Chase Sapphire 48 Month Rule Explained [2021]

Knowing how to navigate credit card application rules is extremely important for optimizing your credit card rewards. If you don’t know what you’re doing or you simply are not aware of the rules, you could be costing yourself thousands of dollars in value.

One of the most important rules to be aware of is the Chase Sapphire 48 month rule. The Chase Sapphire 48 month rule was a pretty big blow when it was unveiled a couple of years ago because it cut down on the bonuses available to people. But if you’re patient enough, this rule doesn’t have to limit you so much.

What is the Chase Sapphire 48 month rule?

The Sapphire 48 month rule means that you cannot receive a bonus or even get approved for a Sapphire card within 48 months of receiving a bonus from another Sapphire card.

Below, I will go into detail about the Sapphire 48 month rule.

But I would strongly recommend that you look into downloading the free app WalletFlo that calculates your eligibility for cards like this. Not only does it calculate the Sapphire 48 month rule but it also calculates eligibility for other major banks like American Express, Citibank, Discover, etc. You won’t have to worry about calculating these things yourself and can simply automate your credit card strategy.

The actual text of the rule

You can find the text of this rule by clicking on “offer details” on the main application page for the credit card.

The actual text of the full Sapphire eligibility rule states the following:

The product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of any Sapphire credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of any Sapphire credit card who received a new cardmember bonus within the last 48 months.

So there are basically two parts to this rule.

The first is that you cannot be a current card member of any Sapphire credit card.

So let’s say that you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve and you are trying to apply for the Sapphire Preferred. Even if you received your bonus for the Sapphire Reserve five years ago, you would still not be eligible for the Sapphire Preferred until you close or product change your card.

Many people choose to downgrade their Sapphire cards to one of the Chase Freedom cards so that they can retain some decent rewards while also avoiding an annual fee. Typically, I would advise to wait at least 30 days after closing or product changing a card to re-apply. Others may only wait one week but I like to play things safe.

The second part of the rule is the actual 48 month rule. This simply means that you have to wait 48 months (or four years) from receiving a bonus to be eligible for the card/bonus again. (Again, notice that the rule applies to any Sapphire credit card.)

The big question is when do they consider your bonus received?

How the 48 months is calculated

I think one of the most common questions I see is how is the 48 months calculated?

Does it start from the date that you meet your minimum spend, received your bonus, or when your statement closes? Does it occur on an exact date or is it rounded to the end or beginning of a month?

It’s hard to get a straight answer on questions like this but the general consensus seems to be that the 48 month clock starts to run from the statement close date of the statement that contains the arrival of your bonus points.

So let’s say that you received your bonus points on March 23, 2020.

Now let’s assume that your statement ran from the period of March 12 through April 11. Many people would state that your 48 month clock would reset on April 12, 2024. I would agree with this.

It can sometimes be difficult to track down when exactly you received your points or what statement they came in. And that is why WalletFlo can be so helpful.

The app conservatively estimates when you would receive your bonus so that you can guarantee you’ll be eligible whenever you receive your notification.

I prefer to go with a very conservative method when calculating eligibility because of a few reasons.

First, we don’t always know exactly how these rules are calculated.

For example, I have seen data points where the 5/24 rule is calculated in different ways based on the type of credit reports that were pulled. So there is not always an exact science to how these eligibility rules are done. But if you go conservative then you can almost guarantee that you won’t be surprised by anything.

The other thing to consider is that these type of things can change. So just because something was calculated one way three years ago, that does not mean it will be the same this year.

Authorized users

It’s important to remember that an authorized user is not affected by this rule because they do not receive a bonus. Chase also does not consider you to be a current cardmember if you are only an authorized user.

Final word

The Sapphire 48 month rule requires you to be pretty patient when applying for a new Sapphire card. You typically would calculate your 48 month period by finding the statement close date of the statement in which your points arrived. Then just count four years from that date. But one very easy way to keep tabs on your eligibility for this card and for many others is to simply use WalletFlo.

