# The Application Rules Record — Bonus Eagle

> The dated, sourced record of credit card application rules (5/24, once-per-lifetime, 48-month clocks, velocity limits). Statuses are as last confirmed on the stated date, never live policy.

Generated: 2026-09-04T17:33:02.766Z

## Chase

Chase application rules, documented: 8 tracked rules (6 active as last confirmed), 27 dated rule changes on record since 2015, most recently July 21, 2026. Every change dated and sourced; statuses reflect our last documented confirmation, not live issuer policy.

### Chase bonus-eligibility pop-up — Active — last confirmed July 21, 2026

- **2026-07-21**: "Lifetime" bonus exclusion documented as not literal — longtime former Sapphire Preferred holders approved with no pop-up — TPG documented a pattern of former Sapphire Preferred holders who opened the card circa 2010–2012 and closed it by 2016–2017 being approved for the 100k bonus with no pop-up, while more recent former holders remained blocked; no defined lookback window is confirmed. Data points cluster around 7+ years since the last bonus, with denials reported at 4–9 years. 5/24 and the no-current-Sapphire conditions still apply. — sources: https://thepointsguy.com/news/chase-sapphire-preferred-bonus-eligibility-pattern/ · https://www.doctorofcredit.com/what-does-chase-consider-a-lifetime-when-are-you-eligible-for-another-bonus/
- **2025-06-23**: Rule first documented — Doctor of Credit dubbed the new bonus-denial notice "Chase pop up jail" and speculated the mechanism could eventually replace 5/24, while noting no changes to 5/24 had been announced. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-will-do-away-with-48-month-signup-eligibility-in-favor-of-proprietary-eligibility-determination-chase-pop-up-jail/

### 2/30 velocity rule — Active — last confirmed January 23, 2026

- **2026-01-23**: Rule confirmed as two personal cards and one business card per 30 days — OMAAT describes Chase as typically approving at most two personal cards and one business card in a 30-day period. — sources: https://onemileatatime.com/guides/credit-card-application-rules/
- **2020-06-06**: Rule first documented — Date approximate; earliest tier-2 documentation found. The consensus described is that no more than two Chase cards can be approved within any rolling 30-day period, and that the rule is not as hard-and-fast as Citi's 8/65. — sources: https://www.uponarriving.com/the-chase-30-day-application-rule/ · https://onemileatatime.com/guides/credit-card-application-rules/

### Ink family bonus rule — Active — last confirmed December 1, 2025

- **2025-12-01**: Bonus-eligibility language extended to Ink Business Preferred and Ink Business Premier — TPG reported Chase again tightened welcome-bonus rules across the Ink portfolio by adding new eligibility language to the Ink Business Preferred and Ink Business Premier. — sources: https://thepointsguy.com/credit-cards/chase-no-annual-fee-ink-business-bonus-restrictions/

### 5/24 rule — Active — last confirmed July 14, 2023

- **2023-07-14**: Documented exceptions for elevated Ink Preferred offers — Doctor of Credit noted that easier approvals seemed to align with the start or end of best-ever offers, and relayed MEAB's reported exceptions such as online Ink Preferred applications at 90,000+ points bypassing 5/24 for applicants with a good Chase relationship who were not above 8/24. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/ymmv-chase-ink-preferred-100000-approvals-past-5-24/
- **2022-12-26**: Reported temporary suspension on Ink business cards through year-end (YMMV) — Date approximate. Doctor of Credit relayed an insider report that 5/24 was suspended on Ink cards through December 31, 2022, with some data points supporting it; Miles to Memories reported widespread denials and disputed that any freeze existed. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/reports-chase-5-24-rule-temporarily-suspended-on-ink-cards-through-december-31st/ · https://milestomemories.com/chase-ink-cards-have-not-dropped-5-24/
- **2021-12-07**: Reported approvals over 5/24 on the Amazon card, with some on Southwest personal and United Explorer — Date approximate. Doctor of Credit collected data points of applicants approved for the Chase Amazon card despite being over 5/24 during an increased $200 offer, and later saw similar approvals on Southwest personal and United Explorer cards. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-amazon-card-not-subject-to-5-24-rules/
- **2019-05-24**: Business cards confirmed excluded from the count; Private Client bypass documented as ended — Date approximate; reflects the consolidated guide's publication date, not the underlying finding. The guide struck its earlier assumption that Chase business cards would be counted internally, noting instead that they appear not to be counted, and marked the Chase Private Client bypass as no longer working. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-524-rule-explained-detail-need-know/ · https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-private-client-statushigh-value-customers-no-longer-bypass-chase-524/
- **2018-11-13**: Extended to remaining co-branded cards (Hyatt, IHG, British Airways, etc.) — Doctor of Credit concluded on November 19, 2018 that the rule had almost certainly been expanded to most if not all co-branded cards, with no reliable approvals over 5/24 seen for applications after November 13, 2018. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/has-chase-expanded-the-chase-5-24-rule-to-more-cards-we-have-no-idea/ · https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-524-rule-explained-detail-need-know/
- **2018-06-28**: Chase co-brand executive signals rule will eventually apply to all cards — At the World of Hyatt card launch, Chase's president of co-brand cards indicated the rule would not apply immediately but should be expected to cover all Chase cards in the future, with no timeframe given. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-plans-to-apply-5-24-to-all-credit-cards-in-the-future/
- **2016-09-01**: Rule text briefly published on the Sapphire Reserve application page, then removed — The fine print stated applicants would not be approved if they had opened five or more bank cards in the past 24 months; when the application link came back the language had been removed. NerdWallet dates the removal to September 1, 2016. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-524-rule-now-official-showing-chase-sapphire-reserve-application-page/ · https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/learn/chase-5-24-rule-written-out
- **2016-08-23**: Confirmed to apply to the newly launched Sapphire Reserve — In-branch approvals on launch day briefly suggested the card might be exempt, but data points quickly showed the rule did apply. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-524-rule-apply-chase-sapphire-reserve/
- **2016-05-23**: Extended to most co-branded cards — The rule was extended to most co-branded cards such as United and Marriott on May 23, 2016. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-524-rule-now-effect-credit-cards/ · https://thepointsguy.com/2016/07/unfortunate-expansion-chase-524-rule
- **2015-06-01**: Rule first documented — Date approximate (month only). Doctor of Credit records that the rule was originally implemented on Chase-branded cards such as Freedom and Sapphire Preferred in June 2015. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-credit-card-churning-the-new-reality/ · https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-524-rule-explained-detail-need-know/

