Which Credit Cards Should I Get If I’ve Reached the Chase “5/24” Limit?

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Million Mile Secrets reader, Joe, commented:

I’ve exhausted all credit card options with Chase due to the “5/24 rule.” What other cards would you recommend?  My credit score is well above 800.  I just applied and was approved for the Barclaycard Arrival Plus card.  Are there others that are better?

Thanks for the question, Joe!

My top pick is The Business Platinum® Card from American Express OPEN.  But there are plenty of great options!

Which Credit Cards Should I Get If Ive Reached The Chase 524 Limit
Don’t Let Strict Application Rules Prevent You From Getting Big Travel!

I’ll share picks for folks who can’t currently apply for more Chase cards.

Don’t Let the “5/24 Rule” Stop You From Getting Big Travel!

Link:   The Easy Way to Check Your Chase 5/24 Status

Now that Chase has stricter application rules for many of their cards (except these!), folks are looking for other ways to earn miles & points.  Here are suggestions for which cards to get!

1.   American Express Small Business Cards

Link:   The Business Platinum® Card from American Express OPEN 

Link:   The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN 

Link:   SimplyCash® Plus Business Credit Card from American Express

AMEX small business cards are a great option for folks who have reached their “5/24” threshold with Chase, because they do NOT appear on your personal credit report.  Of course, you don’t have to apply for small business cards, but it’s a good way to earn sign-up bonuses without more cards counting against the Chase “5/24 rule”.

Through January 25, 2017, The Business Platinum® Card from American Express OPEN comes with a huge bonus of up to 100,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points after meeting tiered minimum spending requirements.

You’ll earn 50,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.  And an extra 50,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points after you spend an additional $10,000 on qualifying purchases within the same timeframe.

You’ll also get:

The $450 annual fee is not waived the first year.

Which Credit Cards Should I Get If Ive Reached The Chase 524 Limit
Receive Access to Hundreds of Airport Lounges With Free Food and Beverages When You Have the AMEX Platinum Small Business Card
The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN has a sign-up bonus of 50,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points after spending $5,000 on purchases on the card within the first 3 months of card membership.  This is TWICE the usual bonus!

Plus, you’ll earn:

  • 3X points in the category of your choice (5 available categories)
  • 2X points in the 4 remaining categories and 1X points on other purchases
  • Waived $175 for the first year
  • Terms & limitations apply

The SimplyCash® Plus Business Credit Card from American Express comes an offer of up to $500 in statement credits. That’s a great deal, but it comes with a high minimum spending requirement to get the full amount:

  • Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $5,000 or more on qualifying purchases on your card within the first 6 months of card membership.
  • Earn an additional $250 statement credit after spending an additional $10,000 on purchases on your card within the first year of card membership.

You’ll also get:

  • 5% cash back on wireless telephone services purchased directly from US service providers and US office supply stores
  • 3% cash back on the category of your choice from a list of 8 and 1% cash back on other purchases
  • NO annual fee
  • Terms & limitations apply

You might think you don’t have a small business.  But take a look at these 10 activities to see if you qualify for a small business card!

2.   AMEX Delta and Starwood Cards

Link:   Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express

Link:   Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express

Link:   Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card

The Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express comes with 25,000 Starwood points after spending $5,000 within the 1st 3 months of opening your account.  Plus, you can now transfer points between Marriott and Starwood.

And the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express has the same offer, but the minimum spending requirement is $3,000 in the same timeframe.

Which Credit Cards Should I Get If Ive Reached The Chase 524 Limit
Transfer Your Starwood Points to Airlines, or Use them for Stays at Great Hotels Like the W Verbier in Switzerland

The $95 annual fee for both cards is waived the first year.

Through November 9, 2016, the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express comes with 50,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 in purchases within the first 3 months.  It also comes with:

  • $50 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase in the first 3 months
  • 1 free checked bag & priority boarding
  • Terms & limitations apply

The $95 annual fee is waived the first year.  Remember, AMEX small business cards will NOT appear on your personal credit report.

And the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express has the same sign-up bonus and spending requirements, but with a $100 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase in the first 3 months.  Here’s how to find it!

The Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card comes with higher limited-time offer of 70,000 Delta miles after spending $5,000 within the first 3 months when you apply by November 9, 2016.  Plus, you’ll get:

  • $100 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase with your new card in the 1st 3 months of opening your account
  • 10,000 elite miles after spending $25,000 in a year
  • Terms & limitations apply

The $195 annual fee is not waived the first year.

Remember, if you’ve had an AMEX small business card in the past, you won’t be able to receive the sign-up bonus on that specific card again.  That’s because the sign-up bonus for each AMEX card is once per lifetime.

And AMEX processes 1 application every 7 days.  So if you apply for more than 1 card within a week, you probably will not be instantly approved.

3.   Citi Credit Cards

Link:   Citi Prestige® Card

Link:   Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard®

Link:   Citi® Hilton HHonors™ Reserve Card

The Citi American Airlines credit cards provide great ways to get Big Travel with Small Money.  Both cards offer 50,000 American Airlines miles after meeting minimum spending requirements.

Which Credit Cards Should I Get If Ive Reached The Chase 524 Limit
American Airlines Miles Can Take You to the Corners of the Earth

The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select comes with a $95 annual fee, but it’s waived the first year.  The $450 annual fee for the Citi AAdvantage Executive card is not waived, but comes with Admirals Club membership with guest privileges. The information for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card and Citi Prestige has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

And the Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature currently comes with a 75,000 Hilton points bonus after spending $2,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

You’ll also get:

  • 6 Hilton points per $1 spent at Hilton hotels, 3 Hilton points per $1 spent at supermarkets, drugstores, and gas stations
  • Free Hilton Silver elite status
  • No annual fee

With the Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve card, you’ll earn 2 weekend night certificates good at almost any hotel within the Hilton portfolio after you spend $2,500 in purchases within 4 months of opening your account.

Plus, you’ll earn:

The $95 annual fee is not waived the first year.

Keep in mind, Citi has tightened their application rules so you can’t receive the bonus if you’ve opened or closed a card under the same family of cards within 24 months.  For example, if you open a Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card, you won’t be eligible for a Citi AAdvantage Executive card for 24 months.

4.   Alaska Airlines Credit Card

Link:   Bank of America Alaska Airlines

The Bank of America Alaska Airlines credit card makes the list because of its increased sign-up bonus and unique partner airlines.

You’ll earn:

  • 30,000 Alaska Airlines miles after making $1,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of opening an account
  • $100 statement credit after making $1,000 in purchases within 1st 90 days of opening your account. (Only available to those who haven’t had the card before.)
  • $99 coach companion certificate each year of card membership

The $75 annual fee is not waived the first year.

Which Credit Cards Should I Get If Ive Reached The Chase 524 Limit
Fly Cathay Pacific to Visit Hong Kong With Your Alaska Miles

Until recently, it was possible to be approved for a Bank of America Alaska Airlines credit card as long as you put at least 30 days between your applications.  Even if your previous cards were still open.  Now some folks report having to wait 90 days.

You can check out my review here, and read how to use Alaska Airlines miles here.

5.   Certain Chase Cards

There are 6 Chase cards that aren’t currently restricted by the “5/24 rule”.  And most of them are very worthwhile!

The Chase Ritz-Carlton card is the top deal on the list.  You’ll get:

The $450 annual fee is not waived the first year.

The Chase Hyatt card is another offer you can apply for even if you’re above the “5/24 rule”.  The card offers:

  • 2 free nights at ANY Hyatt after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening your account
  • 5,000 bonus points when you add an authorized user who makes a purchase with your card within the 1st 3 months
  • 1 free night in Category 1 to 4 Hyatt every card anniversary

The $75 annual fee is not waived the first year.

You can easily get $1,500 in value from either of these cards!

Bottom Line

There are still plenty of great credit card options to choose from, even if you’ve exceeded the “5/24 rule.”

I recommend:

Be sure you know the application guidelines for each bank so you have the best chance of being approved!

We don’t earn a commission on many of these cards, but Emily and I will always tell you about the best deals we’re aware of!

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

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