Bank of America Application Rules [2021]

Bank of America has long favored applicants who have some type of account with them. This is one reason I always struggled to get approved for Bank of America cards in the past — it was always an uphill battle with them. But now, via DOC, it looks like BOA might be implementing a new rule that gives BOA customers further preference and clamps down on new applicants in a pretty big way. 

Tip: Check out the free app WalletFlo so that you can optimize your credit card spend by seeing the best card to use! You can also track credits, annual fees, and get notifications when you’re eligible for the best cards!

The 2/3/4 rule

Before jumping into the new rule, it’d be a good idea to review the current rules in effect at BOA. 

In the past, Bank of America has been known to limit you to a certain number of new Bank of America credit card accounts over the span of a month to 24 months. For example, you could only be approved of a maximum of: 

  • Two new BOA cards in a 30 day period
  • Three new BOA cards in a 12 month period
  • Four new BOA cards in a 24 month period

This rule is known as the Bank of America 2/3/4 Rule. But now there might be an additional rule at play that functions similar to the Chase 5/24 Rule. This new rule will limit customers to a number of cards depending on their relationship with BOA. 

The “7/12 and 3/12” rule

  • Applicants with a BOA deposit account will not be approved if they have opened seven or more credit cards in the past 12 months.
  • Applicants without a BOA deposit account will not be approved if they have opened three or more credit cards  in the past 12 months

Just like 5/24, this rule will consider all cards opened (probably only those that report to your personal credit report and/or possibly with BOA but we’ll see).

But these rules also might not be as strictly enforced as 5/24. So in other words, if you are in violation of these rules, you may still get approved in some cases. And you might be able to get around them if you have substantial funds in your account ($250K+). 

It also appears that the 7/12 and 3/12 rules might not affect BOA business cards (though DPs are somewhat mixed). So while we are still awaiting some details on the new rules, I’d just assume that they will apply to you if you are in violation of the rules just to be on the safe side.  

The new trend continues 

We are continuing to see more and more rules come into existence that force you to be more knowledgeable and strategic about your credit card applications, and I think this trend is only going to continue for the foreseeable future. This is one of the main reasons I’m working on WalletFlo, so that you won’t have to worry about keeping up with these changes and working all the crazy calculations. 

Final word 

Overall, I don’t think these changes are that bad if you have a BOA account but they are pretty restrictive otherwise at 3/24. We’ll see how strictly these new rules get enforced and if they become hard rules like 5/24. 

Barclays Credit Card Application Rules Guide [2020]

Barclays has an interesting set of credit card application rules. They do not have any hard and fast rules but a series of different rules that may or may not apply in certain scenarios. Below, I will go into detail about all of these application rules.

By the way, if you want to automate the calculations for all of these credit card application rules be sure to check out the new app WalletFlo, which will break down all of the known credit card approval rules and show you whether or not you are eligible for certain cards.

Barclays 6/24

Barclays has something known as the “6/24 rule.”

This rule works the same as the Chase 5/24 rule in that it takes into account all of the cards that you have opened in the past 24 months across all credit card issuers.

Presumably, cards that do not report to your personal credit report also do not count for 6/24 although I am awaiting data points to verify that.

The big difference between the two rules is that the 6/24 rule is not a hard rule. In the past, some have speculated that the 6/24 rule only applies to specific cards such as the Arrival Plus card (that is no longer available to new applicants).

It’s not clear to me what specific cards the 6/24 rule applies to or when it is applied but it is clear that it is not always applied.

There are plenty of data points of people out there getting approved for Barclays cards when they have opened up many (10+) cards in the past 24 months so just because you are over 6/24, that does not mean that you will be denied.

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Barclays 6 Month Close Rule

It is recommended that you wait six months until after closing a Barclays card before applying for that card again. Once again, this may not be a hard and fast rule but it is a guideline that I would follow in order to increase my approval odds. 

You also do not want to apply for a Barclays card while you are still a current cardmember of that card.

So if you were interested in the Aviator card but you were currently a card holder, you should not apply for another Aviator card. Instead, you should close your Aviator card and then wait at least six months until you reapply for that same card.

