Chase is well known for the lucrative sign-up bonuses of its myriad of credit cards. As a frugal person, it would make perfect sense to try to take advantage of all those sweet bonuses and reward points.

Some people even try to churn through Chase credit cards as much as they can to maximize the rewards they get.

Chase has strict application rules and requirements for its credit cards. If you just apply for Chase credit cards haphazardly without a plan, you may get rejected by Chase and end up depriving yourself of hundreds of thousands of reward points down the line.

The easiest way to apply for a Chase credit card is online. Go to creditcards.chase.com, pick out the credit card you want, and fill out its online application form.

In most cases, you will get a decision immediately. To improve your chance of getting approved, pay attention to your credit score and the Chase 5/24 and 2/30 Rules.

If your application is denied, you can call the Chase Reconsideration Line at 1-800-945-2006 to argue your case.

For the rest of this article, we will go into these topics in detail. We will also cover a few other important tips and tricks that will help improve your chance of getting approved for a Chase credit card.

Related: Types of Chase Credit Cards | Fees | APR | Rewards Chart

How to Improve Your Chance of Getting Approved

There are tips and tricks that you should be aware of if you want to maximize your chance of getting approved for a Chase credit card. Most of the tips below are not publicly acknowledged by Chase, but they are widely accepted to be true based on the data points reported within the various Chase credit card communities.

Chase 5/24 Rule

The Chase 5/24 Rule is one of the cardinal rules of Chase credit card application. According to the 5/24 Rule, Chase will not approve you for most of their credit cards if you have opened 5 or more personal (and some business) credit cards from any bank in the past 24 months.

This rule means you have to be under 5/24 to get approved by Chase. In other words, the most credit cards you can have opened in the last 24 months are 4.

To give you an example, let’s say you have opened:

• 1 Capital One card 22 months ago
• 1 Citi card and 1 American Express card 13 months ago
• 1 Citi card and 1 Chase card 5 months ago

You have opened 5 credit cards within the last 24 months. According to the 5/24 Rule, you will not be approved for a Chase credit card.

Cards Count Towards Your 5/24 Count

• All personal credit cards from Chase and other issuers
• Business credit cards from:
  • Capital One
  • Discover
  • TD Bank
• Authorized user cards from another person’s personal credit card or charge card
• Store credit cards
• Store charge cards that only work at that store – these cards used to not count, but the latest data suggests that they do now

Cards Do Not Count Towards Your 5/24 Count

• Small business credit cards from:
  • American Express
  • Bank of America
  • Barclays
  • Chase
  • Citi
  • U.S. Bank
  • Wells Fargo

This means you could have 5 small business cards from Chase or any of the banks above and still get approved for new Chase credit cards.

There is no way to get around the 5/24 Rule. The only thing you can do is to wait until you get under the 5 card limit. In our example above, if you wait 2 months, your Capital One card will move outside the 24 months window and you will get under the 5/24 count.

The 5/24 Rules mean that you can open at most 4 new credit cards in 24 months if you want to get new Chase credit cards.

As a result, you need to be strategic about your card applications. Do not waste your 4 card slots on low-value cards that do not offer much in terms of rewards or cash backs.

Chase 2/30 Rule

According to many reports from users, Chase will not approve you for more than 2 credit cards within a 30 days period. This is known as the Chase 2/30 Rule.

Even then, many people have reported that to get their second credit card approved, they needed to call Chase to explain why they wanted to open 2 credit cards within such a short period.

If you have to make that call, do NOT say it is because you want to earn more sign-up bonus.

That is the surest way to get your application rejected. Instead, talk about how you are expecting a lot of expenses coming up and how you need more credit available as a result.

If You Already Have a Sapphire Credit Card

Chase offers 2 Sapphire credit cards – Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve. They both offer great sign-up bonuses.

In an effort to discourage people from gaming the system and churning bonuses, Chase only allows its customers to hold one Sapphire credit card at a time.

