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Nerdy takeaways
- American Express imposes a once-per-lifetime restriction on welcome bonus offers.
- If you’ve opened five credit cards in the last 24 months (from any bank), Chase will not approve you.
- You can earn a sign-up bonus from Citi once every 48 months.
- Get the cards with the most restrictive rules first and hold out for large offers if you don't need points.
If you’re in the market for a rewards credit card, chances are you either have a specific award redemption in mind or just want to give your points balance a boost in case of a spur-of-the-moment trip. A big welcome bonus offer is a great way to achieve this, and there are many options to choose from.
However, with several issuers imposing restrictions on welcome bonus offer eligibility, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the rules so you don’t miss out on any valuable introductory offers.
Here are some card issuer rules you should be aware of.
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Chase credit card rules
The Chase 5/24 rule is simple and straightforward: If you’ve opened five or more personal credit cards across all issuers within the past 24 months, Chase may decline your application for a new card. Because of this restriction, it's better to prioritize Chase credit cards before opening cards from other issuers.
For example, if you're considering the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or American Express Platinum Card® you should apply for the Chase card first to make sure you remain compliant with the 5/24 rule.
Once you’ve been approved for a Chase card, you can then apply for other credit cards. Of course, you’ll want to keep in mind restrictions imposed by other banks.
Historically, Chase allowed cardholders to have only one Sapphire card at a time and limited Sapphire signup bonuses to once every 48 months. However, it has since updated both rules.
On the positive side, you can now hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® simultaneously, either by applying for both separately or through a product change. However, if you want to earn the bonus on both cards, you’ll need to apply for each card separately. Those who upgrade from the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to Chase Sapphire Reserve® will not earn the welcome bonus. If you’re looking to earn a lot of Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, you’ll want to keep this nuance in mind as you plan your card strategy.
While Chase no longer restricts Sapphire bonuses to once every 48 months, it now uses broader language stating that a signup bonus may not be available if you’ve previously had the card or earned a bonus on it.
AmEx application rules
American Express generally limits welcome bonuses to once per lifetime per card. In other words, if you’ve earned a welcome offer on a card before, you typically won’t be eligible to earn it again. That’s why it makes sense to apply when elevated welcome offers become available, since you may only have one opportunity to earn the bonus.
However, there are some exceptions. Certain targeted offers may not include the standard “once per lifetime” language in the terms and conditions. These are commonly referred to as “no lifetime language” offers and may allow previous cardholders to earn the welcome bonus again.
AmEx has also added “family language” restrictions to some cards, which could affect your chances of earning a welcome bonus if you’ve previously had certain related cards within the same product family. For example, the American Express® Gold Card application states that if you’ve held or currently hold an American Express Platinum Card®, you may not qualify for the welcome offer.
If you don’t remember whether you’ve held a certain card or want to check before applying, AmEx has an online tool that will notify you if you aren’t qualified for a welcome offer before you submit a full application. The initial check is a soft inquiry and won’t affect your credit score.
After submitting your information, AmEx will let you know whether you’re eligible for the welcome offer. Even if you’re not, you can still choose to proceed with the application and potentially be approved for the card. Keep in mind that continuing with the application will result in a hard inquiry on your credit report.
A quick Google search is a good way to determine what the highest bonus has been for a particular card. This may not work out well for people who like to speculatively stock up on points, but it is conducive to a more sensible approach for acquiring new credit cards.
» Learn more: AmEx Membership Rewards: How to earn and use them
Capital One card rules
Capital One may deny applications for certain cards if you’ve received a welcome bonus on those cards within the past 48 months.
For example, if you earned the signup bonus on the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card within the past 48 months, you may not get approved for the card again until the restriction period lapses.
Other cards also have rules across the broader card family. For example, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card terms state that applicants are “not eligible for this product” if they received a new cardmember bonus for the Venture or Venture X within the past 48 months.
Interestingly, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card terms only reference previous Venture X bonuses rather than the Venture family. So if you’re interested in earning lots of Capital One Miles by getting multiple cards, you may want to consider applying for the Venture X first.
» Learn more: Capital One Miles: How to earn and use them
Citi credit card rules
Unlike AmEx and some Chase cards, Citi generally does not restrict welcome offers to once per lifetime. Instead, many Citi cards allow you to earn the bonus again after waiting 48 months. In other words, if you apply for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® or the Citi Strata Premier® Card this year, you won’t be eligible to earn its sign-up bonus again for another four years.
This is less restrictive than the Chase 5/24 rule, but it’s nonetheless disappointing if you’re looking to stock up on Citi ThankYou points through a new welcome bonus offer (without waiting upwards of four years).
» Learn more: The 4 best Citi transfer partners (and 7 to avoid)
Other issuer rules
The four banks listed above aren't the only issuers of travel credit cards. Here are a few other companies you may encounter when applying for cards along with their signup offer rules.
Barclays credit card rules
Barclays applications also state that welcome bonuses “may only be earned once” and that applicants may not be eligible if they currently have or previously had the card. So, if you plan on applying for a card like the JetBlue Plus Card, you may want to wait until the signup bonus is elevated before submitting an application.
» Learn more: Best Barclays credit cards
Bilt credit card rules
Bilt also includes lifetime language on the Bilt Blue Card, Bilt Obsidian Card and Bilt Palladium Card. Welcome bonuses are only available once per card so if you apply for a card, cancel it and later reapply, you will not earn the bonus again.
The bottom line
These credit card issuer restrictions make it more difficult to obtain big credit card welcome bonus offers spontaneously. But with a little planning, these rules are still manageable.
The key takeaway is to be strategic about applying for rewards credit cards: Get the cards with the most restrictive rules first, and try to hold out for the biggest bonus possible if you don’t have an immediate need for points.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
- Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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