It’s worth noting that some have reported a minimum wait time of 24 months. Again, Barclays is a very “your mileage may vary” bank when it comes to its application rules so you just have to use your own judgment in a lot of cases.

Barclays 6 Month Application Rule

The Barclays six month application rule states that you should wait six months since opening any Barclays card to open a new Barclays card.

This is definitely not a hard and fast rule as some people have been able to get approved for multiple Barclays cards at one time.

However, again a lot of these rules or guidelines are here to help you increase your approval odds. So just because some people got approved for multiple cards at once, that does not mean that is the optimal way to pursue Barclays credit cards.

So personally, I would recommend waiting six months until after you have been approved for a Barclays card before applying for another one.

Also, you want to make sure that you have put spend on your other Barclays cards as Barclays really dislikes when you have dormant cards with no spend put on them. (Ideally, you would put spend on the card after meeting the welcome bonus requirements.)

If you have your notifications set up for spend reminders in WalletFlo, this will not be a problem for you, as it can remind you to put spend on your cards every six months. 

Current or Previous Cardholder Rule

Some Barclays cards will come with the following language in their terms and conditions:

“You may not be eligible for this offer if you currently have or previously had this card.”

This rule can be broken down into two parts.

The first has to deal with you being a current cardholder. As already mentioned, it is not a good idea to be a current card member when applying for a Barclays card. And in those cases you should cancel your card before applying because you will likely be denied.

Then there is the rule about if you have previously had the card. This essentially mirrors the American Express oncer per lifetime credit card application rule, which states that once you open a card you will not be eligible for that bonus ever again subject to certain exceptions.

The tricky thing here is that this rule is not always enforced. But the fact that the rule is in writing means that if they wanted to enforce it they could easily deny you a bonus so you should always proceed with that in the back of your mind.

New Cardmember Rule

Some Barclays cards will also come with the following language in their terms and conditions:

“This offer is available to new cardmembers only. This rule may not be enforced.” 

Once again, this language is very similar to the rule above which prevents you from being eligible for the offer if you are not a new cardmember. But as you might expect by now, this rule is also not always enforced. So again, you should just proceed with this rule in mind if it attaches to any of your cards.

TransUnion

Something else to keep in mind is that Barclays loves to pull from the credit bureau TransUnion. This is great because it means that you can give your other credit reports like Experian and Equifax a break. If you have a lot of recent hard inquiries on those latter reports then this could help you recover your credit score as you await for the negative impact of those hard inquiries to drop off. Read more about credit pulls here. 

Final word

Many of the Barclays rules are soft rules which will not always be enforced. This makes things more of a guessing game when applying for their cards but because the rules are frequently not enforced, generally you can expect them to not prevent you from being eligible. However, when it comes to the waiting period of six months I would always try to abide by those to maximize your approval odds. 

American Express Application Rules Ultimate Guide [2021]

Offers contained within this article maybe expired.

There are a lot of credit card application rules for American Express cards and they require you to keep tabs on a lot of different things at once and to be familiar with the policies that differ between charge cards and credit cards. In this article, I will give you a comprehensive look at all of the American Express Application rules.

What are the American Express application rules?

There are a handful of American Express application rules that you need to know about and they include the following:

  • 1/5 Rule: “You are allowed one Amex credit card every five day period.”
  • 2/90 Rule: “You are allowed two Amex credit cards every 90 day period.”
  • 4 or 5 Card Limit: “You may concurrently hold 4 or 5 credit cards from Amex.”
  • Once Per Lifetime Rule: “You will not be eligible for the welcome bonus if you’ve opened up the card before.”
  • Platinum 90 Day Rule: “You cannot get more than one Platinum card in a 90 day period.”
  • Marriott rules (see below)
  • Hilton Ascend Rule: “You will not be eligible for the welcome bonus if you’ve opened up the Hilton Honors Ascend.”

By the way, you don’t have to worry about finding these rules and keeping up with them because the new (free) app WalletFlo will do all of that for you but in case you are in need of a refresher, keep reading below!

