Chase 3/24 Rule
If you've been around award travel for more than an hour, you've heard of Chase's infamous 5/24 rule. While it isn't the end-all, be-all, it certainly is a BIG deal and dictates what cards people should, and should not, open as they start learning all about award travel. Well, we might need to throw out much of what we thought we knew about this rule. Reports are coming in waves that there's a new Chase 3/24 rule that went into effect on September 16, 2026. Here's what we know so far.
The 5/24 Rule
Prior to September 16, 2026, the most well-known rule in award travel is the 5/24 rule. In a nutshell, it means that you will not be approved for a Chase card, either business or personal, if you have opened 5 or more cards that appear on your credit report in the last 24 months. Usually, only personal cards count in the 5/24 calculation, but some business cards count too. The good news is that most business cards do not count and Chase business cards do not count either. If you are 4/24 or less, you could historically be approved for either a Chase personal or business card, assuming you met other approval criteria.
The Potential Major Change
Although it is not 100% confirmed, there are dozens of reports across the internet and in the ToP Facebook Group that a 3/24 Rule was implemented for business cards as of September 16, 2026. There are no reports that this rule applies to personal cards, which is good news. There are also differing reports if this new Chase 3/24 rule applies only to sole proprietor applications or to all business applications (including LLCs, LLPs, PCs, Corp., etc). Even more concerning, we have reports like this one (search the comments), where a ToP member was approved for a business card at 4/24 and told it was approved only because they applied before September 16, 2026. This September 16th date keeps coming up in data point after data point as the date a new 3/24 rule was implemented. As they say, where there's smoke, there's fire.
If True, What A Chase 3/24 Rule Means
Let us first reiterate that this new Chase 3/24 Rule for business cards is not confirmed. But you all know that ToP does not deal in rumors. We're reporting this news based on over a dozen data points in the ToP Facebook group, as well as dozens of other data points across the internet.
Beginner Strategy
Assuming the Chase 3/24 Rule is a legit thing, the 5/24 Rule is even more important than we ever stressed before. When you start your award travel journey, you can only open two personal cards before you are blocked from opening any Chase business cards. There's so much less wiggle room for approvals at 2/24 versus 4/24 and each and every step for a beginner is so very important. You should start with either a Chase Sapphire Preferred, a Chase Sapphire Reserve or both and then move to Chase business cards, including:
Once you receive the business cards you want, you can move back to Chase personal cards, mix in business cards from other banks, round out your 5/24 and then move on to the great big over-5/24 world.
Advanced Strategy
The strategy for advanced award travelers is a bit more murky for a new Chase 3/24 Rule. If the Rule is legit, gone are the days of slipping back to 4/24 to grab a Chase business card or two, a Chase personal card to get back to 5/24, and then reassuming your over-5/24 trek with other banks. Nope, the game changes significantly if you need to wait to get all the way back down to 2/24.
In fact, getting back to 2/24 is difficult enough that it seems out of reach for most advanced award travelers. In all likelihood, running the 3/24 and 5/24 gamut is a one-time thing for most people. Once you're over 5/24, it's just too difficult and costly (i.e. the opportunity cost of continually ignoring personal sign-up bonuses) to get back to 2/24. Get what you want the first time and then move on for good, absent some major life event, like a long home-buying process where you naturally drop to 2/24 or below.
Chase 3/24 Rule: ToP Thoughts
If there is one thing that always remains the same, it is Chase's 5/24 Rule that the award travel game is always changing! If there is a new Chase 3/24 Rule, that is a significant change. However, if you follow ToP's advice and guard your 5/24 spots like little golden nuggets, this won't affect you too much. If anything, it forces your specific card application strategy a bit more, but doesn't limit you in any other way. For the more advanced award travelers, this hurts a lot more. A 3/24 Rule means that everyone basically gets one shot at the 3/24 and 5/24 rule, as it will be difficult and costly to drop all the way back down to 2/24 to open up Chase business cards later on. This is an ongoing situation and we'll report more as we learn more about this potential rule change.
Have you applied for a Chase business card and been denied for the Chase 3/24 Rule? Come over to our Facebook Group and let us know.
