“Churners” seek sign-up bonuses and other rewards by opening lots of credit cards. In most cases, they’re legitimate customers who want extra cash back or free travel. A lot of credit cards offer great rewards and bonuses. As people become more educated about credit cards (CCs) some inevitably want to maximize (or abuse) the system, despite risks to their credit scores.
As a result, banks have implemented rules (sometimes unofficially) to deter churners. They naturally aim for a positive ROI on customers. Here’s a compilation of the most important things to keep in mind. Keep in mind that this isn’t a comprehensive list of all rules/guidelines, and things are subject to change.
As a side note, some banks might shut you down if you go too hard and fast. They can take away points or close your cards. We recommend applying for 1 new card every 3-4 months, to start. If you have higher risk tolerance, maybe apply for a new card every 2-3 months, once your credit history is pretty well-established. Don’t go overboard. Start with credit cards that you’re likely to use on a regular basis, and pay your balance in full every month.
American Express (AMEX)
American Express limits people to 1-2 AMEX credit cards every 90 days. They’re also limited to 4-5 American Express credit cards total (charge cards are unlimited). If you try to apply for a 5th or 6th credit card on AMEX’s website, the application is likely to be auto-rejected.
Lastly, AMEX bonuses are “once per lifetime.” Once you have a card, you can’t get any more sign-up bonuses (SUBs) for that particular card. This applies even if you didn’t meet the minimum spend (MS) requirements and didn’t get the bonus. When you apply for an AMEX, you have one chance to get the bonus. Make sure you’re getting the best possible SUB before applying. (Note: “lifetime” typically means 7-10 years.)
Bank of America (BoA) 2/3/4 and 3/12 or 7/12
Bank of America has tightened their rules over the past few years.
First, the 2/3/4 rule: you can only apply for X BoA cards in X months.
- Limit of 2 BoA cards in 2 months
- Limit of 3 BoA cards in 12 months
- Limit of 4 BoA cards in 24 months
Second, the 3/12 rule: this is similar to the Chase 5/24 and Barclays 6/24 rules, except it’s over one year instead of two. If you’ve opened 3 or more credit cards in the past 12 months, Bank of America may automatically reject your application. However, if you already have a banking relationship with BoA (such as a checking account or Merrill Edge investment account) then this becomes a 7/12 rule. A lot more lenient than other banks, though still something to consider.
Some people have successfully applied for 2 cards in a single day to combine hard pulls. Others may have difficulty getting more than 1 BoA card every 6 months. To stay on their good side, appear as a legitimate customer. Get a checking account with them, use a no-fee card, then apply for better cards later on.
Barclays 6/24
Barclays has almost the same rule as Chase, except with more leniency. They have a “6/24 rule” to reject applicants who opened 6 or more credit cards in the past 24 months. This isn’t a hard rule, though. It can be a 7/24 rule for some.
It’s also worth noting that x/24 status typically doesn’t reset until the 1st of a month. If you apply for a card on November 16th, 2021, then you have to wait until December 1st, 2023 for the card to “fall off” your file.
Capital One 1/6
Capital One limits new applications to one every 6 months. They won’t approve people for more than two credit cards a year. Note that this only applies to Capital One cards, and you can get other cards in the meantime. As of August 2023, Capital One says on some cards that “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.”
Capital One also limits people to 2 “builder” cards and 5 “prime” cards. Builder cards include Platinum and Journey. Prime cards include the SavorOne and Venture X.
The biggest downside of Capital One is how they do a hard pull (getting your credit report) from all 3 major credit bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax, Experian). Most banks don’t do this, and it can impact your FICO score. Some people try to spread out inquiries. For example, you could apply for 2 cards that pull TransUnion and 3 cards that pull Equifax, and your Experian report will show zero recent hard inquiries. It’s a game that doesn’t work with Capital One.
Chase 5/24
Chase Bank is one of the stricter institutions. They’ll usually auto-reject credit card applications for anyone who opened 5 or more CCs in the past 24 months. (From any institution, not just Chase cards.) The credit card community started referring to this as the “5/24 rule” and it stuck. Sometimes there are ways around this, but they’re not guaranteed.
Chase doesn’t have a specific limit for how many cards you can hold with them, unlike American Express and Capital One. Instead, there’s a maximum credit line they’ll extend to you (combining all Chase cards). When you reach this limit, further applications may be auto-rejected unless you decrease the current credit limit (CL) on one or more Chase cards.
When people get started with churning, it’s common to apply for Chase cards first. The Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Freedom Unlimited are valuable long-term cards that don’t have an annual fee, and they set the stage for the “Chase Trifecta” later on. Just note that if you’re brand-new to credit cards, and your credit score is less than a year old, Chase may reject your applications. They don’t have a hard rule there, but it’s rumored that Chase likes to see at least 1 year of credit history before approving people.
Chase also has a 48-month limit for Sapphire card sign-up bonuses (SUBs). Business cards don’t count toward the 5/24 rule since they don’t report to personal bureaus; however, you must still be below 5/24 to apply for a Chase business card.
Citi 1/24
Citi has a variety of rules, and some are unevenly applied. The most important is the 1/24 rule: only 1 sign-up bonus (SUB) per 24 months per Citi family of cards. The 24-month clock resets every time a Citi card is opened, closed, or changed to a different Citi card.
There’s also a 8/65 rule: no more than 1 Citi credit card application in 8 days, and no more than 2 applications in 65 days. And a 6/6 rule: no more than 6 hard inquiries in the past 6 months (ideally zero hard inquiries). This doesn’t seem to be a hard rule like Chase 5/24. Citi may also have a 7/24 rule like Barclays, according to some reports.
Their newest offering, the Citi Custom Cash Card (CCCC), has extra restrictions. It’s limited to one card per account, and the sign-up bonus says “You will qualify for this bonus offer only if you have not received a bonus offer for opening a new Citi Custom Cash Card in the past 48 months.”
Discover 1/12
You can only get one Discover card in a 12-month period. They also limit customers to 1-2 active Discover cards. If you have two cards and want another, you’ll have to close one Discover card first. This tends to hurt credit scores over time, so closing cards should be avoided whenever possible.
However, Discover Bank only has one credit card that’s worthwhile long-term anyway—the Discover It Cash Back—so these limitations aren’t significant.
U.S. Bank 0/6
Reportedly, U.S. Bank can get skittish when applicants have more than one new account in the past 6-12 months. To improve application success, get a checking account (they have sign-up bonuses) and/or apply for a USB credit card 6-12 months after your last account was opened. They also exclude applicants residing in New York, Florida, and other regions outside of their footprint. In general, to become a U.S. Bank customer, you’ll need to live within 50 miles of a branch. People have reported that opening a brokerage account (IRA) can get around this requirement, but it isn’t guaranteed.
Their top-tier Altitude Reserve card is only available for current U.S. Bank customers. You have to be with them for at least 5 days before applying. If you want to be safe, you can wait 1 month.
Financial blog Doctor of Credit recommends freezing your SageStream & ARS credit reports before applying for credit cards, and unfreezing to apply for U.S. Bank checking accounts.
Wells Fargo 1/15
Generally, you can only get one credit card sign-up bonus (SUB) every 15 months. Wells Fargo may also require an “existing relationship” for some credit cards. Having a checking account with them (especially for at least 12 months) will satisfy this. It’s possible to approved for multiple credit cards within the 15-month period, but you can only get the SUB for one of them.