1/5 Rule

American Express application rules typically (though not always) limit you to one Amex credit card approval per 5 business days.

This is an automated fraud-prevention feature that Amex uses and it will usually apply whether you’re applying for personal or business credit cards.

As far as I know, there’s no way around this besides getting lucky. Typically, your second application will go to pending for 3 to 5 business days and then you might be automatically approved or receive a rejection and need to call into reconsideration.

Note: the week-long processing period for a pending application can sometimes result in two separate hard pulls. 

Multiple charge cards

You can apply and be approved for multiple charge cards at the same time. So you could get the Amex Platinum and Amex Gold at the same time.

The maximum number of charge cards that I would ever apply for at once is two, because it’s not uncommon for Amex to hit you with financial reviews if you quickly open many new accounts.

And in case you are wondering, Amex charge cards aren’t “credit cards” in the typical sense. With charge cards, you need to pay off the balance each month in order to avoid fees. The great thing about charge cards is that there are no set spending limits like a traditional credit card.

This doesn’t mean that you’ll have an unlimited credit limit. Typically, Amex will require you to work your way up to a higher credit limit by showing them your spending habits for a couple of months. At some point, it’s likely that they will offer you the Pay Over Time option which essentially converts the charge card into a normal credit card that can carry a balance.

They often provide you with an incentive like extra points for enrolling in Pay Over Time, too!

2/90 Rule

The Amex 90 day rule does not allow for you to be approved for more than two credit cards within any 90 day period. Remember, this rule applies to credit cards, not charge cards. Some people are lucky enough to get around this rule and get 3 credit cards in 90 days, but I think those people are outliers. 

There’s actually no strict limitation on charge cards, although I’d probably try to limit charge card applications to 2 per 90 day period. Just my personal recommendation.

Amex application strategy tip

In my experience, charge cards tend to be easier to get approved for than credit cards. If I were new to American Express, I would consider going for the Green Card or the Gold Card and then building up my relationship with American Express. Of course, if you are looking for a premium card, the Platinum Card would be a much better option for you.

Four or five Amex credit cards total

American Express will limit you to a total of four or five credit cards at any given time. This rule applies to both personal and business credit cards so there’s no getting around it that way. However, the good news is that if you are an authorized user on an Amex card, that will NOT count against you for purposes of this rule.

Some people have been able to get approved for even more than five Amex credit cards but those seem to be the exceptions and not the norm. 

Unlimited charge cards?

It’s a tad unclear if Amex has any limits on charge cards. Some state that the rule is four total charge cards but there are several data points showing others getting approved for more than four Amex charge cards. I would personally try to keep it at four or five and only apply for additional cards with the expectation that you may very well be denied.

And again, I’m only talking about charge cards right there. That means that you could have a total of at least 9 Amex cards (5 credit cards and 4 charge cards).

Once Per Lifetime Rule

One of the most important American Express application rules to know about is the once per lifetime rule.

This means that once you open a specific card, you can never earn the bonus again. You can still get approved for the card, but you just can’t get the bonus.

This rule applies even if you don’t receive the bonus when you open up the card. So let’s say that you signed up for the Platinum Card but never met the minimum spend requirement to earn the welcome bonus. Well, that does not matter — you still will not get the welcome bonus. It is a bit harsh but that is just how American Express rolls.

There’s also no distinction between charge cards and credit cards with this rule, either.

Another thing, if you upgrade to a card, that also counts toward the once per lifetime rule. This is why you want to seek out upgrade offers if you are ever thinking about upgrading a card.  

There are only two potential ways around the the once per lifetime rule.

Waiting around seven years

If you close your card and then wait a long period of time such as seven years, it is possible that American Express will allow you to receive the welcome bonus for a second time. This is one of those unofficial policies that might work for you or might not so I would not necessarily count on it working. 

Targeted offers

Another way around the this rule, which is the only true exception, is to jump on targeted offers. This method is still YMMV, but it’s a way to get a bonus for a card for a second time. I would suggest checking the terms and conditions of the targeted offer first to see if the welcome bonus is limited to new cardholders. If it’s not, then you at least have a basis for making an argument with Amex that you deserve the bonus.

