Chase 5/24 and 2/30 for couples: how the rules count each of you

Two Chase rules shape almost every card plan: 5/24 and 2/30. Neither is published by Chase. One Mile at a Time notes that Chase "has never publicly explained" 5/24. What is known comes from years of reported approvals and denials, so treat both as patterns rather than guarantees.

5/24: new cards in the last 24 months

"You typically won't be approved for a Chase credit card if you've opened five or more new card accounts in the past 24 months." The count covers cards from every bank, not just Chase.

What usually counts:

• Personal cards from any bank opened in the last 24 months.
• Authorized-user cards, "at least in situations where you need to provide your social security number to be an authorized user."

What usually does not:

• Most business cards from American Express, Bank of America, Barclays, Chase and Citi, because they typically do not appear on personal credit reports.
• The exceptions: according to Doctor of Credit, Capital One business cards generally do report to personal credit, apart from a few products, and Discover's do.

Being under 5/24 matters for Chase business cards too. You need to be under the limit on your personal accounts to be approved for one.

2/30: Chase approvals in 30 days

"With Chase's 2/30 rule, you will typically be approved for at most two personal Chase cards in a 30 day period (and you can generally be approved for at most one business card in that period)."

Why couples count separately

Both rules are about the person applying. Three things follow for a couple:

1. Authorized-user cards cross over. If you are an authorized user on your partner's card, that card can count toward your 5/24, even though the account is theirs.
2. The partner with the lower count has more room. If one of you is at four new cards and the other at one, the second has room for several Chase cards before reaching the limit. The first has room for one.
3. Each of you has your own 30-day window. As reported, 2/30 is about one applicant's own Chase approvals.

Bonuses are about the applicant too

Chase's Sapphire terms say "the new cardmember bonus may not be available to you if you previously held this card or received a new cardmember bonus for this card." The wording is about the applicant's own history with that card.

Counting carefully at the edges

Because neither rule is published, nobody outside Chase knows exactly how it counts the boundary day. A cautious approach treats a card opened exactly 24 months ago as still counting, and waits until it is clearly past.

If you do not know when an older card was opened, look it up before you rely on your count. An unknown date is a reason to wait, not a reason to assume the card has dropped off.