Bank rules: what each bank checks before it says yes.

Banks don’t approve everyone who asks. Each one has its own rules about how many cards you’ve opened lately.

You do not need to memorize this page. Bookmark it, and check the bank you’re about to apply with.

How to read the numbers

Points people shorten every rule to two numbers. “5/24” means 5 cards in 24 months. “1/6” means 1 card in 6 months.

That’s the whole code.

The short version

1. Start with Chase. It’s the strictest about new cards.
2. Space your applications out. About one card every three months is comfortable.
3. One welcome bonus per card is the safe assumption. Getting it twice takes years, if it’s allowed at all.

Chase

• 5/24. If you’ve opened five or more cards in the past 24 months, Chase will typically say no. It counts cards from every bank, not just Chase. Most business cards don’t add to your count, but you still need to be under 5/24 to get a Chase business card.
• 3/24 for sole proprietors (reported). Since fall 2026, people applying for a Chase business card under their own name report being denied with three or more new cards in 24 months. Businesses with a formal structure, like an LLC, don’t seem to be affected.
• 2/30. Usually no more than two personal cards in 30 days, and one business card in 30 days.
• Welcome bonuses. For most personal cards, no bonus if you have that card now or earned its bonus in the past 24 months.
• Sapphire cards. These are stricter. If you’ve had a Sapphire Preferred® or Reserve before, you may not get the bonus again. Chase shows a warning before it checks your credit.
• Southwest cards. Earning the bonus on one personal Southwest card blocks the others for 24 months.

American Express

• Once per lifetime. One welcome bonus per card, even if you closed it. In practice people report becoming eligible again years later.
• The warning box. Amex may tell you during the application that you won’t get the bonus. You can back out before anything is final.
• 5 credit cards. Usually no more than five Amex credit cards open at once, personal and business together. Some people get stopped at four.
• 10 pay-over-time cards. Cards like the Gold and Platinum have their own, separate limit of ten.
• 2/90. No more than two Amex credit cards approved in 90 days.

Capital One

• 1/6. Generally one new card every six months, personal and business combined.
• How many you can hold. It used to be two personal cards. Now it’s decided case by case.
• 48 months for bonuses. No bonus on a personal card if you earned that card’s bonus in the past 48 months.
• The Venture family. A Venture X bonus in the past 48 months blocks the Venture bonus. A Venture X or Venture bonus blocks the VentureOne bonus.

Citi

• 8/65. No more than one card every 8 days, and two cards every 65 days.
• 48 months for bonuses. On some cards, including the American Airlines ones, no bonus if you earned that card’s bonus in the past 48 months. The Strata cards can be stricter.
• Recent applications. People report being turned down with more than six credit checks in six months. Fewer for some cards.

Bank of America

• 2/3/4. No more than two Bank of America cards in 2 months, three in 12 months and four in 24 months.
• 3/12 or 7/12. Without a Bank of America checking account, more than three new cards from any bank in 12 months likely means no. With one, the limit is reported as seven.
• 24 months for bonuses. On many of its cards.

Barclays

• 1/6. One card every six months.
• No doubles. You can’t hold two of the same card. Close it and wait at least six months before applying again.
• 24 months for bonuses. One welcome bonus per card every 24 months.

Wells Fargo

• 1/6. One new card every six months. Personal and business cards are counted separately.
• 5/24 (reported). Wells Fargo has reportedly started using a rule like Chase’s, though it seems to be applied less strictly.

U.S. Bank

• 4 or 5 in 12 months. If you’ve opened four or five cards in the past year, approval is unlikely.
• It helps to be a customer. People with a U.S. Bank checking account report easier approvals.

So what do I do with this?

1. Find your numberCount every personal card you’ve opened in the last 24 months, at any bank. Include store cards and cards where you’re an authorized user.
2. Start with ChaseOpen other banks’ cards first and you can lock yourself out of Chase for up to two years.
3. Apply for a Chase business card earlyBefore you’ve opened three personal cards, if you qualify. Here’s who does.
4. Check this page before each new cardAnd read the offer’s own terms. They have the final say.

The bottom line: Chase first, one card at a time, and check the bank’s rules before you apply. You don’t have to memorize any of it.

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