Old Jan 19, 2017, 8:44 pm
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This thread--a continuation of previous discussions through May 2015 and December 2016--focuses on general Chase policies & practices for new applications. For information on specific Chase cards and their bonuses/terms/benefits, see the following threads and their associated wikis: Table of Contents
  1. Does Chase have a limit on the number or frequency of applications like Citi's 8/65 rule?

  2. What's this I hear about Chase denying applications to people who have recently opened a lot of credit cards?

  3. Does the 5/24 rule apply to applications for all Chase cards?

  4. How does Chase calculate the number of an applicant's new cards for purposes of the 5/24 rule?

  5. How does Chase calculate the relevant 24-month period? By calendar months? By exact days?

  6. Can I get around the 5/24 policy by closing cards I've opened in the past 24 months?

  7. Is there any way around the 5/24 policy (targeted mailers, pre-approvals, Chase Private Client status)?

  8. Can I apply for a specific Chase card and earn the bonus again after doing so previously?

  9. I'm an authorized user for a card issued to my spouse/parent. Does that prevent me from signing up for the same card and earning a bonus?

  10. I already have several Chase cards with a substantial aggregate line of credit. Will it improve my odds if I close an existing account (or lower its credit line) before applying for another?

  11. I wasn't auto-approved. Should I call in?

  12. How can I determine the deadline for meeting the spend requirement to earn the signup bonus?

  13. Once I meet the card's spend requirement, how soon will I receive my signup bonus points?

  14. Should I downgrade or cancel my existing cards before applying?

  15. Useful Chase telephone numbers

Does Chase have a limit on the number or frequency of applications like Citi's 8/65 rule?
Chase does not have a known limit. However, several reports (for example) indicate that Chase is highly sensitive to multiple applications within a short time period, and that the second (or subsequent) applications run a substantial risk of being denied. In many cases, this is likely related to Chase's practice of allocating a large credit line (up to an applicant's personal maximum) when approving a new card such as the first application in a series. (See also the discussion below concerning aggregate Chase credit lines.)

What's this I hear about Chase denying applications to people who have recently opened a lot of credit cards?
Starting in May 2015, Chase began denying applications for its own personal cards (e.g., Sapphire Preferred, Freedom, Slate & Freedom Unlimited) if the applicant's credit report shows that she or he opened 5 or more credit cards with any card issuer in the prior 24 months ("the 5/24 rule").

For a few days in early September 2016, Chase included explicit language ("You will not be approved for this card if you have opened 5 or more bank cards in the past 24 months") on the application page for the Sapphire Reserve card--and then promptly removed it. The absence of this language on landing/application pages for the CSR or any other Chase card is not a reliable indicator of whether the 5/24 policy applies.

See the next section for co-branded cards exempt from the 5/24 policy, and the later section discussing potential ways around 5/24.

Does the 5/24 rule apply to applications for all Chase cards?
Previously the rule did not apply to applications for the Ink Plus business card or to co-branded cards such as United, Hyatt, IHG, etc. However, on May 22, 2016 Chase extended its 5/24 rule to cover Ink business cards and some co-branded cards. (Note that there were premature reports that Chase Ink Plus would be made subject to the rule in March 2016 (which did not happen), and that all co-branded cards would follow in April 2016 (also did not happen).)

Although we had numerous reports of applications prior to May 22 being denied for a United/Hyatt/IHG/WN card by a CSR citing the 5/24 rule, the available evidence strongly suggested that those applicants had other serious issues--multiple Chase applications in a short period; large existing Chase credit line--and that overzealous CSRs gratuitously (and erroneously) invoked the 5/24 rule in the past as an additional supposed justification for the denial. Thus, it is difficult to separate such false positives from any change in Chase policy.

Instead, the most useful data points are those where an applicant is approved for a Chase card despite being over 5/24. Since May 22, 2016, we have such reports for these co-branded cards (in order from oldest to newest for each card):
For a longer list of cards apparently not subject to 5/24, check this link:
In November 2018, Chase seems to have possibly expanded 5/24 to more cards, possibly including some mentioned above. See this link:
Please follow discussion in the thread for current updates.