### One-Southwest-personal-card rule — Active — last confirmed September 23, 2019

- **2019-09-23**: Business card confirmed outside the personal-card restriction — Doctor of Credit concluded that differing wording on the Southwest business card was a copy-paste error present since at least June, and that the business card kept its own separate 24-month bonus language. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/is-chase-restricting-who-can-get-the-southwest-business-bonuses-maybe/
- **2018-04-05**: Rule introduced — New terms made Southwest personal cards unavailable to current holders of any Southwest personal card and to prior holders who received a bonus within the last 24 months, ending the practice of earning both personal-card bonuses in one year; the business card was exempt. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-southwest-cards-limit-of-one-personal-card/ · https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-southwest-personal-cards-with-50000-point-bonus-no-new-restriction-still-available/

### Marriott family bonus rule — Active — last confirmed August 1, 2018

- **2018-08-01**: Cross-issuer Marriott/SPG bonus restrictions added to Chase Marriott card terms — Date approximate (month only). Chase Marriott personal card terms began denying the welcome offer to applicants who held the Amex SPG card within 30 days, acquired the SPG Luxury or SPG Business cards within 90 days, or received a bonus on those cards within 24 months, with parallel rules on the business card. — sources: https://thepointsguy.com/news/new-bonus-limits-on-marriott-spg-credit-cards

### 48-month Sapphire rule — Retired — last confirmed January 25, 2026

- **2026-01-25**: Successor rule clarified as one lifetime bonus per Sapphire card version — A memo to Chase bankers said that beginning January 25, 2026, disclosures would clarify that customers can earn a bonus on each Sapphire card version, one per card, even with another Sapphire open; Doctor of Credit noted this loosened the combined lifetime limit introduced a few months earlier. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/memo-chase-changing-rules-around-signup-bonus-eligibility-for-sapphire-reserve-sapphire-preferred/ · https://www.asksebby.com/articles/chase-ends-48-month-rule
- **2025-08-18**: Successor enforcement reported stricter than 48 months (possible lifetime limit) — Numerous reports indicated Chase was being strict with approvals even beyond 48 months, possibly limiting customers to one lifetime bonus on Sapphire Preferred or Reserve. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-will-do-away-with-48-month-signup-eligibility-in-favor-of-proprietary-eligibility-determination-chase-pop-up-jail/
- **2025-06-23**: Rule retired in favor of proprietary bonus-eligibility determination — Effective June 23, 2025, bonus eligibility for the Sapphire cards became based on factors including previously earned bonuses and the number of cards opened and closed, initially only for the Sapphire Reserve and Preferred. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-will-do-away-with-48-month-signup-eligibility-in-favor-of-proprietary-eligibility-determination-chase-pop-up-jail/ · https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-will-allow-customers-to-be-approved-for-both-sapphire-preferred-sapphire-reserve-cards/
- **2018-09-10**: Referral links updated to 48-month terms — Referral links initially still showed 24-month language until Chase updated them on September 10; email referrals generated before that date retained the older terms for a period. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/temporary-workaround-on-the-new-chase-sapphire-48-month-rule-with-email-referrals/
- **2018-08-27**: Extended from 24 to 48 months — Sapphire Preferred and Reserve terms moved from one bonus per 24 months to one per 48 months, with all Sapphire cards still counted as one family, while other Chase cards such as Freedom kept 24-month language. The timing coincided with early Reserve cardholders reaching the 24-month mark from the card's August 2016 launch. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-sapphire-cards-new-48-month-signup-bonus-limitation-instead-of-24-months-temporary-workaround/ · https://www.doctorofcredit.com/why-did-chase-introduce-the-48-month-rule-on-the-chase-sapphire-reserve-preferred-csr-came-out-24-months-ago/
- **2017-08-27**: Rule first documented as a 24-month Sapphire-family bonus restriction — The memo stated that a customer who closed an account would not be eligible for any Sapphire-branded card if they had earned a Sapphire cardmember bonus within the previous 24 months. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-memo-customers-can-get-one-sapphire-card-e-g-csp-cardholders-cant-get-csr/ · https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chase-ultimate-rewards/1863747-new-chase-rule-only-one-sapphire-card.html

