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The application process for credit cards can be either exciting or frustrating, and knowing the rules makes all the difference. An approval for a new rewards credit card will put you well on your way to earning free flights, hotel stays, or cashback.
On the other hand, a denial letter does nothing except temporarily decrease your credit score due to the hard inquiry performed by the card issuer.
So in order to set you up for success, let's cover the rules for the major credit card issuers. The most important policies we will cover are:
- the total number and types of credit cards each bank will issue to each individual
- the timing considerations between applications
- and the welcome bonus eligibility, or how long you have to wait between getting a bonus on the same card
In this post:
Credit Card Application Rules By Bank
It is important to know there are no guarantees for approval, and there will always be exceptions to the rules. Nonetheless, even though the majority of these parameters are not formally stated or set in stone, these guidelines will greatly increase your chances on getting approved and not hurting your credit score unnecessarily.
| Bank | Max # of Cards | Velocity of Applications | Bonuses Eligibility |
| American Express | 5 credit cards, 5 cards without a preset spending limit | 1 card every 5 days, 2 cards every 90 days | Once per “lifetime” (about 7 years) & Amex Family Language |
| Chase | No limit | 5/24 – Max 5 cards in 24 months 2 cards every 30 days | Once per lifetime |
| Bank of America | No limit | 2/3/4 – 2 cards every 2 months, 3 every 12 mo., 4 every 24 mo. | 24 months |
| Barclaycard | No limit | No restrictions | 6 months |
| Capital One | 2 personal cards? unlimited business | 1 card every 6 mos. | 12 months |
| Citi | No limit | 1 personal card every 8 days, 2 every 65 days. 1 biz card every 95 days. | 48 months |
| US Bank | No limit | No restrictions | Unknown |
American Express Application Rules
American Express limits the number of credit cards you can have to 5 Amex credit cards. These can be a mix of either personal or business cards.
This 5 Amex credit card limit does not apply to cards without a preset spending limit, like the American Express Platinum Card®, American Express® Gold Card, or American Express® Green Card. You can have up to 5 Amex cards without a preset spending limit.
Carrying a balance is never advised as the interest you’ll pay will negate any of your hard-earned rewards.
It is possible to be approved for two cards in a single day, and if you’re lucky it will only result in one hard inquiry. However, you cannot be approved for two credit cards in a single day.
At least one, or both, must be a card without a preset spending limit. Furthermore, you can be approved for up to two cards in a 90 day period, with at least one being a card without a preset spending limit.
You can receive the Amex welcome bonus for each card once per lifetime. The only exceptions to this rule are if there is a product change and the card rebrands itself, or if you see an offer without the lifetime language in the terms and description fine print.
If you see this:
“Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product.”
Amex “lifetime language”
Then you cannot get another welcome offer on this card if you got it before.
Also, pay attention to new Amex family language rules.
Chase Credit Card Application Rules
Chase (Chase credit cards) is similar to other card issuers in that they don’t limit the number of cards you can have, but they do take into consideration your total line of credit and your number of hard inquires.
You can be approved for 2 personal credit cards every 30 days. You can also be approved for 2 business cards every 30 days.
Chase also has their famous (or infamous) Chase 5/24 rule. This means they will not approve you for additional cards if you have opened more than 5 cards in the last 24 months. This applies to all of your credit cards from any bank, not only cards issued by Chase.
The one exception is business credit cards (like from Amex or Chase) do not count towards 5/24. Chase used to limit the 5/24 rule to only certain cards, but recent data points seem to insist this rule now applies to all Chase issued credit cards.
As of 2026, it appears that most cards have a lifetime bonus rule, meaning you can only earn the welcome bonus once on each card in a lifetime. Each card varies so review the terms before submitting your application.
There are some other unique rules for certain Chase cards. With regards to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you are not eligible to receive the bonus on one card if you currently have the other.
Chase has removed the 48-month rule and now uses a proprietary algorithm with no fixed timeframe. The New Cardmember Offer makes no mention of any set waiting period, only that you may be ineligible if you currently hold, previously held, or have already received a bonus on a Sapphire card. In regards to the multiple Chase Southwest co-branded cards, you must wait 24 months between receiving bonuses for any cards in the Southwest family.
Bank of America
Bank of America does not limit the number of credit cards you may have, but they do consider the number of recent hard inquires on your credit report.
