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Credit Card Application Rules [2024]

So, you’re applying for a credit card. Or better put, credit cards. There are so many awesome welcome bonuses and 0% APR introductory rates, plus, plus, plus. But you might feel like quitting the guessing game of “Will I get approved for a card or not?”. 

Credit card applications are a form that you fill out when you apply for a new card. 

Credit card applications are free, but applying “just because”- without knowing if you stand a chance- is not worth it. That’s because it leads to credit inquiries which affect your credit score. (More on credit inquiries here.)

Most credit card issuers have set rules when it comes to credit card approvals. 

If you do not meet those standards, then you will automatically get declined- even if you have perfect credit!

What are the credit card application rules?

The most famous rule is the Chase 5/24 rule. But do you know the approval rules for the other credit card issuers? 

Let’s discuss the approval rules for all the major credit card issuers.

Chase application rules

  • Chase will decline an applicant who has opened 5 or more personal cards (other issuers included) in the past 24 months. 
  • You can only get approved for up to 2 Chase personal credit cards in 30 days (business cards can sometimes go more than 2).

You can read more details about the Chase 5/24 rule here.

American Express application rules

  • In a time span of 90 days, you can only get approved for 2 Amex cards. No Preset Spending Limit* cards are not included in this rule and do not get counted.
  • Officially, you can only get approved for up to – and including- 5 Amex credit cards (including personal and business), but this rule isn’t always enforced (please note, the total of 5 credit cards excludes some Amex cards that are No Preset Spending Limit* cards, like the card_name, card_name, etc.).
  • You can only get approved for up to-and including- 10 Amex No Preset Spending Limit* cards. (This rule is not always enforced).
  • Amex has three personal Platinum cards 1) card_name 2)The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley, 3) The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Charles Schwab. You can only get one of the three Platinums in a 90 day period.

*No Preset Spending Limit means the spending limit is flexible. [In fact,] unlike a traditional [credit] card with a set limit, the amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment, and credit history

Citi application rules

  • Citi will only approve you for one personal card every 8 days, and only 2 Citi personal cards within 65 days. 
  • Citi will only approve you for one business card every 95 days.

Barclays application rules

  • Barclays will not approve you for their cards if you have opened 6 or more credit cards within the past 24 months. 
  • If you do not use your open Barclays cards often, then Barclays may hesitate to approve you for a new one.

Bank of America application rules

  • Bank of America will only approve you for max 2 Bank of America personal cards within 2 months, 3 Bank of America personal cards within 12 months, and 4 Bank of America personal cards within 24 months (Bank of America business cards do not have this rule). 
  • You cannot get approved for a Bank of America personal card if you have more than 5 Bank of America personal credit cards open (Bank of America business cards do not have this rule).
  • Bank of America will not approve you for their credit card if you opened more than 2 cards in the past 12 months, even if it’s from other issuers. Unless you’re a BOA bank account holder, then you can get approved even if you opened up to 6 cards in 12 months.

Capital One application rules

  • You can only get approved for 1 personal Capital One card every 6 months (not always enforced).

Discover application rules

  • Discover will only approve you for one card every 12 months, and they only allow a total of 2 open Discover credit cards. 

Wells Fargo application rules

  • You might need a Wells Fargo bank account in order to get approved for some of their credit cards. 
  • You might not qualify for a second Wells Fargo credit card if you have opened a Wells Fargo card in the last 6 months. 

US Bank application rules

  • There are no known rules for applying for US Bank cards. 

CardRight does the legwork for you

Is your head spinning? Are you trying to wrap your brain around how you’re supposed to keep track of these rules and still find a credit card you’re eligible for?

It may be confusing to figure out on your own, but with CardRight, it’s as simple as logging in and letting the app do the elimination process for you.

CardRight will remove from the list of credit cards the cards that you are not eligible for based on the above application rules. So when you decide to choose a new card, the list will automatically exclude the cards you have no chance of getting approved for.