### One-Sapphire rule — Retired — last confirmed June 23, 2025

- **2025-06-23**: Rule retired — Starting June 23, 2025, Chase allowed approval for the Sapphire Reserve while holding the Sapphire Preferred and vice versa, and customers could hold the Preferred, Reserve, and Reserve for Business together. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-will-allow-customers-to-be-approved-for-both-sapphire-preferred-sapphire-reserve-cards/ · https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-will-do-away-with-48-month-signup-eligibility-in-favor-of-proprietary-eligibility-determination-chase-pop-up-jail/
- **2017-10-15**: Confirmed as limited to the Sapphire family (not other card brands) — After several readers reported denials citing similar reasons for non-Sapphire families, Doctor of Credit gathered data points and judged a broader one-card-per-brand rule unlikely. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-now-limiting-one-card-per-familybrand-datapoints-wanted/
- **2017-08-27**: Rule first documented (internal memo) — A Chase memo to employees stated that as of August 27 it was no longer possible to hold more than one Sapphire card; Chase confirmed the implementation date to NerdWallet, and existing holders of multiple Sapphire cards were not affected. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-memo-customers-can-get-one-sapphire-card-e-g-csp-cardholders-cant-get-csr/ · https://nerdwallet.com/article/credit-cards/chase-limits-customers-to-just-one-sapphire-card

## American Express

American Express application rules, documented: 6 tracked rules (4 active as last confirmed), 25 dated rule changes on record since 2014, most recently May 30, 2026. Every change dated and sourced; statuses reflect our last documented confirmation, not live issuer policy.

### Pop-up jail — Active — last confirmed May 30, 2026

- **2026-05-30**: Pop-up language documented as also citing balance-transfer and intro-APR history — Date approximate; reflects the OMAAT guide's update date, not the wording change itself. The message references history with balance transfers, welcome offers, introductory APR offers, and cards opened and closed, and appears after personal information is submitted but before a credit check. — sources: https://onemileatatime.com/guides/amex-application-pop-up-warning/
- **2019-08-28**: Email-banner application links found to suppress the pop-up — Applying through a promotional Amex email link did not trigger the pop-up even for people who had previously seen it; Doctor of Credit urged caution given prior denials without a pop-up. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/american-express-pop-up-not-showing-when-clicking-e-mail-banner/
- **2018-12-06**: Bonus denials documented even when no pop-up appeared — Multiple reader and Reddit data points described applicants who saw no warning yet were still denied the bonus for eligibility reasons. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/american-express-denies-some-signup-bonuses-against-pop-up-indicator/
- **2018-10-08**: Denials intensified, reaching applicants with light Amex histories — Doctor of Credit saw many reports of pop-up denials for people with only two or three Amex cards opened slowly over years, while some heavy bonus-chasers were still deemed eligible if they had never held the card. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/amex-rat-intensifies-signup-bonus-pop-up-denials/
- **2018-08-24**: Two pop-up variants confirmed; bypass via phone judged unreliable — One variant cites the applicant's history with American Express; Doctor of Credit remained skeptical that a manually added bonus would actually post. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/is-it-possible-to-bypass-the-american-express-not-eligible-pop-up-box-maybe-but-probably-not/
- **2018-08-04**: Extended to business cards — The pop-up began appearing on business card applications, having previously shown only on personal cards. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/american-express-adds-signup-bonus-eligibility-check-during-the-credit-card-application-process/
- **2018-08-01**: Rule first documented (in-application eligibility pop-up on personal cards) — Date approximate. The week before, Amex had added application wording under which vague factors could affect bonus eligibility; TPG then reported a post-submission pop-up telling applicants they were ineligible, with separate variants for prior cardholders and for those flagged on other factors. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/american-express-adds-signup-bonus-eligibility-check-during-the-credit-card-application-process/ · https://frequentmiler.com/answered-amex-will-tell-you-that-youre-not-eligible-if-youre-not/
- **2018-07-25**: Application terms broadened to cite history with welcome offers and cards opened and closed — Date approximate. The lifetime limit itself was not new, but the added sentence stated Amex could also weigh the number of cards opened and closed and other factors; the eligibility pop-up tool followed within about a week. — sources: https://thepointsguy.com/news/is-amex-rejecting-more-welcome-bonuses · https://frequentmiler.com/answered-amex-will-tell-you-that-youre-not-eligible-if-youre-not/

### 1-in-5 / 2-in-90 limits — Active — last confirmed March 18, 2026

- **2026-03-18**: Enforcement reported inconsistent — TPG notes there are no published requirements and that applicants may be approved for more than two cards within 90 days. — sources: https://thepointsguy.com/credit-cards/credit-card-application-restrictions/
- **2026-02-24**: Same-product 90-day approval limit documented alongside the velocity limits — Date reflects the guide's update date. Frequent Miler's guide lists one credit card per five days, two per 90 days, and approval for the same product only once every 90 days, the last mattering mainly for no-lifetime-language links. — sources: https://frequentmiler.com/complete-guide-to-credit-card-application-rules-by-bank/
- **2016-01-01**: Rule first documented (credit cards only; charge cards exempt) — Year approximate; origin of the practice is undated in tier-1 sources. Doctor of Credit's reference describes a limit of one approved credit card per rolling five days and two per rolling 90 days, applying to credit cards and not charge cards. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/15-things-everybody-should-know-about-american-express/ · https://upgradedpoints.com/credit-cards/applying-for-credit-cards-bank-rules/

