Is It Harder to Get Chase Airline, Hotel, and Small Business Cards Now?

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Million Mile Secrets reader, Jamie, tweeted:

@MilMileSecrets Are there any updates on Chase and the 5/24 rule? Will rule impact airline or hotel brand cards?

Jamie is asking about rumors that Chase will not approve folks for any of their cards if they’ve opened more than 5 cards with ANY bank in the previous 24 months.

This rule is in effect for Chase cards that earn valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards points, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the new Chase Freedom Unlimited card.

But so far, it seems Chase small business cards (like the Chase Ink Plus) and their airline and hotel cards (like the Chase United MileagePlus® Explorer and Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card) are exempt from this rule – at least for now.

However, reports are mixed.  And Chase could change their rules at any time, so proceed with caution!

What’s Going On?

Link:   These Airline & Hotel Cards May Soon Be Harder to Get!

For a while, there have been rumors Chase would apply stricter rules to Chase small business cards like Chase Ink Plus and Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card.  And to co-branded airline and hotel cards, like the Chase Hyatt, Chase IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card, and Chase United Explorer, starting April 2016.

April came and went, and lots of folks on FlyerTalk report being able to get Chase airline, hotel, and small business cards – even with 5 or more new cards in the previous 24 months.

And folks in the comments of this post say similar things, with new Chase cards opened as recently as this month!

Chase hasn’t put anything in writing one way or the other.  Until they do, we have to rely on reports and speculation.  And even though some folks have had success opening new Chase cards, others have been denied.

Should You Try to Get a New Chase Card?

I’ll always do my best to tell you what’s right.

It seems, for now at least, you can get a new Chase airline, hotel, or small business card even if you’d had more than 5 new cards in the past 24 months.

Friends of mine report success with opening new Chase cards recently.  But, lots of factors go into an approval, including your credit history, relationship with Chase, and annual income.

If you have good credit and a high credit score, it seems safe to put in an application.

It’s tough to make a decision based on hearsay.  But because we don’t have a firm answer, you’ll have to decide what’s best for you.

That said, if you decide to apply for a new Chase card, I’d do it sooner rather than later.  Because Chase could change their rules any time.

If you’ve had an experience recently, please tell us about it!