So, if you already have a Chase Sapphire Preferred card and want to apply for a Chase Sapphire Reserve card. or vice versa, you can save the trouble. You will not be approved.

Credit Score Requirement

Most Chase credit cards require a credit score of at least 690. Chase Sapphire Reserve has an even higher credit score requirement of 720. Before you apply for a Chase credit card, make sure your credit score is high enough to meet the requirement of that card.

Check out our Chase credit card guide “Types of Chase Credit Cards | Fees | APR | Rewards Chart” for information on the credit score requirements of the various Chase credit cards.

Limit the Frequency of Your Credit Inquiry

Every time you apply for a credit card, a mortgage, or a loan, the creditor or lender will order a copy of your credit report. This is known as a “hard credit inquiry.”

Too many hard inquiries within a short time may indicate that you are under pressure financially and are desperate to borrow money.

As such, it could lower your credit score temporarily. The good news is, your score will bounce back after a few weeks.

If you have been applying for multiple loans recently, wait for a bit to let your credit score to bounce back before applying for a Chase credit card.

Related: What is SYNCB on My Credit Report?

Open a Chase Checking or Savings Account

Some users have reported that opening a checking or savings account at Chase has helped them to get approved for a Chase credit card.

You do not need to have a Chase bank account to get a Chase credit card. But it could help.

How To Apply for a Chase Credit Card

You can apply for a Chase credit card online, by mail, or in person at a branch. You cannot apply for a Chase credit card by phone or on the Chase mobile app.

Before you start the application process, make sure you have the following information handy:

• Your Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
• Your gross annual income. “Gross” refers to your income before taxes
• Your housing costs – either your monthly rent or mortgage payment

Different Chase credit cards have different sign-up bonuses, reward rates, cash back rates, interest rates, annual fees, and credit score requirements.

A good place to start researching and comparing the various Chase credit cards is our comprehensive guide Types of Chase Credit Cards.

Apply Online

1. Go to the Chase credit card homepage – creditcards.chase.com
2. Pick the credit card you want to apply for
3. Click the Apply Now button under your chosen card
4. Fill in the online application form
5. Click Submit

In some cases, you will get an immediate response on whether your application is approved or rejected.

In other cases, it will take up to 30 days for you to receive a response by mail or email.

Apply By Mail

Every now and then, you may get a preapproved credit card offer from Chase in the mail. In cases like that, you can apply for a Chase credit card by mail.

1. Fill out the application form you have received in your preapproved credit card offer
2. Send the completed application form back to Chase using the addressed and postage-paid envelope that came in with your preapproved offer

You will receive a response by mail or email within 30 days. Keep in mind, even though your offer is supposedly “preapproved”, you may still get rejected.

Apply in Person

1. Find a Chase branch close to you using the Chase branch locator
2. Go to your chose Chase branch
3. Ask for the application form for the Chase credit card you have chosen
4. Fill out the application form and return it to a banker at the branch

In some cases, you will get an immediate response on whether your application is approved or rejected.

In other cases, it will take up to 30 days for you to receive a response by mail or email.

How Long Does It Take

Once your credit card application is approved, it typically takes 3 to 5 business days for you to receive your card in the mail.

Something not many people know is that Chase will expedite shipping your new credit card at no extra cost if you ask. That way, you can receive your new Chase card in 1 to 2 days after you are approved.

So if you have an emergency purchase or expense you want to put on your new Chase card right away, you should call Chase Customer Service at 1-800-935-9935 and ask them to overnight your card to you.

Related: How Do I Activate My Chase Credit Card

How To Check the Your Application Status

If you do not get an immediate response to your Chase credit card application, you can check your application status in 2 ways: by phone or online

Check by Phone

To check the status of your Chase credit card application:

1. Call the Chase application status line at
   • 1-800-432-3117 for personal credit cards
   • 1-800-453-9719 for business credit cards
2. Follow the prompts and enter your Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
3. You will hear the status of your application from the automated voice system

Check Online

If you are already a Chase customer, you can check your application status online. But before you can do so, you need to have a Chase online account. If you do not have one, you can set one up.