### Family welcome-offer rule — Active — last confirmed October 6, 2023

- **2023-10-06**: Gold card added to the Platinum family — Gold card terms began excluding applicants who have or had the Gold, Premier Rewards Gold, or any Platinum version; the Platinum cards' own terms were unchanged, so prior Gold holders remained eligible for Platinum offers. — sources: https://frequentmiler.com/amex-adds-one-in-a-lifetime-family-language-to-gold-card/
- **2023-09-01**: Consumer and Schwab Platinum cards combined into one welcome-offer family — Date approximate (month only). The consumer and Schwab Platinum terms began excluding previous or current holders of any of the three Platinum versions, while Morgan Stanley Platinum applicants remained eligible regardless. — sources: https://frequentmiler.com/american-express-makes-negative-changes-to-platinum-consumer-cards/ · https://frequentmiler.com/amex-adds-one-in-a-lifetime-family-language-to-gold-card/
- **2023-01-01**: Family language added to Delta consumer cards — Year approximate. Frequent Miler describes the Delta family structure as one-directional: holding a lower-tier Delta card does not block a higher-tier bonus, but having held a higher-tier card may block lower-tier bonuses. — sources: https://frequentmiler.com/amex-adding-once-in-a-lifetime-family-language-to-delta-consumer-cards/ · https://frequentmiler.com/complete-guide-to-credit-card-application-rules-by-bank/
- **2018-08-01**: Cross-issuer SPG/Marriott bonus restrictions documented — Date approximate (month only). TPG documented new welcome-offer limits across the Marriott and SPG card lineups that reference holding or recently earning bonuses on specified cards from the other issuer, using 30-day, 90-day, and 24-month look-backs. — sources: https://thepointsguy.com/news/new-bonus-limits-on-marriott-spg-credit-cards

### Once-per-lifetime rule — Active — last confirmed March 10, 2023

- **2023-03-10**: Confirmed as applying to both personal and business cards — Date reflects the reference page's update date. Doctor of Credit's reference states the sign-up bonus on personal and business American Express cards can be earned only once per lifetime. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/15-things-everybody-should-know-about-american-express/ · https://thepointsguy.com/credit-cards/credit-card-application-restrictions/
- **2016-02-25**: Extended to business cards — Business Gold, Business Green, Business Platinum, and SimplyCash applications adopted the same have-or-have-had restriction as personal cards; the SPG Business card briefly kept the older 12-month wording before updating. — sources: https://frequentmiler.com/amex-business-cards-now-once-per-lifetime/ · https://milestomemories.com/amex-business-card-churning/
- **2014-05-02**: Rule introduced on consumer cards — American Express's official statement said that beginning May 2, 2014, welcome bonus offers would not be available to applicants who have or have had the card they are applying for. — sources: https://thepointsguy.com/news/american-express-tightening-sign-up-bonuses-no-past-cardholders-allowed-starting-in-may-and-maybe-sooner · https://www.doctorofcredit.com/15-things-everybody-should-know-about-american-express/

### Credit-card count limit — Relaxed — last confirmed April 10, 2026

- **2026-04-10**: Reports of the five-card cap being relaxed for some customers — Doctor of Credit noted reports of the five-credit-card limit being relaxed for some customers, with no change to the ten-charge-card rule. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/report-new-american-express-rule-limits-10-charge-cards-per-person/
- **2021-04-25**: Cap relaxed from four back to five credit cards — The limit was relaxed again to five credit cards, requiring manual approval until the system updated; Doctor of Credit suspected the earlier tightening was pandemic-related. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/american-express-increases-credit-card-limit-to-5/
- **2021-02-01**: Green card reclassified as a credit card for the limit — Date approximate (month only). Doctor of Credit records that in February 2021 the Green card came to be considered a credit card for purposes of the cap. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/american-express-increases-credit-card-limit-to-5/
- **2020-05-19**: Tightened to four credit cards; 10-charge-card cap confirmed — Reconsideration reps began citing a four lending-product limit, and Amex confirmed the four-credit-card and ten-charge-card limits on May 19, 2020. An Amex spokesperson told TPG the change was made because few customers actively use four or more cards at once. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/american-express-twitter-support-confirms-limit-of-4-credit-cards-10-charge-cards/ · https://thepointsguy.com/news/amex-four-card-limit/
- **2018-03-14**: Reports of sixth-card approvals — Doctor of Credit noted that for a year or two most people had been approved for a fifth credit card, often automatically, implying the effective limit had become five. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/does-amex-now-allow-holding-6-credit-cards/
- **2016-04-01**: Long-standing four-credit-card cap relaxed to five — Doctor of Credit described the rule that a customer could not hold more than four Amex credit cards at once, and collected reports of fifth-card approvals. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/american-express-relaxing-four-credit-card-limit/

