Updated October 2026. The Chase 5/24 and Citi rows were re-verified on October 21, 2026; each row shows when it was last verified.
For the same rules ordered by how much they block, see the 6 issuer rules ranked.
Card issuers limit how often you can earn welcome bonuses and how many cards you can open. This tracker lists the application rules that decide your next approval, what each one blocks, and whether it is active, loosened, or retired. Click any column heading to sort.
| Rule | Issuer | What it blocks | Status | Last verified | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/24 | Chase | 5+ new personal cards from any issuer in 24 months blocks most Chase approvals. Scattered approvals over the limit were reported from late 2025 into 2026, but most over-limit applicants are still denied. Since September 2026 some sole-proprietor business applications were reportedly declined at 3/24. | Active | Oct 2026 | 5/24 rule |
| 2/30 | Chase | More than 2 new Chase cards in a rolling 30 days triggers an automatic decline. | Active | Jul 2026 | 2/30 rule |
| Sapphire 48-month | Chase | Retired. The old 48-month wait between Sapphire bonuses and the one-Sapphire-at-a-time limit ended in 2025. Eligibility is now once per lifetime per Sapphire product, and you can hold the Preferred and Reserve together. | Retired | Jul 2026 | Chase trifecta |
| Once per lifetime | Amex | A welcome bonus is available once per card, ever. The terms read “have or have had this card,” so even a long-closed card blocks the bonus. | Active | Jul 2026 | Once-per-lifetime rule |
| Pop-up jail | Amex | A real-time eligibility pop-up at application can deny the welcome bonus even when the lifetime language would allow it. Spending on existing Amex cards is the usual way out. | Active | Jul 2026 | Pop-up jail |
| Membership Rewards family | Amex | Green, then Gold, then Platinum must be earned moving up only. Getting a higher Membership Rewards card first blocks the bonus on the lower ones. | Active | Jul 2026 | Amex bonus rules |
| 48-month (AAdvantage) | Citi | An AAdvantage card is bonus-eligible 48 months after the last bonus on that card. Closing the card does not reset the clock. Citi rarely applies broad family rules. | Active | Oct 2026 | Citi 48-month rule |
| Strata once per lifetime | Citi | Since about September 20, 2026, the Strata, Strata Premier and Strata Elite terms exclude anyone who currently has or previously had that card, so each Strata bonus is a single shot. | Active | Oct 2026 | Citi 48-month rule |
| 1 per 6 months | Capital One | Roughly one new Capital One card every 6 months. Unofficial, but consistent across data points. | Active | Jul 2026 | Capital One rules |
| Venture family 48-month | Capital One | Added October 2025. Venture X, Venture, and VentureOne share one welcome bonus per 48 months, measured from when the bonus posts. | Active | Jul 2026 | Capital One rules |
| 2/3/4 | Bank of America | Caps BofA approvals at 2 cards per 2 months, 3 per 12 months, and 4 per 24 months, counting BofA cards only. | Active | Jul 2026 | BofA rules |
| 3/12 and 7/12 | Bank of America | 3+ new cards from any issuer in 12 months blocks approval. The limit rises to 7 if you hold a BofA deposit account. | Active | Jul 2026 | BofA rules |
| 6-month | Wells Fargo | One new Wells Fargo card and one bonus per 6 months. The Signify Business Cash card is excepted; Bilt cards are no longer issued by Wells Fargo. | Active | Jul 2026 | Wells Fargo rules |
| 5/24-style (reported) | Wells Fargo | Reported, not officially confirmed. Data points show declines at 5+ new cards from any issuer in 24 months. | Active | Jul 2026 | Wells Fargo rules |
| 5/12 | US Bank | 5+ new cards from any issuer in 12 months makes approval unlikely. Business cards appear exempt. | Active | Jul 2026 | US Bank rules |
| 6/24 | Barclays | 6+ new cards from any issuer in 24 months can block approval, but enforcement is inconsistent and spend-sensitive. | Loosened | Jul 2026 | Barclays rules |
Status reflects current enforcement. Active means routinely enforced, loosened means inconsistently applied, retired means no longer in effect. Source links go to the full guide on this site.
What changed in 2025-2026
- January 22, 2026: Chase set new per-product lifetime bonus eligibility on the Sapphire Preferred and Reserve.
- 2025: Chase retired the Sapphire 48-month rule and the one-Sapphire-at-a-time limit, so the Preferred and Reserve can be held together.
- October 2025: Capital One linked Venture X, Venture, and VentureOne under a shared 48-month bonus rule.
- August 2024: Wells Fargo added a 48-month wait to re-earn a bonus on the same card, on top of its 6-month rule.
- 2025-2026: Multiple data points report Wells Fargo applying a Chase-style 5/24 limit, though Wells Fargo has not confirmed it.
Issuer-rule guides
The tracker above is the quick reference. These guides are the full explanation of each rule, issuer by issuer.
Chase
The Chase 5/24 ruleChase declines most applications from anyone who has opened 5 or more personal cards in the past 24 months. The rule that sets every application order.The Chase 2/30 ruleA quieter speed limit behind 5/24: no more than 2 personal approvals in any rolling 30 days, and no more than 1 business.Business cards and 5/24Most business cards never appear on your personal reports, so a business approval usually costs 0 of your 5 slots.The Chase reconsideration lineA denial is an opening offer. The reconsideration line connects you to an analyst with the authority to reverse it.
American Express
The Amex once-per-lifetime ruleEach card’s welcome offer is once per lifetime. Earn it once and that bonus is closed to you for years, no matter when you cancel.Amex pop-up jailPast a certain number of bonuses, Amex stops showing welcome offers entirely, ending every application in the same pop-up.
Citi and Capital One
The Citi 48-month ruleThe AAdvantage 48 month clock and, since September 2026, once per lifetime on each Strata card.Capital One application rulesThe strictest gate: 1 new card every 6 months, hard pulls at all 3 bureaus, and 48-month limits across the whole Venture family.
Other banks
Bank of America rulesTwo limits at once: the 2/3/4 rule on its own cards, and a quieter 3/12 or 7/12 that counts new cards from every issuer.Wells Fargo rulesThree limits now: a 6-month wait between bonuses, a 48-month wait to repeat a card, and a reported 5/24-style screen.US Bank rulesNo published rule, but a reported velocity screen that looks like 5/12, plus sensitivity to cards you already hold.Barclays rulesNo published limit and clearly inquiry-sensitive, enforced so unevenly that near-identical profiles get opposite decisions.
Sources for the October 21, 2026 update. Citi rows from the Strata and AAdvantage offer terms on citi.com; Chase 5/24 status from One Mile at a Time (October 17, 2026); the sole-proprietor 3/24 reports from Doctor of Credit (September 17, 2026) and Frequent Miler (September 23, 2026).
Frequently asked questions
Which issuer rule matters most for churning?
Chase 5/24 is the one most plans work around. Chase blocks most approvals once you have 5 new cards in 24 months, so many churners open Chase cards first, then move to issuers that ignore 5/24.
Do business cards count against these rules?
Usually not toward the personal-card counts. Most business cards from Chase and Amex do not report to your personal credit, so they do not raise your 5/24 number. You still need to be under 5/24 to be approved for a Chase business card.
How often do these rules change?
Several times a year. Chase reworked its Sapphire rules across 2025 and early 2026, and Capital One added a Venture family rule in October 2025. This page is dated and re-verified whenever a rule moves.
Related tools: 5/24 calculator, Bonus eligibility checker.