How does Chase calculate the number of an applicant's new cards for purposes of the 5/24 rule?
The 24-month count includes personal cards opened at other banks, and even cards on which the applicant is only an authorized user and not the primary cardholder. Chase has been extremely inflexible with this policy, with agents stating that there is nothing they can do to circumvent this restriction. However, in some cases Chase may reconsider a denial if the applicant has <5 new cards excluding cards on which s/he is an authorized user. You may need to escalate to the next level of customer service agent, as many front-line agents seem to be unable or unwilling to remove the authorized user accounts from the count.

Note:

How does Chase calculate the relevant 24-month period? By calendar months? By exact days?
In February 2017, a FTer reported a successful application a day or two after dropping from 5/24 to 4/24. However, because Chase sometimes approves applicants who are at 5/24 exactly (see above), this data point does not conclusively prove that Chase drops cards from its calculation on the exact 24-month anniversary of the previous bonus.

Can I get around the 5/24 policy by closing cards I've opened in the past 24 months?
No. Chase uses the information from your credit report, and closing an account doesn't make it disappear.

Is there any way around the 5/24 policy (targeted mailers, pre-approvals, Chase Private Client status)?
As to targeted mailers, we have insufficient anecdotal evidence to reach any reliable conclusions. (Reports suggesting no exemption from 5/24 here and here.)

There have been reports of people with more than 5 cards opened in the last 24 months being successful if they are already pre-approved for the card in question. To find out if you are pre-approved, you can call or go into a branch to ask. Success stories appear to be connected to Chase Private Client (CPC) status and the rollout of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. In-branch pre-approvals (showing a green screen on the banker's computer) result in automatic approvals. Some (but not all) CPC clients had success in recon calls[[I]citation needed].

Can I apply for a specific Chase card and earn the bonus again after doing so previously?
It depends. A Chase card may be "churned" when an entirely new version becomes available. For example, business cards are distinct from personal/consumer cards. Note that simple variations among bonus offers do not amount to new versions/products for purposes of this rule.

Beginning in 2014, Chase began including explicit language in most of its offers, such as the following:
This new cardmember bonus offer is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of this consumer credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of this consumer credit card who received a new cardmember bonus for this consumer credit card within the last 24 months.
Effective August 2018, Chase imposed stringent additional restrictions on receiving the signup bonus for any version of the Sapphire card. See Sapphire (CSR & CSP) 48 months between bonuses, August 2018 and the master threads for each card (listed above) for details and discussion.

There are four key considerations in determining whether you can churn a given card:
  • The 5/24 policy discussed in detail above.
  • The 24-month bonus waiting period--in the case of Sapphire cards, the collective 48-month period--is measured not from the date of your previous application (or approval date, if different), but instead from the date you received the signup-related bonus on the previous card, which may be 3-4 months later than the approval date. The same rule applies regardless of the type of signup bonus received (points, miles, or free-night certs); anniversary benefits unrelated to spending requirements, such as annual IHG & Marriott certs, do not count as signup bonuses.
  • If you still have your old card of the same type, you're ineligible.
  • Chase's policy does not indicate whether there is also a minimum waiting period between cancellation and reapplication, and there is not yet sufficient anecdotal evidence from FTers to draw firm conclusions. At a minimum, a prudent churner will wait at least a week or two after cancellation before reapplying so that all of Chase's systems fully reflect that closure. (See first bullet point above.) At least one FTer has reported re-applying successfully 14 days after canceling the previous card.
Finally, note that if you reapply too soon, Chase may still issue you the new card. (This differs from some other card issuers, which may deny such applications outright.) In this case, Chase typically notifies you by letter within a month or two after approval that, as a previous cardholder, you will not receive the bonus a second time.