### Business 12-month bonus rule — Retired — last confirmed February 25, 2016

- **2016-02-25**: Rule retired (replaced by once-per-lifetime language) — Before this date, Amex business card offers carried language denying the bonus only to applicants who had held the product within the last 12 months, so business cards could be re-earned after a year away; Frequent Miler documented the wording being replaced on most business cards. — sources: https://frequentmiler.com/amex-business-cards-now-once-per-lifetime/ · https://milestomemories.com/amex-business-card-churning/

## Citi

Citi application rules, documented: 3 tracked rules (3 active as last confirmed), 11 dated rule changes on record since 2016, most recently November 3, 2023. Every change dated and sourced; statuses reflect our last documented confirmation, not live issuer policy.

### 8/65 velocity rule — Active — last confirmed November 3, 2023

- **2023-11-03**: Five-day recent-inquiry auto-decline added — Reports indicated applications were auto-declined if any bank had pulled the applicant's credit in the previous five days, with the stale pull reused for up to 60 days unless reconsideration requested a fresh one. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/citis-application-rule-explained-865-rule/ · https://frequentmiler.com/possible-citi-5-day-rule-causing-denials-for-too-many-inquiries/
- **2018-07-01**: Reported one-card-per-60-days limit judged not a firm rule — Date approximate. Some applicants were told only one new card could be approved per 60 days; Doctor of Credit concluded this reflected fraud screening when applying for two of the same card rather than a firm approval rule. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/new-citi-application-rule-one-card-per-60-days/ · https://www.doctorofcredit.com/citis-application-rule-explained-865-rule/
- **2017-03-27**: Rule first documented (1 per 8 days, 2 per 65 days, business 1 per 95 days) — Date approximate; taken from the March 2017 screenshot in Doctor of Credit's original post. The real window is 60 days, with 65 used as a safeguard; business applications require a 90-day gap, and denials still count. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/citis-application-rule-explained-865-rule/ · https://www.uponarriving.com/citi-creditcard-application-rules/

### 48-month rule — Active — last confirmed April 11, 2023

- **2023-04-11**: ThankYou family moved to a per-card 48-month clock — Citi family cards gained a 48-month clock like the American Airlines cards; each ThankYou, AA, and Custom Cash card runs on its own, and only receiving a bonus—not closing—resets the clock. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/citi-24-month-churning-rule-explained-detail/ · https://onemileatatime.com/guides/citi-card-48-month-rule/
- **2022-11-29**: 24-month language removed from the Rewards+ card — Date approximate. The Rewards+ application no longer showed the 24-month limit, while the Premier still did and still counted Rewards+ as part of its family. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/citi-removes-24-month-language-from-rewards-card/ · https://frequentmiler.com/citi-drops-24-month-churn-rule-on-rewards/
- **2021-07-08**: Custom Cash launched with 48-month language — Doctor of Credit noted the new Citi Custom Cash card also carried the 48-month wording. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/is-citi-moving-from-24-month-signup-bonus-restriction-to-48-month-restriction/
- **2019-07-04**: AAdvantage cards extended from 24 to 48 months, per card, with closure clause dropped — All Citi AA links showed 48-month language by July 4, 2019; the new wording tracked each card individually and dropped the clause under which closing a card reset the clock. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/is-citi-moving-from-24-month-signup-bonus-restriction-to-48-month-restriction/ · https://thepointsguy.com/news/citi-adds-48-month-restriction-to-aadvantage-credit-card-applications
- **2019-02-08**: Terms reworded to key off receiving a bonus rather than account opening — The ThankYou terms shifted from cards "opened or closed" to having received a new cardmember bonus or closed a card, implying product changes into a family no longer reset the clock. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/language-change-in-the-citi-24-month-rule-and-implications-24-months-becomes-27-months-more/
- **2016-08-29**: Business cards confirmed outside the per-brand rule — The American Airlines wording excluded the CitiBusiness/AAdvantage card from the brand look-back, and Doctor of Credit's strategy post treated the closure-resets-clock provision as the rule's harshest feature. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/strategies-dealing-citis-new-application-rule/ · https://www.doctorofcredit.com/new-citi-rules-limit-one-bonus-per-24-months-per-brand-american-airlines-expedia-hilton-citi-typ/
- **2016-08-12**: Per-card 24-month rule expanded to a per-brand 24-month opened-or-closed rule — Date approximate; terms took effect August 28, 2016. Previously the restriction applied only to the specific card opened or closed within 24 months; the new terms barred a bonus if any card in the same brand (American Airlines, Expedia, Hilton, ThankYou) had been opened or closed in that window. Doctor of Credit advised applying before August 28 under the old terms. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/new-citi-rules-limit-one-bonus-per-24-months-per-brand-american-airlines-expedia-hilton-citi-typ/ · https://frequentmiler.com/citis-new-speed-limit/

### 6/6 inquiry rule — Active — last confirmed September 5, 2016

- **2016-09-05**: Rule first documented — Applicants with six or more inquiries on the specific bureau report Citi pulls are denied, and reconsideration can pull a different bureau; Doctor of Credit judged it a denial reason rather than a hard rule. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/citi-deny-6-new-inquiries-one-credit-bureau-within-six-months/ · https://www.doctorofcredit.com/citis-application-rule-explained-865-rule/

## Bank of America

Bank of America application rules, documented: 3 tracked rules (3 active as last confirmed), 6 dated rule changes on record since 2017, most recently October 28, 2022. Every change dated and sourced; statuses reflect our last documented confirmation, not live issuer policy.

