Card application rules, issuer by issuer

30 application and welcome-bonus rules across 10 US card issuers. 16 are in the issuers' own terms; the rest are reported by applicants, and each page says which.

In the issuer's terms: The issuer states this, in a card's terms or an official statement.
Reported by applicants: The issuer has never stated this. It is a pattern many applicants have reported, consistent enough to plan around, but not a guarantee.

Chase

All Chase rules

Approval
The 5/24 rule
Chase will usually decline you for a new card if you have opened 5 or more personal credit cards, with any bank, in the last 24 months.
Reported by applicants
How fast you can apply
Two cards in 30 days
Chase usually approves no more than 2 personal cards in any 30 days, and no more than 1 business card in 30 days.
Reported by applicants
Welcome bonus eligibility
The 24-month bonus rule
On most Chase cards you can earn the welcome bonus only if you don't have that card now and haven't received its bonus in the last 24 months.
In the issuer's terms
Welcome bonus eligibility
Sapphire bonus, once per card
You can earn the welcome bonus on each Sapphire card once, as long as you have never earned that card's bonus before. Holding the other Sapphire card no longer stops you.
In the issuer's termsChanged January 22, 2026
Welcome bonus eligibility
Ink business cards, once per lifetime
The Ink Business Preferred bonus is once per lifetime, and the no-annual-fee Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited share one lifetime bonus between them.
In the issuer's terms
Card families
Southwest personal cards
You can't earn the bonus on a personal Southwest card if you have any personal Southwest card now, or received a personal Southwest card bonus in the last 24 months.
In the issuer's terms
Card families
IHG personal cards
You can't earn the bonus on a personal IHG card if you received a bonus on any personal IHG card in the last 24 months, and you can't hold two of the same IHG card.
In the issuer's terms

American Express

All American Express rules

Welcome bonus eligibility
Welcome offer once per lifetime
American Express generally pays a card's welcome offer once per lifetime: if you have had that card before, you most likely won't get its offer again.
In the issuer's terms
Card families
Green, Gold and Platinum family
Having a more expensive Membership Rewards card blocks the welcome offer on a cheaper one: the Platinum blocks the Gold, and the Gold or Platinum blocks the Green. To earn all three, apply Green, then Gold, then Platinum.
In the issuer's terms
Card families
Delta SkyMiles family
On the personal Delta SkyMiles cards, you can only earn a welcome offer on a card more expensive than any Delta card you have or have had.
In the issuer's terms
How fast you can apply
One card every 5 days
American Express usually approves no more than one credit card every 5 days.
Reported by applicants
How fast you can apply
Two cards in 90 days
American Express usually approves no more than two credit cards in any 90 days.
Reported by applicants
How many cards you can hold
Five credit cards at once
American Express usually lets you hold up to 5 of its credit cards at one time. Charge cards sit outside that limit.
Reported by applicants
Card families
Marriott Bonvoy cards across Amex and Chase
Marriott Bonvoy cards are issued by both American Express and Chase, and each card's terms can block its bonus if you recently opened, or recently earned a bonus on, a Marriott card from either bank.
In the issuer's terms

Citi

All Citi rules

How fast you can apply
One card in 8 days, two in 65
Citi usually approves no more than one card every 8 days, and no more than two in any 65 days.
Reported by applicants
Welcome bonus eligibility
48 months between bonuses
On most Citi cards you can earn a card's welcome bonus again once 48 months have passed since you last received it.
In the issuer's terms
Welcome bonus eligibility
Strata cards, once per lifetime
Citi's Strata cards now pay their welcome bonus once per lifetime: the bonus isn't available if you have or have ever had that Strata card.
In the issuer's termsChanged September 20, 2026

Capital One

All Capital One rules

Card families
Venture family, 48 months
The Venture cards share a 48-month rule that only lets you move up: no Venture X bonus within 48 months of a Venture X bonus, no Venture bonus within 48 months of a Venture or Venture X bonus, and no VentureOne bonus within 48 months of any of the three.
In the issuer's terms
Welcome bonus eligibility
48 months on the same card
On Capital One's personal cards you can't earn a card's welcome bonus if you received a bonus on that same card in the last 48 months.
In the issuer's terms
How fast you can apply
One card every 6 months
Capital One usually won't approve a new personal card within about 6 months of approving your last one.
Reported by applicants

Bank of America

All Bank of America rules

How fast you can apply
The 2/3/4 rule
Bank of America usually approves at most 2 of its cards in 2 months, 3 in 12 months and 4 in 24 months.
Reported by applicants
Approval
The 7/12 and 3/12 rules
Bank of America usually declines applicants who opened 7 or more cards with any bank in the last 12 months, or 3 or more if they don't bank with Bank of America.
Reported by applicants
Welcome bonus eligibility
24 months on the same card
Bank of America usually won't pay a card's bonus again within 24 months of the last one on that card.
Reported by applicants

Wells Fargo

All Wells Fargo rules

How fast you can apply
One card every 6 months
Wells Fargo may decline a new card if you opened a Wells Fargo card in the last 6 months, and pays welcome bonuses at least 6 months apart across its cards.
In the issuer's terms
Welcome bonus eligibility
48 months on the same card
You may not get a Wells Fargo card's bonus if you have that card or opened it in the last 48 months.
In the issuer's terms

Barclays

All Barclays rules

Approval
The 6/24 rule
Barclays may decline you if you have opened 6 or more cards, with any bank, in the last 24 months, though it applies this unevenly.
Reported by applicants
Welcome bonus eligibility
24 months, and the card closed
To earn a Barclays card's bonus a second time, it must be more than 24 months since the last bonus on that card, and the card must be closed.
In the issuer's terms

U.S. Bank

All U.S. Bank rules

Approval
Sensitive to new accounts
U.S. Bank is reported to decline applicants with many recent new accounts, around 5 or more in 12 months, and to favour people who already bank with it.
Reported by applicants

Discover

All Discover rules

How many cards you can hold
A year between cards, two at most
Discover usually wants your first Discover card open for at least 12 months before approving a second, and holds most people to two cards.
Reported by applicants

Cardless

All Cardless rules

Card families
One card per program, one every 60 days
Cardless, which issues co-branded cards through First Electronic Bank, is reported to allow one card per rewards program at a time and about one new card every 60 days.
Reported by applicants