I'm an authorized user for a card issued to my spouse/parent. Does that prevent me from signing up for the same card and earning a bonus?
No. Being an additional user on someone else's account poses no bar to applying for that same card & bonus, except insofar as such cards may count toward the 5/24 rule (as discussed above).

I already have several Chase cards with a substantial aggregate line of credit. Will it improve my odds if I close an existing account (or lower its credit line) before applying for another?
Yes.

In the past, the conventional wisdom among FTers was that you were more likely to hurt your chances by closing an account or reducing CL unilaterally. However, substantial evidence from 2014 onward strongly indicates that Chase is increasingly likely to reject applications (or at least not auto-approve them) where an applicant has an existing total credit line that is high compared to his/her income & spending patterns. (For many members, the threshold appears to be in the $45K-60K range, but that is highly speculative.)

Recent reports suggest that closing accounts and/or voluntarily reducing credit lines increases the odds of auto-approval or in-branch pre-approval. (You can do either by calling or simply sending a secure message through your Chase online account. You do not need to provide a reason for the request.) For best results, keep at least $5K-10K in excess credit; if your application is not approved, you can always contact the reconsideration department and offer to reallocate that portion of your existing credit line. Note: despite allowing credit line to be moved between personal and business accounts in the past, Chase is no longer permitting such reallocation in either direction.

With respect to timing, it is better to reduce any CL as soon as you can conveniently do so, e.g., after meeting the bonus spend on a card you do not plan to use regularly thereafter. (Do not reduce CL on a given card if it would increase your "credit utiilization"--that is, the ratio of outstanding balance to CL--above ~30%. A high credit utilization number is a red flag for banks and can adversely affect your credit score.) Waiting until one's next application to lower a CL is less than optimal, as the reduced CL is not immediately recognized by all of Chase's systems.

There is no known minimum wait between lowering a CL and having the freed-up amount become available for purposes of a new application. A prudent applicant will, as recommended above, plan well in advance; failing that, an applicant would be wise to wait at least 24 hours between lowering a CL and applying for a new card.

I wasn't auto-approved. Should I call in?
It may be better to avoid calling Chase unless your application is denied. Many recent calls on pending applications led to denials, and many people report having success letting applications work their way through the system. Be patient. Time is on your side; increasingly, Chase CSRs are not.

If you do call, expect extensive and possibly hostile questioning. Be prepared to answer questions regarding the need for more credit, past credit apps for both Chase and other banks, income, business finances, etc. Know your CLs with Chase before you call so you know which card/s you are willing to decrease the CLs on. If the app is for a significant other who dislikes such calls, they can authorize you to speak on their behalf and hand the phone over to you.

How can I determine the deadline for meeting the spend requirement to earn the signup bonus?
Just send Chase a secure message (SM) through your online account. Although the deadline should in theory be N months from the date of approval (not the date of application or card activation)--where N is the number of months specified in the offer--Chase typically pads this period to account for the time required to fabricate and deliver physical cards. For example, a recent "3-month" deadline was in fact 114 days, as confirmed by Chase's SM confirmation.

Once I meet the card's spend requirement, how soon will I receive my signup bonus points?
Bonus points typically accrue at the close of the billing period in which you incur the corresponding charges. Points should appear in your hotel/airline account within a few days thereafter.

NOTE: If you complete your required spending in the last 7-10 days of the statement period, the bonus may not post until the following month's statement, even if the regular per-dollar points post on the first statement. This is normal behavior for Chase and is not worth a phone call.