### 24-month rule (Bank of America) — Active — last confirmed October 28, 2022

- **2022-10-28**: Business card terms add entity-level restriction language — Business card applications began stating the applicant may be declined for additional accounts depending on what the business entity currently holds. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/bank-of-america-adds-24-month-churning-rule-per-card-alaska-cash-rewards-etc/
- **2019-01-01**: Rule introduced (per card, wording varies by card) — Date approximate (month only). Alaska and Premium Rewards terms bar approval if the applicant has or has had the card in the preceding 24 months, while Cash Rewards and Travel Rewards terms only bar a second card unless the existing one is at least 24 months old. OMAAT dated the implementation to January. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/bank-of-america-adds-24-month-churning-rule-per-card-alaska-cash-rewards-etc/ · https://thepointsguy.com/credit-cards/bank-of-america/bank-of-america-24-month-rule/

### 3/12 and 7/12 rule — Active — last confirmed June 12, 2020

- **2020-06-12**: Restated as a soft limit in reference guide — Doctor of Credit's reference describes a soft limit of six new cards in 12 months for deposit customers and two for non-customers. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/things-everybody-should-know-about-bank-of-america/
- **2019-09-29**: Rule first reported — Date approximate. A report indicated applicants with a deposit relationship are tolerated up to six new cards from all banks in the past 12 months, with a lower threshold for those without one; business cards may fall outside the rule. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/report-bank-of-america-7-12-rule-3-12-rule-for-new-cards/ · https://frequentmiler.com/possible-new-boa-application-restructions-3-12-or-7-12/

### 2/3/4 rule — Active — last confirmed October 4, 2017

- **2017-10-04**: Rule confirmed by a reliable source — Doctor of Credit confirmed the full rule with a reliable source, who indicated reps might override it based on relationship but rarely. Data points suggested business cards did not count toward the limits. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/httpswww-doctorofcredit-combank-america-312-rule-credit-card-approvals-contribute-data-points/ · https://frequentmiler.com/strategy-given-boa-234/
- **2017-09-27**: Rule first reported — At most two cards per rolling two months, three per rolling 12 months, and four per rolling 24 months; the post was originally published September 27, 2017. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/httpswww-doctorofcredit-combank-america-312-rule-credit-card-approvals-contribute-data-points/ · https://frequentmiler.com/strategy-given-boa-234/

## Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo application rules, documented: 3 tracked rules (2 active as last confirmed), 6 dated rule changes on record since 2017, most recently February 16, 2026. Every change dated and sourced; statuses reflect our last documented confirmation, not live issuer policy.

### 48-month rule (Wells Fargo) — Active — last confirmed February 16, 2026

- **2026-02-16**: Per-card 48-month bonus language documented on Active Cash — Date approximate; reflects the guide's date, not the terms change. Sources are tier-3; tier-1 dating not found. Active Cash terms deny intro APR, fee, and bonus offers to anyone who has or opened that card within 48 months, while Choice Privileges cards keep a 15-month window. — sources: https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/issuers/credit-card-application-rules-by-issuer/ · https://www.fool.com/money/credit-cards/wells-fargo/guides/wells-fargo-card-application-rules/

### 1 card per 6 months (Wells Fargo) — Active — last confirmed November 3, 2022

- **2022-11-03**: Rule introduced — The rule became one Wells Fargo card per six months across all personal Wells Fargo cards. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/wells-fargo-one-bonus-per-16-month-rule/ · https://www.doctorofcredit.com/things-everybody-should-know-about-w/

### 15-month bonus rule — Retired — last confirmed November 3, 2022

- **2022-11-03**: Rule retired (replaced by 6-month rule) — The Hotels.com card still showed the 15-month rule relative to a prior Hotels.com card. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/wells-fargo-one-bonus-per-16-month-rule/
- **2019-10-05**: Terms softened from "will not" to "may not" qualify — Doctor of Credit was unsure whether this was a real change or lawyer wording. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/wells-fargo-one-bonus-per-16-month-rule/
- **2018-01-30**: Confirmed as a 15-month rule — Both places in the terms used 15-month language by this date. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/wells-fargo-one-bonus-per-16-month-rule/
- **2017-04-01**: Rule first documented (16-month and 15-month language) — Date approximate (month only). Application terms stated that opening a Wells Fargo card within the prior 16 months disqualified the applicant from intro rates and bonus offers, with a 15-month version elsewhere in the terms. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/wells-fargo-one-bonus-per-16-month-rule/ · https://travelwithgrant.boardingarea.com/2018/05/02/dont-forget-about-the-wells-fargo-credit-card-15-month-rule/

## Barclays

Barclays application rules, documented: 4 tracked rules (4 active as last confirmed), 5 dated rule changes on record since 2017, most recently January 23, 2026. Every change dated and sourced; statuses reflect our last documented confirmation, not live issuer policy.