Also, you can check out the Bank Eligibility to see which bank’s limits you’ve reached and due to which cards, and how much longer you have until you’re once again eligible for a card from that bank.

Sign up to CardRight today!

Frequently asked questions
If I get denied for a credit card, will the application be included in the 5/24 count?
No, the 5/24 rule will only include cards that you were approved for.
Why does Chase use the 5/24 rule?
Many people apply for new cards based on the welcome offers and the introductory APR rates. Then BAM! welcome offer is cashed out, introductory APR rate comes to an end, and the card is no longer used. These customers are called “churners”- and they cost credit card companies millions of dollars. Credit card issuers earn their revenue from fees charged of merchants who accept their card, and from interest from their cardholders who carry a balance. If a customer doesn’t use the card, but cashed out the welcome offer, then the customer made money but the issuer didn’t. Not only didn't they make money, but they lost money- on the welcome offer! According to SEC filings, $12.9 BILLION was paid by 3 credit card issuers, for rewards, in 2019 alone. And there’s way more than 3 issuers, so do the math! Chase’s rule stems from the fact that they want to protect themselves from these churners.
How does Chase know what accounts I have open?
When you apply for a new card, you authorize Chase to make a hard inquiry. Chase will pull the report from one of the three credit bureaus. Your credit report shows all your credit card accounts, regardless of which bank it’s from. Each account that’s reported will also have the date when it was opened. Chase reviews all this information and checks whether 5 or more cards have been opened in the past 2 years.
Where does Amex pull credit from?
Amex pulls from Experian. Amex is currently not pulling credit at all for existing cardholders
Is the Chase 5/24 rule counted by the day? If I got my 5th card on July 4, 2019 can I already apply for a Chase card by now?
The 5/24 rule does not count days. It counts months. So you will need to wait till August 1, 2021 to apply for a Chase card
If I already have 5 Amex cards, can I just close one and immediately apply for a new Amex card?
It can take 30 days for the system to register the open slot when you apply. However, you can call the reconsideration department and tell them you closed the card so that they can approve the new one immediately
Does Capital One still have the rule of "max 2 Capital One cards"?
I mostly no longer see it being enforced
Is there a limit to how many Amex cards I can have?
Yes. 5 Amex credit cards and 10 Amex charge cards
When opening a Chase Sapphire card do I have to wait 48 months from when I opened my previous card to get the new bonus now or do I have to wait 48 months from the day that I got the bonus which is about a three month difference?
48 months from the day you got the bonus
If I opened 5 cards, am I already not eligible for the Chase 5/24 rule, or is 5 still good?
You need less than 5. Once you hit 5, you're no longer eligible

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Sam Sam has nearly a decade's worth of experience educating his many readers on everything credit. Sam spends his days checking out credit cards for a full report, from the minute benefit details to the shebang of welcome bonuses. Plus studying the ins and outs of building proper credit. It’s his favorite pastime and he loves sharing it with others.

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4 Comments

  1. What’s the chase rule?if you have freedom you cant get unlimited or cant get another freedom?
    Pls explain
    Thank you

    Reply
    • You cannot get approved for another freedom card if you already have one open. For example if you have already the Freedom Unlimted then you cannot get approved for the regular Freedom.

      Reply
  2. Hi like to know how often the report an inquiry
    I want to open a lot of cards in one day and they should not see the inquiry?

    Reply
    • Nowadays it is reported by the microsecond. Impossible to catch it before. You can maybe try several cards that pull different credit bureas. Our credit card search lets you filter cards based on which credit bureaus they usually pull. Check it out

      Reply
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Today's best offers

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Earn 250,000 points after spending $20,000 within the first 3 months.

More

Capital One Spark Cash Plus

Highest ever!! Earn $2,000 after spending $30,000 within the first 3 months. Plus, earn an additional $2,000 for every $500,000 you spend during the first year. You can earn the bonus unlimited times over the course of the first year!

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United Business Card

Earn 100,000 miles after spending $5,000 within the first 3 months.

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The smarter way of keeping track of your cards
Now available on Android and iOS
Get our app on

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