Should I downgrade or cancel my existing cards before applying?
Useful Chase telephone numbers
(800) 432-3117 General Application Status Line, automated
(800) 436-7927 Alternative General Application Status Line, automated
(888) 609-7805 Alternative Personal Reconsideration line with live rep
(888) 269-8690 - Business Credit Card Application Status Line, automated
(800) 453-9719 Business Credit Card Reconsideration Line with live rep
(800) 955-9900 General Card Services and Application status, automated
(888) 298-5623 Credit Reallocation Office (Personal cards)
(800) 453-9719 Credit Reallocation Office (Business cards)
(888) 622-7547 Executive Offices
(877) 470-9042 Personal Application Verification line with live rep
Twitter: @ChaseSupport
Note: In the past, automated telephone status reports stating that Chase would notify you in 2 weeks often resulted in an approval, whereas the "7-10 days" telephone recording often indicated imminent denial. In 2016, this pattern became increasingly unpredictable, with many applicants receiving approval despite an earlier "7-10 days" automated telephone message. As a result, automated telephone responses should not be regarded as reliable indicators of an application's likely outcome.
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Applying for Chase Credit Cards, 2017-2019

Old Nov 21, 2017, 1:25 pm
  #1261  
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Originally Posted by mac1986
Is there a preferred order to sign up for CSR, CIP, CSP (downgrade to CFU for the 1.5x on other purchases which is the bulk of our business spending)?? We own a small business and eventually want to have all three. I've read that you are supposed to sign up for the CIP first? I was hoping to sign up for CSR and CSP (double dip) on the same day so that we could have the CSR by next month to use for our vacation (3x travel and dining). What if we sign up for CSR and CSP (same day) first, wait 30 days, then sign up for CIP? Would we be more likely to be denied for CIP doing it this way?

I guess we can get CIP first and take with us on our vacation, we just won't get the 3x on dining. Is this ok to use internationally?

How long until we can downgrade CSP to CFU? The bulk of our 'other' spending will be in April/May.

What are your thoughts?
My thoughts are you should follow the excellent advice you were given on r/churning where you asked the same questions and several follow-up questions to people who were kind enough to respond to your inquiries.
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Old Nov 21, 2017, 6:51 pm
  #1262  
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
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Originally Posted by Diplomatico
My thoughts are you should follow the excellent advice you were given on r/churning where you asked the same questions and several follow-up questions to people who were kind enough to respond to your inquiries.
Yes they were very helpful over there, and helped me with my decision.
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Old Nov 22, 2017, 8:00 am
  #1263  
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 1
I applied for the CSP (first Chase card) on Sunday and quickly after I also I applied for the CF in an attempt to combine pulls. I received the 30 day message for both so I called the status line to find the same information. On Monday the message changed from 30 days to 2 weeks for both of them. On Tuesday, I received a call from fraud to verify some information. I was notified that the CSP was approved but I would be notified in 7-10 days about the CF.
I've read that the 7-10 day message is an imminent denial but I was wondering since this is my first application and I have 725+ CS and plenty of credit history if I should be patient and wait it out or call the recon? \
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Old Nov 23, 2017, 1:07 am
  #1264  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 124
Originally Posted by Carlitosf90
I applied for the CSP (first Chase card) on Sunday and quickly after I also I applied for the CF in an attempt to combine pulls. I received the 30 day message for both so I called the status line to find the same information. On Monday the message changed from 30 days to 2 weeks for both of them. On Tuesday, I received a call from fraud to verify some information. I was notified that the CSP was approved but I would be notified in 7-10 days about the CF.
I've read that the 7-10 day message is an imminent denial but I was wondering since this is my first application and I have 725+ CS and plenty of credit history if I should be patient and wait it out or call the recon? \
As the CF is a personal card, I'd just call recon to get it approved. No stringent business interview to endure
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Old Nov 23, 2017, 10:32 am
  #1265  
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 197
Will Discount Tire credit card count towards 5/24?

This is probably a silly question....I think I know the answer, but I am being hopeful.
I can save $120 on tires if I get a Discount Tire credit card. My credit score is good enough that I don't really care about the hard pull.
Would the card count towards 5/24? (I already have CSR, Freedom and Freedom Unlimited cards).
In your humble opinion is it worth getting to save $120?
Thanks.
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Old Nov 23, 2017, 11:11 am
  #1266  
Formerly known as stellertony
 
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1) yes it will almost certainly count
2) i think you could get a much larger value from the signup bonus on a chase card
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Old Nov 23, 2017, 12:01 pm
  #1267  
 
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Originally Posted by tonei
1) yes it will almost certainly count
2) i think you could get a much larger value from the signup bonus on a chase card
Even if you decide to go with something other than Chase, plenty of other cards with better bonuses for using up a hard pull
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Old Nov 23, 2017, 5:47 pm
  #1268  
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 197
That was my take as well . Thanks.

