Credit Card Application Rules By Issuer

Credit card application rules can definitely be a hindrance when you want to sign up for new cards to earn more rewards, but they can be managed if you know about them ahead of time. In fact, having some basic awareness of rules like the Chase 5/24 rule can help you figure out which cards from this issuer to sign up for, and in what order. The same is true with travel rewards credit cards from other credit card companies as well, although some have more stringent rules than others.

You may also need to be slow and cautious when it comes to the generosity of welcome bonuses. This is because card issuers typically have a waiting period before you can earn the bonus on specific cards or products within a card family if you have taken advantage already in the past.

At the end of the day, knowing how the rules work with all the major credit card issuers is the best way to prepare. Here’s an overview of all the credit card application rules broken down by issuer:

American Express

American Express has various rules about the number of cards you can have, the number of previous applications and even how often you can receive a welcome bonus. All of this is to minimize what is known as “credit card churning”—obtaining a credit card just for the welcome bonus and canceling it within a year.

• You can have up to five American Express credit cards and up to 10 charge cards.
• You can earn each Amex card’s welcome bonus once per lifetime (with exceptions).
• You can apply for up to two cards per day.

Credit card application rules

American Express has several restrictions when it comes to approving your credit card application. For starters, you can’t apply for more than two cards in a single day. This shouldn’t be an issue for most people, considering Amex imposes high spending requirements on their most lucrative welcome bonuses.

If you apply for multiple Amex credit cards in a day, you may also end up with a combined spending requirement that is unmanageable. So keep that in mind when planning out your American Express credit card application strategy.

Welcome bonus restrictions

American Express’ once-per-lifetime rule dictates that you can’t receive the welcome bonus on an Amex card more than once. So if you apply and earn the current welcome bonus on The Platinum Card® from American Express, you won’t be eligible for another bonus for the rest of your “lifetime.”

It’s important to note there are exceptions. Some reports suggest “once per lifetime” really translates to one every seven years. Others have reported receiving targeted offers that excluded this language. There are even reports of customers getting targeted for second bonuses on cards they already carry in their wallets. So while these rules serve as important guidelines, American Express doesn’t necessarily always enforce them.

Number of American Express cards you can have

American Express limits customers to five credit cards and up to 10 charge cards at a time. This is important to be aware of because you don’t want to risk a credit inquiry if you’re not eligible for an Amex card under these terms.

Bank of America

Bank of America doesn’t have a large rewards credit card line-up. However, it does offer some popular airline credit cards, like the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card and Free Spirit® World Elite Mastercard®. So, you should definitely familiarize yourself with the bank’s credit card application rules in case a lucrative welcome bonus comes around. Here’s an overview:

Welcome bonus restrictions

Bank of America is one of the few major banks that don’t restrict the number of times you can get a credit card sign-up bonus. You can get the same credit card sign-up bonus multiple times as long as you follow the rules outlined below. Also note that this rule applies for the issuer’s travel credit cards as well as its cash back cards like the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card.

Credit card application rules

If you’re applying for a Bank of America credit card, you need to know the 2/3/4 rule. It restricts credit card approvals as follows:

• Two new credit cards within 30 days
• Three new credit cards within 12 months
• Four new credit cards within 24 months

Number of Bank of America cards you can have

This issuer does not restrict the number of Bank of America credit card accounts you can have open at a time.

Barclays

When it comes to credit card application rules, Barclays isn’t as strict as some other banks. There’s the loosely enforced 6/24 rule and a 24-month waiting period between applications for most credit cards. In addition to that, Barclays tends to limit or prevent consumers from having duplicate cards. This means you cannot earn the bonus on a specific Barclays product and sign up again without canceling your first card and waiting for at least six months.

But, most notably, Barclays will take spending into account when considering applications from existing cardholders. If you’ve let your Barclays credit card collect dust for a few months, you’ll want to use it a few times (and pay it off when the payment is due) to demonstrate your value as a customer. After all, banks want to issue credit cards to customers who will actually use them. Use your existing card for daily expenses and you should have no problems meeting this criteria. Here’s an overview of Barclays’ credit card applications rules:

Welcome bonus restrictions

One important rule that applies to Barclays credit cards: You can earn a sign-up bonus on the same card as long as you wait 24 months between applications.

The exception is the Lufthansa Miles & More®World Elite Mastercard®, which has more restrictive language in the terms stating:

“These bonuses and/or incentives are intended for applicants who are not and have not previously been Miles & More Mastercard cardmembers.”