How to Set Up Your Chase Online Account

To set up a Chase online account, make sure you have the following information with you:

• Your Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
• The account number of the Chase service you have – this could be your Chase checking account, savings account, or any existing Chase credit cards you have
• A valid email address. If you do not have one, you can sign up for a free web email account on services such as Google’s Gmail or Microsoft’s Outlook email

Follow the steps below to set up your Chase online account:

1. Go to the Chase webpage for online account sign-up
2. Fill in your Chase account number and your Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number
3. Choose a username for your Chase online account, click Next
4. Fill in your billing address and email address
5. You would also need to choose a password for your Chase online account.
6. You are all set. You can now sign in to your Chase online account using the username and the password you have chosen above. This same username and password can also be used to sign in to your account on the Chase mobile app

How to Check Your Chase Application Status Online

Follow the steps below to check your Chase application status online:

1. Go to Chase homepage
2. Sign in with your username and password
3. Click on the “menu” icon in the top left corner
4. A drop-down menu will pop up. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the drop-down menu. You will see a tab that says Application status
5. Click on Application status and you will see the current status of your Chase credit card application

What To Do if Your Credit Card Application Is Denied

According to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), you have the legal right to know why your credit card application was denied. If your application is denied, you will receive a formal notice by mail that explains the reasons why it was denied.

If your credit card application is denied, there are a few things you can do.

Review Your Credit Reports

Once per year, you are legally entitled to get a free copy of your credit reports from each of the 3 main credit bureaus – Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion – through the website AnnualCreditReport.com. Make sure you get your annual free credit reports and look over them carefully to check for errors or evidence of identity theft.

Credit report errors or identity thefts can seriously harm your chance of getting approved for credits – not just credit cards but also mortgages and loans. If you find evidence of either, contact the credit bureaus immediately to sort it out.

Call the Chase Reconsideration Line

You can call the Chase Reconsideration Line to ask them to reconsider your credit card application. There are 2 different numbers you can call, one for personal credit cards and the other for business credit cards.

• For personal credit cards such as Chase Freedom or Chase Sapphire Preferred:
  • 1-888-270-2127
  • 7 am to 10 pm EST Monday through Friday
  • 8 am to 1 pm EST Saturday
  • 9 am to 9 pm EST on Sunday
• For business credit cards such as Chase Ink Preferred or Chase Ink Unlimited:
  • 1-800-453-9719
  • 1 pm to 10 pm Monday through Friday

Before calling the Chase Reconsideration Line:

• Check your credit reports for errors and evidence of identity theft (see above)
• Put spend on your other Chase credit cards if you have any – it would look really bad during your reconsideration call if you are trying to get approved for a new Chase card but yet you hardly ever use your existing ones
• Pay off some of the balances on your existing credit cards or personal lines of credit. This will reduce your credit utilization rate (the amount of revolving credit you are currently using divided by the total amount of revolving credit you have available), which will, in turn, improve your chance of getting approved for new credit

What to say to the Chase Reconsideration Line:

• If there were errors on your credit reports or you were the victim of identity theft, let Chase know
• Do NOT talk about how you are chasing after the huge sign-up bonus of the credit card you are applying for
• Do talk about how you have some big purchases or expenses coming up that you want to put on your new Chase card. Or that you want to consolidate your debts by transferring balances from other cards to your new Chase card
• If you have a good track record of making payments on time, emphasize that
• If you have a banking relationship with Chase such as a Chase mortgage, auto loan, checking account, savings account, or brokerage account, emphasize that

Wait Out the Chase 5/24 and 2/30 Rules

Sometimes, the best thing you can do is to wait. Wait a few days until you are no longer limited by the 2/30 Rule. Or wait a few months until you get under the limit of the 5/24 Rule.