This is the language that you don’t want to see:

Welcome offer not available to applicants who have or have had this Card

Platinum 90 Day Rule

This is one of the newest rules and it states that you cannot get more than one Platinum card in a 90 day period. The Platinum Rule only applies to: 

  • Platinum Card
  • Schwab Platinum
  • Morgan Stanley Platinum
  • Goldman Sachs Platinum

This rule is not that damaging since it only takes about three months to wait it out. 

Amex Centurion Lounge in Las Vegas.
Amex Centurion Lounge in Las Vegas.

Amex Marriott rules

The credit card rules for the Marriott cards are straight up ridiculous. They are extremely lengthy and a little bit confusing with all of the many different varieties of Marriott cards. They also crossover with Chase cards which makes them even more confusing. WalletFlo will really come in handy for these rules. 

Below are the Amex Marriott rules that currently apply. 

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card Rule

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card welcome bonus is not available to applicants who:

  • Have or have had this product or the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Luxury Card.
  • Have or have had the Ritz-Carlton Credit Card (from Chase) in the last 30 days
  • Have acquired the any of the following cards in the last 90 days:
    • Marriott Bonvoy Boundless (from Chase) 
    • Marriott Rewards Premier Plus (from Chase) 
    • Marriott Bonvoy Premier (from Chase) 
    • Marriott Rewards Premier (from Chase) 
    • Marriott Bonvoy Bold (from Chase) 
    • Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business (from Chase) 
    • Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Business (from Chase) 
  • Have received a new Card Member bonus or upgrade offer in the last 24 months for the:
    • Marriott Bonvoy Boundless (from Chase) 
    • Marriott Rewards Premier Plus (from Chase) 
    • Marriott Bonvoy Premier (from Chase) 
    • Marriott Rewards Premier (from Chase) 
    • Marriott Bonvoy Bold (from Chase) 
    • Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business (from Chase) 
    • Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Business (from Chase) 

Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card Rule

The Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card welcome bonus is not available to applicants who:

  • Have or have had this product or the Starwood Preferred Guest Business (from American Express). 

The Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card welcome bonus is not available to applicants who have had the following in the last 30 days:

  • Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business (from Chase) 
  • Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Business (from Chase) 
  • Marriott Bonvoy Business (from Chase) 
  • Marriott Rewards Business (from Chase) 

The Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card welcome bonus is not available to applicants who have acquired the following in the last 90 days:

  • Marriott Bonvoy Boundless (from Chase) 
  • Marriott Rewards Premier Plus (from Chase) 
  • Marriott Bonvoy Bold (from Chase) 
  • Marriott Bonvoy Premier (from Chase) 
  • Marriott Rewards Premier (from Chase) 

The Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card welcome bonus is not available to applicants who have received a new Card Member bonus offer in the last 24 months on the:

  • Marriott Bonvoy Boundless (from Chase) 
  • Marriott Rewards Premier Plus (from Chase) 
  • Marriott Bonvoy Bold (from Chase) 
  • Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus (from Chase) 
  • Marriott Rewards Premier (from Chase)

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Hilton Ascend Rule

You will not be eligible for the Surpass welcome bonus if you’ve opened up the Hilton Honors Ascend.

Will Amex combine hard pulls?

Amex (or more accurately the credit bureaus) can definitely combine hard pulls for multiple applications.

The only issue with this is that it doesn’t always happen. I’ve applied for multiple Amex cards on numerous occasions and each time the hard pulls were combined. However, there are data points out there where applicants were hit with two hard pulls. If I had to guess, applying for two charge cards probably makes it more likely for a combined hard pull than applying for two credit cards, but I can’t tell you what Amex will do for sure.

As an interesting aside, existing Amex cardholders will usually not incur a hard pull upon an application rejection. Unless Amex detects a significant change in your credit report, they will usually only conduct a credit check using their own internal credit check system and deny you.