Credit card application rules

Barclays also loosely applies a 6/24 rule: If you’ve had more than six credit card applications in the last 24 months, you may not be approved for a new Barclays card. This rule doesn’t appear to be strictly enforced but could be cited as a possible reason if your application is rejected. It’s best to be safe and follow this rule if you’re applying for a new Barclays card.

Number of Barclays cards you can have

Barclays doesn’t impose a limit on the number of credit cards you can have at one time. According to reports, Barclays allows customers to apply for multiple credit cards in one day and will often process them both under a single credit inquiry. That means your credit will take a smaller hit, usually 2-5 points per application.

Capital One

Capital One wasn’t known for having restricted credit card welcome bonuses and new card approvals in the past. However, the bank has been ramping up its credit card offerings in the last decade with new options like the Capital One Venture X Card and the Capital One Venture X Business Card. This has meant new rules have been introduced over time, including a rule that says you cannot earn the bonus on these cards more than once every 48 months.

If a card’s bonus and many benefits appeal to you, you’ll want to read through the few (but important) restrictions before applying. Here’s an overview:

Welcome bonus restrictions

Most Capital One credit cards have language on their application pages specifying eligibility. For example, the Capital One Venture X Card has the following language on its page:

“Existing or previous cardmembers are not eligible for this product if they have received a new cardmember bonus for this product in the past 48 months.”

The same wording is found in the fine print on the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card and other cards that earn rewards. If you plan to apply for a Capital One rewards credit card, make sure you check the terms and conditions for this wording and know if you have earned the bonus on the same product within the last 48 months.

Credit card application restrictions

Capital One restricts customers to one personal and business card approval every six months. This shouldn’t be too restrictive, considering Capital One doesn’t have the same extensive card line-up as American Express, Chase or Citi. It’s still worth keeping in mind since Capital One pulls your credit from all three credit bureaus. You don’t want to incur three credit pulls multiple times a year because you weren’t aware of the six-month rule.

Number of Capital One cards you can have

Capital One may limit customers to two personal credit cards at a time. This shouldn’t be too restrictive since business cards like the Capital One Spark Miles for Business are not factored in. A limit of one business charge card for customers also applies.

However, some data points show that Capital One may break its rules from time to time and let consumers have more than two cards at once.

Chase

Chase has some of the best rewards credit cards on the market, so it’s not surprising the bank imposes multiple restrictions around approvals. There’s the infamous 5/24 rule, as well as rules around how often you can earn the same sign-up bonus and the amount of credit the bank will extend to you. Here’s an overview of all the Chase credit card application rules you need to know about:

Welcome bonus restrictions

Chase limits customers from earning another welcome bonus on a card if they’ve earned that bonus in the past 24-48 months. The exact time-frame varies by card. The waiting period for the Southwest credit cards is 24 months, for example, while the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® require 48 months between welcome bonuses. Keep in mind, too, that Chase considers the Sapphire cards in the same family and the 48-month period applies even if you’re switching from one card to the other.

So, for instance, if you earned the bonus for the Sapphire Preferred card in December 2024 (noticed the restriction applies to when you earned the bonus, not when you applied for the card), you won’t qualify for another bonus for either Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve until after December 2028. You also won’t be eligible for it if you’re a current cardholder at the time of application — you’ll need to cancel or downgrade your card before applying.

Lastly, you can’t hold both Sapphire accounts at the same time. You’ll need to downgrade or close one before you can open the other, regardless of the welcome offer.

Credit card application rules

Chase’s 5/24 rule is the most important rule to be aware of if you’re considering a new credit card. That’s because the rule limits new credit card approvals if you’ve had five or more applications within the last 24 months. This doesn’t just apply to Chase credit card applications. If you’ve had five or more at any bank, you won’t be approved for a Chase card.

Business card applications with other banks don’t factor into your 5/24 tally; however, business card applications with Chase do.

Overall, the 5/24 rule isn’t quite as restrictive as it sounds. You just have to be strategic when applying for credit cards. If you’re new to travel rewards and have your eye on several different credit cards, you’ll want to apply for a Chase card before anything else. Once you have your Chase card secured, you can apply for cards with other banks since most of them don’t have a similar rule in place.

Number of Chase cards you can have

Chase doesn’t currently limit the number of credit cards you can have. Instead, Chase limits the amount of credit it extends to customers. So if your credit card application gets denied because you’ve reached the credit limit, you can try asking Chase to move credit from one card to the new account. Your total available credit will remain the same, with part of it allocated to the new credit card.