I'm not too worried about hard pulls...the hit to my credit score would be negligible. More concerned about 5/24.
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Old Nov 23, 2017, 10:06 pm
  #1269  
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Originally Posted by protagonist
This is probably a silly question....I think I know the answer, but I am being hopeful.
I can save $120 on tires if I get a Discount Tire credit card. My credit score is good enough that I don't really care about the hard pull.
Would the card count towards 5/24? (I already have CSR, Freedom and Freedom Unlimited cards).
In your humble opinion is it worth getting to save $120?
Thanks.
I'm not so sure it would be an issue. Dept. store/retail credit cards are probably overlooked by Chase or can be dismissed after a phone call. My guess is that Chase is mostly interested in new BANK credit cards. Anyone else have a guess?
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Old Nov 24, 2017, 4:29 am
  #1270  
mia
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Originally Posted by philemer
My guess is that Chase is mostly interested in new BANK credit cards. Anyone else have a guess?
The Discount Tire credit card is issued by Synchrony Bank
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Old Nov 24, 2017, 8:02 am
  #1271  
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,857
Originally Posted by protagonist
That was my take as well . Thanks.

I'm not too worried about hard pulls...the hit to my credit score would be negligible. More concerned about 5/24.
The card may cause an auto-denial due to 5/24, however if it can only be used in that one store (ie, not Visa, Amex, or MC), then a reconsideration call can get past it.
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Old Nov 24, 2017, 12:54 pm
  #1272  
 
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Originally Posted by mia
The Discount Tire credit card is issued by Synchrony Bank
I got burned by that bank when I applied for the Old Navy store card to take a $100/150 discount at checkout buying kids clothes. I asked for the store card then they sent me the Visa, then cancelled it and sent the store card instead but it still shows up on my CreditKarma report until 3/2019 as a new CC.
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Old Nov 25, 2017, 9:47 am
  #1273  
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Originally Posted by protagonist
I can save $120 on tires if I get a Discount Tire credit card. My credit score is good enough that I don't really care about the hard pull.
Would the card count towards 5/24?
5/24 counts all bank cards that show up on your credit report with an "opened on" date of 5/24.

The Discount Tire credit card is issued by Synchrony Bank, so it will count as a bank card, and it's a personal card, so yes it will count toward 5/24.

The only retail/store cards that 5/24 might not count is those that are not bank cards. Retail/store cards and bank cards are not opposites of each other, there's a lot of overlap. Anyone who tried to explain 5/24 as it they were opposites of each other (by simply claiming that retail/store cards "don't count") is getting it wrong.
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Old Nov 25, 2017, 8:01 pm
  #1274  
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
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The automated system counts every card. Recon reps do not count cards that are only good at one store as part of 5/24.

This has been verified countless times, regardless of whether the card is issued by a bank or not.
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Old Nov 26, 2017, 8:36 am
  #1275  
 
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Originally Posted by pallhedge
The card may cause an auto-denial due to 5/24, however if it can only be used in that one store (ie, not Visa, Amex, or MC), then a reconsideration call can get past it.
Originally Posted by NYCFlyer10001
The automated system counts every card. Recon reps do not count cards that are only good at one store as part of 5/24.

This has been verified countless times, regardless of whether the card is issued by a bank or not.
Two solid pieces of information quoted. If the card can only be used in that store (i.e., Kohl's or FT-mart or wherever) then it doesn't count against 5/24 during the recon process. If it is a co-brand with VISA, MC, AMEX, etc. and can also be used elsewhere then it counts against 5/24.
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