If you want a Chase card, there is one number to know before you apply: 5/24. Chase generally declines your application if you have opened five or more personal credit cards in the past 24 months. The count includes cards from every issuer, not just Chase, so a card from another bank counts exactly the same as a Chase card.
Chase has never published this rule. It was briefly visible on one application page in 2016 and then removed, and everything known about it since comes from applicants comparing their approvals and denials. That makes it an observed rule rather than a written policy, but for most applicants it is enforced consistently, so plan as if it applies to you.
What counts toward 5/24. Any personal credit card opened in the past 24 months counts, even if you have since closed it. An authorized user account counts too if it appears on your credit report, which surprises many people who were added to a family member's card years ago. Most business cards do not count, because they do not appear on your personal credit report, but there are exceptions: business cards from Capital One, Discover, and TD Bank are reported to personal credit and do count.
What does not count toward 5/24. Loans of any kind do not count, including auto loans, student loans, and mortgages. Denied applications do not count, since no account was opened. Most business cards from Chase, American Express, and Citi do not count, which is why business cards are a common way to keep earning while staying under the limit.
How to count your own number. Pull your three credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com and count the personal cards opened within the past 24 months, using each account's open date. Count authorized user accounts too if they show up. If you are at four, your next personal card approval would put you at five, so a Chase application after that would usually be declined.
How to plan around it. The simplest strategy is Chase first: decide which Chase cards you want and apply for them before you open cards from other issuers. If an authorized user account is pushing you over the limit, ask the primary cardholder to remove you, wait a few weeks for the change to reach your reports, and then apply. If you are denied and an authorized user account was the deciding factor, a reconsideration call can sometimes get the account excluded and the application approved.
When does the clock reset. A card stops counting once it is more than 24 months old, but the drop-off is not always instant in practice. Many experienced applicants wait until the first day of the following month after falling under the limit before applying, to be safe. If your fifth most recent card was opened in October 2024, waiting until November 2026 is the cautious move.
Is the rule still enforced. For the vast majority of applicants, yes. In the past year there have been scattered reports of approvals above 5/24, but there is no clear pattern to them, so do not build a plan that depends on being an exception. Assume the rule applies, count carefully, and apply in the right order.