And in some cases, existing Amex cardholders may not even incur a hard pull upon being approved.

Anti-gaming rules

American Express also has pretty strong anti-gaming language. For example, when you apply for one of their cards you might see the following language in the terms and conditions:

We may also consider the number of American Express Cards you have opened and closed as well as other factors in making a decision on your welcome offer eligibility.

There is also this language as well:

 If we in our sole discretion determine that you have engaged in abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with the welcome offer in any way or that you intend to do so (for example, if you applied for one or more cards to obtain a welcome offer (s) that we did not intend for you; if you cancel or downgrade your account within 12 months after acquiring it; or if you cancel or return purchases you made to meet the Threshold Amount), we may not credit bonus points to your account. 

In practice, what this means is that if you have applied for a ton of American Express cards, especially in a shorter amount of time, you will have issues getting approved for the card and earning the bonus.

Also, if you have downgraded or canceled cards before the annual fee posts or done anything shady or semi-shady to achieve a welcome bonus, that can come back to bite you pretty bad.

Luckily, there is a pop-up window that usually shows up when you go to apply that will let you know that you have exceeded the limit of acceptable gaming activity by American Express to get a welcome bonus so you don’t have to waste an application.

Final word

So, in conclusion, you should ask yourself the following three questions to make sure you’re not violating any Amex application rules:

  • Do you have a total of five Amex credit cards? If so, you cannot apply for another credit card (but you can still apply for a charge card)
  • Have you opened up more than two credit cards in the past 90 yes? If so, you cannot apply for another credit card (but you can still apply for a charge card)
  • Have you ever had this card before? If so, you probably will not be given the welcome bonus again (subject to the above exceptions).

Or you can just sign up for WalletFlo and have these questions and calculations ordered for you. 

 

New Bank of America Credit Card Application Rules

It’s always important to be aware of the latest credit card application rules and restrictions so that you can avoid unnecessary credit card application rejections and formulate a good credit card application strategy. Well, now it looks like another major credit card rule has been created — this time by Bank of America. Doctor of Credit just confirmed that there’s a new rule being enforced for Bank of America credit card applications. This is known as the “2/3/4 Rule.”

The 2/3/4 Rule

With the new rule, Bank of America will only approve you for a maximum number of Bank of America credit cards on the following basis:

  • 2 cards per (rolling) 2 months
  • 3 cards per (rolling) 12 months
  • 4 cards per (rolling) 24 months

Three cards in a 12 month period isn’t a horribly restricting rule so I think Bank of America has struck a pretty reasonable balance here to get rid of credit card churners. DOC also reports that manual override by agents might be possible so this rule isn’t automatic dead end for applications like the Chase 5/24 rule often is.

However, the biggest difference between this rule and the Chase 5/24 rule is that this rule only focuses on Bank of America issued credit cards, while the Chase 5/24 rule considers all credit card accounts opened from all issuers. So this is a far less restrictive than the rule Chase has implemented. Also, so far data points show that business cards from Bank of America might not count for this rule, so that’s potentially another big break for some people.

Bank of America credit cards

Bank of America has a few solid credit cards options. There’s a few different options for cash back credit cards, including the newly released “Premium Rewards® credit card” that comes with a $500 sign-up bonus. And there’s also the ultra-popular Alaska Card which currently offers a 30,000 mile sign-up bonus. Lesser known cards include those for Virgin Atlantic and Asiana. You can find there card options here.

If you were just looking to pick up a couple of cash back cards or some Alaska miles a couple of times a year like many have done in the past, that’s still possible so I don’t consider this new rule a major blow. However, if you were churning Alaska cards multiple times a year this is obviously a bigger hit.

Final word

Overall, it’s no surprise that such a rule is coming down given the past abuses that so many people took advantage of with Bank of America. Between the Alaska cards and MLB cards, Bank of America took some big hits from many people over the past few years and this was the inevitable result. Although Bank of America seemed to have struggled to manage how to deal with churners for a while, it looks like they probably found their solution and luckily it’s not nearly as bad as it could be.