Citi

When it comes to credit card application restrictions, Citi is a bit more relaxed than competitors in some regards and more strict in others. Here’s an overview of all the application rules currently in effect for Citi credit cards:

Welcome bonus restrictions

Citi restricts welcome bonuses for most cards to once every 48 months, including Citi AAdvantage cards. The same is true for the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, even if you upgraded to this card from its previous version (the Citi Premier® Card).

When you read over the terms and conditions on the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, you can find the following fine print:

“Bonus ThankYou® Points are not available if you received a new account bonus for a Citi Premier® or Citi Strata Premier℠ account in the past 48 months or if you converted another Citi credit card account on which you earned a new account bonus in the last 48 months into a Citi Premier® or Citi Strata Premier℠ account.”

Credit card application rules

If you’re applying for a Citi credit card, you’ll want to keep two main rules in mind: You can’t apply for more than one card every eight days, or more than two cards within 65 days. Citi may also deny your new card application if your credit reports show more than six hard inquiries in the last six months.

Number of Citi cards you can have

Like Chase, Citi doesn’t limit the number of credit cards you can have open at a time but rather the amount of available credit. So if you’re denied a credit card due to the number of Citi cards you have open, try calling the reconsideration line to see if they’ll approve you after moving credit lines around.

Discover

Since Discover credit cards don’t come with traditional welcome offers, they don’t need to have a lot of fine print that limits new sign-ups. Discover credit cards with rewards offer bonuses through the issuer’s Cashback Match program instead, which doubles all the rewards a cardholder earns during the first year after account opening.

That said, there are some general rules to know about when it comes to maximizing rewards with Discover credit cards over the years:

• A 12-month waiting period is required between new Discover card sign-ups.
• Consumers can only have two credit cards from Discover at once.

U.S. Bank

U.S. Bank doesn’t list any credit card application rules or limitations within the fine print of its credit cards. However, some anecdotal evidence reveals that some general guidelines might apply.

For example:

• You may not be able to earn a welcome offer on a specific U.S. Bank credit card if you already have it.
• Having opened five or more new cards in the last 12 months may lead to being denied a new U.S. Bank credit card.

These are not hard and fast rules from U.S. Bank, but you should keep them in mind if you plan to apply for a card like the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Card or the U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card.

Wells Fargo

While Wells Fargo credit cards with rewards used to be few and far between, there are actually quite a few lucrative rewards cards to choose from in 2025. Options include Wells Fargo travel credit cards like the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Visa® Credit Card and the wildly popular Wells Fargo Active Cash^SM Credit Card, to name a few.

Here’s an overview of the rules that limit cards and bonus offers from this issuer.

Welcome bonus restrictions

Most Wells Fargo credit cards limit welcome bonuses to consumers who have not earned the bonus on the card in the last 48 months. In a unique twist, this issuer can also limit intro APR offers to customers who meet the same requirements.

For example, fine print on the Wells Fargo Active Cash^SM Credit Card says the following:

“You may not be eligible for introductory annual percentage rates, fees and/or rewards bonus offers if you have the Wells Fargo Active Cash Visa® or opened one within the last 48 months from the date of this application – even if that account is closed and has a $0 balance.”

Note that sign–up bonus limits are shorter on Choice Privileges credit cards from Wells Fargo like the Choice Privileges World Elite Mastercard Credit Card. With this card, fine print says the following:

“If you opened a Choice Privileges Mastercard Credit Card or a Choice Privileges Select Mastercard Credit Card within the last 15 months, you may not be eligible for an introductory bonus rewards offer. See important exclusions below.”

Credit card application rules

Wells Fargo follows some loose rules when it comes to credit card applications:

• You typically cannot get a new Wells Fargo credit card if you’ve already opened one with the issuer in the last six months.
• You may get declined for a new Wells Fargo credit card if you have opened five or more cards with any issuer in the previous 24 months.

Number of Wells Fargo credit cards you can have

Wells Fargo does not have any limits on the number of credit cards you can have. However, they will likely extend you a total credit limit that must apply across all cards you carry with them.

The bottom line

Whether you’re new to rewards credit cards or a seasoned pro, there are still plenty of opportunities to leverage credit card sign-up bonuses for incredible travel experiences. By familiarizing yourself with these rules (or simply consulting this guide before applying), you’ll be better suited to navigate the increasingly confusing world of credit card application rules.