Issuer rules glossary

Chase generally won't approve you for most of their cards if you've opened 5+ personal credit cards across any issuer in the last 24 months.

Since January 22, 2026 each Chase Sapphire product's welcome bonus is once per lifetime per product - the old 48-month family rule is retired. Ink cards carry their own lifetime rules.

Amex limits new credit card applications to 2 per rolling 90-day window. Charge cards (Platinum, Gold, Green) don't count.

Amex pays the welcome bonus on each card product once per person, by default for life. Closing and re-opening doesn't reset anything.

Citi pays each card product's welcome bonus at most once every 48 months, measured from when your previous bonus was received - not from when you applied.

Bank of America limits applications to 2 new cards in 2 months, 3 in 12 months, and 4 in 24 months - counting their personal cards only.

On a BofA business card, you may be declined if your business has held another BofA business card in roughly the past 24 months - but if approved, the welcome bonus is fully re-earnable.

Capital One generally approves at most 1 new card in any rolling 6-month window - and personal and business cards share the same timer.

Wells Fargo generally won't approve a second card application within 6 months of the previous one - personal and business cards both count.

Holding a Chase Marriott card opened in the last 30 days blocks the welcome bonus on Amex's personal Marriott cards (Brilliant, Bevy). One-directional - the reverse is not documented.