### 6/24 rule — Active — last confirmed January 23, 2026

- **2026-01-23**: Confirmed as inconsistently applied — OMAAT describes Barclays as sometimes applying a 6/24 rule, with guidelines that are pretty inconsistently applied. — sources: https://onemileatatime.com/guides/credit-card-application-rules/ · https://upgradedpoints.com/credit-cards/applying-for-credit-cards-bank-rules/
- **2017-08-01**: Rule first documented — Date approximate; Doctor of Credit estimated the tightening began around early August. Arrival card applicants were told by reps that approval was hard-coded against a certain number of new cards in 24 months, with one reader told six or more; Barclays had long limited how many of its cards one could hold and required six months between them. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/is-barclay-denying-those-with-many-new-accounts-similar-to-524-contribute-data-points-here/ · https://upgradedpoints.com/credit-cards/applying-for-credit-cards-bank-rules/

### 24-month bonus rule (Barclays) — Active — last confirmed August 22, 2025

- **2025-08-22**: Rule documented (second bonus on same card after 24 months; no duplicate cards) — Frequent Miler describes a rule that a welcome offer on the same card can be earned again only after more than 24 months, inconsistently applied, with no duplicate cards allowed and roughly six months after cancellation before reapplying. — sources: https://frequentmiler.com/aadvantage-aviator-red-mastercard-70k-miles-welcome-offer/ · https://thepointsguy.com/credit-cards/credit-card-application-restrictions/

### Bonus eligibility language (Barclays) — Active — last confirmed May 17, 2021

- **2021-05-17**: Program-level "have or previously had an account" language documented as unenforced — Doctor of Credit found the wording, resembling a once-per-lifetime model, present since at least October 2020 on cards such as the Wyndham Business, but saw no sign it was enforced or that it affected the unofficial 6/24 rule. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/barclays-updates-credit-card-bonus-eligibility-rules-not-enforced/ · https://thepointsguy.com/credit-cards/credit-card-application-restrictions/

### 1 card per 6 months (Barclays) — Active — last confirmed August 1, 2017

- **2017-08-01**: Rule documented as long-standing practice — Date approximate. Doctor of Credit described Barclays' historical approval criteria as not holding too many Barclays cards at once and not getting a new one within six months of the last; Frequent Miler later described the same six-month spacing as a general expectation with exceptions. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/is-barclay-denying-those-with-many-new-accounts-similar-to-524-contribute-data-points-here/ · https://frequentmiler.com/aadvantage-aviator-red-mastercard-70k-miles-welcome-offer/

## Capital One

Capital One application rules, documented: 3 tracked rules (3 active as last confirmed), 5 dated rule changes on record since 2018, most recently March 18, 2026. Every change dated and sourced; statuses reflect our last documented confirmation, not live issuer policy.

### 1 card per 6 months — Active — last confirmed March 18, 2026

- **2026-03-18**: Rule confirmed — TPG describes it as a hard-and-fast rule of one approval every six months, lumping personal and small-business cards together. — sources: https://thepointsguy.com/credit-cards/credit-card-application-restrictions/ · https://www.doctorofcredit.com/things-everybody-should-know-about-capital-one-credit-cards/
- **2018-11-28**: Rule first documented — Applications within six months of a prior one are not processed at all and no hard pull is done; personal and business cards are both included. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/capital-one-tightens-churning-rules/ · https://thepointsguy.com/credit-cards/credit-card-application-restrictions/

### Two personal card limit — Active — last confirmed January 15, 2026

- **2026-01-15**: Rule documented in reference guide — Date reflects the reference page's update; the rule's origin is undated. The maximum is two personal cards, counting only Capital One-branded cards and excluding cards product-changed due to discontinuation. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/things-everybody-should-know-about-capital-one-credit-cards/ · https://upgradedpoints.com/credit-cards/applying-for-credit-cards-bank-rules/

### 48-month rule (Capital One) — Active — last confirmed October 29, 2025

- **2025-10-29**: Venture and Venture X combined into one family for the 48-month clock — Terms now bar the product if a bonus was received on either the Venture or Venture X in the past 48 months; enforcement was initially unclear. The Venture X Business card is not covered by the shared language. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/capital-one-adds-terms-combining-venture-venture-x-cards-signup-bonus-48-month-eligibility/ · https://upgradedpoints.com/news/capital-one-venture-welcome-bonus-48-month-rule/
- **2023-08-15**: Rule introduced (per card) — New terms state existing or previous cardmembers are ineligible for a product if they received its bonus in the past 48 months. The wording replaced a vaguer clause that the bonus might not be available to existing or previous accountholders. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/capital-one-adds-48-month-rule-eligibility/ · https://thepointsguy.com/news/capital-one-application-restrictions-48-month-rule

## Discover

Discover application rules, documented: 1 tracked rule (1 active as last confirmed), 3 dated rule changes on record since 2015, most recently September 24, 2019. Every change dated and sourced; statuses reflect our last documented confirmation, not live issuer policy.