There is no set number of hard inquires which will result in automatically not being approved, but the more inquires you have will result in a greater likelihood of denial.
Additionally, they do limit the total amount of credit they will extend to each individual, so you may need to shift your lines of credit from one card to the next.
Bank of America also has what is known as the “BOA 2/3/4 rule.” This means they will not approve you for more than two cards in 30 days, three cards in 12 months, or four cards in 24 months. It is important to note this does not apply to business cards.
BOA also has the 7/12 rule. This is different in that it applies to all credit cards you have and not only your Bank of America cards. They will not approve you for an additional card if it’s going to result in you having more than seven cards opened in a 12 month period.
Additionally, you’ll need to have a Bank of America deposit bank account open at the time of application or you’ll automatically be denied for having too many recent inquiries.
You can receive the welcome bonus multiple times on each card, but you must wait 24 months after receiving the bonus to reapply for the card.
You’re also not eligible to receive a bonus within the same family of cards within 90 days. By the same family of cards I’m referring to receiving multiple welcome bonuses from a single rewards currency, such as receiving both the Alaskan Airlines Visa Credit Card bonus and the business version of the same card within 90 days.
Barclaycard
Barclaycard is similar to Bank of America in that they don’t limit the number of cards you can have, but they do take into consideration your total line of credit and your number of recent hard inquires.
The only other rule is you must wait six months after cancelling a card before reapplying for the same card in order to be eligible for the welcome bonus again.
Capital One
Capital One is unique in that they will only allow you to have two personal cards at any given time. There is no limit on the number of Capital One business cards.
Check out the best Capital One credit cards.
They also have the 1/6 rule, which simply means they will only approve you for one card every six months. This applies to both personal and business cards.
You can receive the welcome bonuses multiple times for each card, but you must wait one year in between receiving the bonuses.
Citi
Citi also does not limit your number of cards, but they do look at your total line of credit and number of hard inquiries. Check out the recently confirmed Citi policy.
They will approve you for one personal card every eight days, and two personal cards within 65 days. For business cards, they will only approve you for one every 95 days.
It’s possible to receive welcome bonuses multiples times as long as you wait 24 months from the time you’ve received the prior bonus.
Citi’s other rule requires a 24 month period between receiving bonuses for cards in the same family, such as American Airlines cobranded cards and cards that earn Citi Thank You points.
- Citi® Double Cash Card
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®
- Citi Strata Premier® Card
US Bank
US Bank does not limit your number of cards, but again will consider recent inquiries and you overall extended line of credit.
Their only other rule applies to the US Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card. In order to be approved for this card you must have a prior relationship with the bank, which can be as simple as a owning a free checking account.
Final Thoughts on Credit Card Application Rules
Approval for a new rewards card will give you the inspiration to begin planning new trips so you can see the world. Spencer managed to fly to Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia in business class on just points.
Opening a new card will also make you begin to think of all the things you’ll be able to do with the money you’ve saved on airfare, hotels, and cashback. Conversely, getting denied will only frustrate you and delay your future travel plans. So it’s very important to know the credit card application rules.
One last piece of advice which has greatly helped me in the past is to call reconsideration lines following an application submission that does not receive an immediate approval.
In some cases, the representative has the power to approve or deny your application on the spot. So remember to be extremely courteous and as kind as possible when asking the representative if there is anything you can do, or any information you can provide, which will help them approve you for your desired card. Best of luck with your future applications!
FAQ for Credit Card Application Rules
The “Chase 5/24 rule” means you can only open a new credit card account with Chase Bank
The 5/24 rule refers to a Chase credit card application rule that states Chase will not approve you for an additional credit card if you have opened 5 cards in the previous 24 months from any bank.
You can have up to 5 Amex credit cards and 5 Amex cards without a preset spending limit, like the Amex Platinum card or Amex Gold card. Examples of Amex credit cards include Amex Delta Reserve, Amex Hilton Honors Aspire, and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
The easiest way to calculate Chase 5/24 credit cards is to use a free credit score app like Credit Karma or Credit Sesame. Simply count the number of open accounts in the last 24 months.
Usually business credit cards do not count against your Chase 5/25 status, unless they report to your personal credit report. Chase and Amex business credit cards apparently do not count against your Chase 5/24.
Because the American Express Platinum Card is an Amex card without a preset spending limit and not a credit card, you can have up to 5 Amex Platinum Cards®. Personally I had 7 when on active duty.
