire Preferred + Freedom Unlimited/Flex in order to enjoy high category bonuses on each card. We shall see, but this was added ironically on 5/24/22.

“Chase cardmembers who currently have or have had a Chase credit card in any Rewards Program associated with this offer, may not be eligible for a second Chase credit card in the same Rewards Program. Chase cardmembers currently receiving promotional pricing, or Chase cardmembers with a history of only using their current or prior Chase card for promotional pricing offers, are not eligible for a second Chase credit card with promotional pricing.”

 

A few examples of using Chase Ultimate Rewards to achieve aspirational travel

• Emirates First Class
  • 85k from JFK to Milan or Newark to Athens
• Iberia Business Class
  • Off-peak 34k from ORD, BOS, JFK to Madrid
• Virgin Atlantic Upper Class
  • 47.5k JFK To London
• United Polaris Business Class
  • 60k US to Europe
• Air France Business Class
  • 55k Paris to Washington D.C.
• Singapore Suites
  • 53k Beijing to Singapore
• British Airways First Class
  • 25k upgrade from Business LAX to LHR
• Alila Uluwatu
  • 30k Hyatt points per night