Staying Organized & the 5/24 Rule—What You Need to Know

I’ll be talking about Chase a lot, and for good reason — their cards and welcome bonuses are some of the best out there. But before you jump in, there’s one big rule you need to know.

The “5/24 rule” is Chase’s not-so-secret way of gatekeeping their best credit cards. Here’s how it works: if you’ve opened 5 or more personal credit cards (from any bank!) in the past 24 months, Chase will usually deny you for a new card—personal or business.

What does count toward 5/24?

• All personal cards — Yes, even those sneaky store cards from Old Navy, Target, or Kohl’s that promise you $10 off at checkout. Skip those. That $10 could end up costing you thousands in free travel opportunities.

• Authorized user cards — If someone adds you as an AU on their account, it shows up on your report and counts against your 5/24. If you’ve already been added, don’t stress—it’s not the end of the world. But moving forward, avoid it if you can.

What doesn’t count?

• Business cards! (Well, most of them.) This is why they’re such a game-changer in the points-and-miles world. Business cards let you keep earning rewards without adding to your 5/24 tally.

• 🚨 Exceptions: A few business cards do report, like those from Discover, TD Bank, and some Capital One cards.

One thing to note: even though Chase business cards don’t add to your count, you usually need to already be under 5/24 to get approved for them.

Pro tip ✈️

I use a free tool called Travel Freely to keep track of my 5/24 status, and I also rely on this simple spreadsheet I created to stay on top of my applications and other metrics related to them. Trust me, staying organized here pays off in free flights later!