No, and actually having a lot of open credit cards can improve your credit card because you have more access to credit, therefore lowering your credit utilization. Paying your bills in full each month and never missing a payment are the most important things to keeping an excellent credit score.
There is no limit to how many credit cards you can have. The Guinness Book of World Records has at least 2 people with over 1,400 credit cards. Personally, I have over 30 credit cards.
Spencer,
I’ve been following your articles for about 1.5 years now and purchased your book, I’ve been enjoying it!
I was quite certain i read an article where you stated which order to apply for the credit cards (starting with the cheapest and moving upwards) to maximize sign up bonuses. I can no longer find the article, am I crazy that this existed?
Thanks,
Scott
Thanks for buying the book!
There’s two articles you might be referring to: 1. optimal order to apply for military credit cards or 2. Amex family language rules.
Hey Spencer,
Hope all is well. I was wondering how often you suggest waiting between credit card applications in order to not significantly reduce your credit score and risk not getting approved.
Thanks!
Your credit score won’t go down much with multiple application. At my fastest I was applying for a new card every month and maintained over a 780 credit score. Just make sure you can hit the minimum spend requirements to earn the welcome bonus.
Some part of this blog states you can have unlimited charge cards with Amex and other places you say you can have up to ten. Which one is it?
Spencer,
I just discussed getting my annual fee waived with Chase for an existing account. According to their military representative, my account is not eligible for MLA because it originated PRIOR to the law. She explained it only applied to accounts that originated September 2017 or later. Is that consistent with information you received before? I ended up keeping the account but downgrading to a product without an annual fee.
Spencer,
Have you seen the card upgrade strategy take longer than a few hours to become an option? I ve had my gold card 2 years now and followedthe steps above with no luck on getting an offer. Ive read online you can call customer service but im sure they will realize i already have a platinum card.
You can call for an offer, that’s not an issue. If they say you already have a Platinum card then just say thanks for their time and hang up.
How long have you had the card on the new account? It may take a week or 30 days to show up.
Spencer,
I figured it out. although the offer did not pop up on account home i just clicked on view all cards and the offer was the first thing I saw. Thanks for the great insight here.
separate question do you use a spreadsheet to keep track of all the benefits? between my wife and i we are up to 12 cards now and its getting difficult to track all the benefits/credits.
Yes, I keep a spreadsheet. I have a template in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course.
If I am an authorized user on my husband’s AMEX Platinum account, am I able to apply for my own account to take advantage of the welcome bonus? I know we screwed up and should’ve just got separate accounts, but we’re new to this!
Also, since my husband received the AMEX Platinum welcome bonus, will he be eligible for the AMEX Gold welcome bonus?
Thanks!
Don’t worry, you didn’t screw up! Yes and yes!
You can apply for your own Amex Platinum account. Or get a referral link from your husband to give him referral bonus points.
He and you are also eligible for the Amex Gold bonuses. The Gold card is a completely separate product from the Platinum. You can read my Amex Gold card review. It’s a great card and one I use daily. Or compare the Amex Gold vs Amex Platinum.
Thanks for the interesting article! I’ve had my American Express Platinum for about 3 years. Last week while applying online for the Amex Hilton Aspire, a message popped up saying I was ineligible for the welcome bonus. I forget the exact wording, but something to do with previous bonuses received. It gave me the option to apply anyway so I did, but I’m wondering why no bonus? I’ve never had a Hilton card before.
Hey Erica, this happens occasionally. I recommend waiting 30 days or so and then trying again. Anecdotally, my friend got the pop up when applying for a Charles Schwab Amex Platinum and was still able to earn the welcome bonus. It was automatically added to his account about 8 days after opening the new account.
Great article/post, thanks for all the great information.
I haven’t seen one yet but do you have a post about an “exit strategy” with respect to all these cards?
At some point, a military member will leave the service at which point they’ll no longer be eligible to certain annual fee waivers. I know one strategic move, at least with Chase cards, would be to downgrade to a lower card that doesn’t carry an annual fee. However, if you have more annual fee credit cards than non annual fee credit cards available, it would force you to close certain cards, which could potentially negatively impact (e.g. closed accounts loses available credit which could ultimately impact the credit-to-debt ratio). Thoughts?
Here’s my military credit card exit strategy. Hope it helps you think through your’s!