### Two-card limit / 1 per 12 months — Active — last confirmed September 24, 2019

- **2019-09-24**: Twelve-month wait reported as possibly loosened — Doctor of Credit flagged two data points of second cards approved in under a year, one via preapproval, and suggested the wait rule may have changed. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/how-many-discover-cards-can-you-have/
- **2019-07-26**: Two-card limit and one-year wait restated in reference guide; frozen reports not accepted — Doctor of Credit's reference states a maximum of two Discover-issued cards, with the first open a year before the second, only one student card, and no approvals with a frozen report or a temporary PIN. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/things-everybody-should-know-about-discover-credit-cards/
- **2015-09-01**: Rule first documented with official Discover response — Date approximate; post written around the Discover it Miles launch. Discover's official response was that a cardmember can be primary on two accounts and is considered for a second only after holding the first for at least a year. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/how-many-discover-cards-can-you-have/ · https://upgradedpoints.com/credit-cards/applying-for-credit-cards-bank-rules/

## HSBC

HSBC application rules, documented: 1 tracked rule (0 active as last confirmed), 3 dated rule changes on record since 2018, most recently February 1, 2022. Every change dated and sourced; statuses reflect our last documented confirmation, not live issuer policy.

### Two-card limit (HSBC) — Retired — last confirmed February 1, 2022

- **2022-02-01**: Rule retired with HSBC's exit from US mass-market credit cards — Date approximate (month only). HSBC announced its US mass-market retail exit in May 2021 and completed the Citizens and Cathay transactions in February 2022, with the sold mass-market card accounts later moved to a First Bank & Trust program; new HSBC US consumer card applications and their limits ended with the exit. — sources: https://www.about.us.hsbc.com/hsbc-sells-mass-market-card-portfolio · https://www.doctorofcredit.com/hsbc-to-exit-u-s-retail-market/
- **2019-08-20**: Cap raised from two to three cards — Doctor of Credit's issuer card-limit reference recorded on August 20, 2019 that the HSBC maximum had increased to three. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/how-many-credit-cards-can-you-have-with-each-credit-card-issuer/
- **2018-08-01**: Rule first documented — Doctor of Credit's HSBC reference stated a maximum of two HSBC credit cards, that same-day inquiries were not combined, and that a banking relationship was needed or helpful for approval; premium cards additionally required Premier or Advance relationship balances. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/hsbc-credit-cards-list-of-cards-things-everybody-should-know-more/ · https://www.doctorofcredit.com/how-many-credit-cards-can-you-have-with-each-credit-card-issuer/

## US Bank

US Bank application rules, documented: 2 tracked rules (2 active as last confirmed), 3 dated rule changes on record since 2016, most recently May 31, 2021. Every change dated and sourced; statuses reflect our last documented confirmation, not live issuer policy.

### Frozen-report denial (US Bank) — Active — last confirmed May 31, 2021

- **2021-05-31**: Confirmed that US Bank will not pull an alternate bureau or accept a temporary PIN — Date reflects the reference page's update. Reports indicated the applicant must unfreeze the report themselves, and Doctor of Credit noted that freezing the ARS and SageStream reports had shifted from a recommended tactic to something that could make approval harder. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/which-credit-card-issuers-will-approve-an-application-with-a-frozen-credit-report/ · https://www.doctorofcredit.com/things-everybody-should-know-about-us-bank-credit-cards/
- **2016-09-26**: Automatic denials with a frozen ARS report first reported — Card investigation reps described automatic denials for applicants whose ARS report was frozen as a new policy; Doctor of Credit found the data points inconsistent and noted that a frozen report blocked reconsideration after a denial. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/whats-going-ars-u-s-bank-will-instantly-deny-frozen-report/ · https://milestomemories.com/us-bank-denial-ars-sagestream/

### Recent-tradeline sensitivity (US Bank) — Active — last confirmed September 27, 2016

- **2016-09-27**: Denials and account shutdowns for numerous recently opened tradelines documented — Denial and closure letters cited a number of recently opened tradelines and sufficient existing credit lines; several reports involved applicants who had opened many cards that year or applied for multiple US Bank cards at once. — sources: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/psa-becareful-u-s-bank-applications-previous-accounts-shutdown/ · https://www.doctorofcredit.com/things-everybody-should-know-about-us-bank-credit-cards/

## Navy Federal

Navy Federal application rules, documented: 1 tracked rule (1 active as last confirmed), 1 dated rule changes on record since 2026, most recently August 1, 2026. Every change dated and sourced; statuses reflect our last documented confirmation, not live issuer policy.

### 3-card limit / 1 per 90 days (Navy Federal) — Active — last confirmed August 1, 2026

- **2026-08-01**: Rule documented in issuer-published FAQ — Date approximate; reflects when the issuer FAQ was captured, not the rule's origin, which no tier-1/2 source dates. Navy Federal's published policy allows a member to be primary on up to three Navy Federal credit cards and approves only one new card per member in any 90-day period, with Home Equity and GO BIZ cards excluded from the three-card count. — sources: https://www.navyfederal.org/loans-cards/credit-cards/faqs.html · https://www.doctorofcredit.com/navy-federal-credit-union-nfcu-credit-cards-list-best-cards-things-must-know/

Full CSV: https://www.bonuseagle.com/rules/dataset.csv (CC BY 4.0, attribution: bonuseagle.com)