Have you ever wondered why Chase sometimes won’t approve more than two cards in a short time? Chase’s informal 2/30 rule means you can typically open at most two Chase credit cards in any 30-day window. In other words, if you try to apply for a third Chase card within 30 days, Chase is likely to reject it.
This rule isn’t published on Chase’s website – it was discovered by hobbyist points collectors – but it’s widely confirmed by experts like us TheMilesAcademy.
As one guide notes, “you’ll be declined if you apply for a third Chase card of any kind within 30 days”. In other words, Chase uses 2/30 as a limit on how many new accounts you can get in a month. (Banks rarely spell out these limits publicly, so experts remind us that “approval rules are rarely fully publicized by the banks”.)
Why Chase Enforces 2/30
Chase enforces this limit mainly to protect its own interests and discourage “rapid churn.” Approving too many cards at once can be risky for the bank. If someone opens lots of cards quickly, it often means they’re chasing signup bonuses – a practice called “churning.” By capping new approvals, Chase makes people slow down.
We don’t have an official Chase explanation (they don’t list this rule on their website), but seasoned card users and travelers say the 2/30 rule is basically an anti-churning policy. It also helps Chase manage credit risk: if you’ve just got new credit, issuing even more new lines might be riskier.
How the Chase 2/30 Rule Works
Here’s how the 2/30 rule actually works when you put it into motion. Let’s say you apply for two Chase cards in early March—maybe the Chase Freedom Flex and the Chase Sapphire Preferred—and both get approved. At that point, you’ve hit the limit. If you try for a third Chase card later that month, like a Chase Ink Business or another travel card, Chase will most likely reject it. Many people get denied instantly. Others see a message about too many recent applications.
Experienced cardholders and travel blogs make it clear: Chase usually approves no more than two personal cards in any 30-day span. For business cards, you might get away with one during that same stretch. So, you could grab two personal cards and maybe one business card in a month, but anything beyond that almost always gets declined.
Some reports even warn about applying twice in one day. Chase’s system might flag your second application as a duplicate and cancel it. To avoid that, space them out. Once you lock in two approvals, let the 30 days pass before going for another. That’s how we keep our applications moving forward without hitting a wall.
How 2/30 Affects Your Credit Card Strategy
Knowing about the 2/30 rule helps us plan smarter Chase applications. For people chasing signup bonuses, this rule means we can’t just blast out one Chase application after another. We have to space them out. Here’s how 2/30 fits into our strategy:
- Limit Applications: We try to apply for no more than two Chase cards in any 30-day period. If we hit that limit, we simply wait. That might mean prioritizing the two Chase cards we want most right now, and pushing any additional Chase applications off until after the 30-day window resets. Many travelers follow the advice “two new Chase cards, then pause”.
- Business vs Personal: Since business cards are often counted separately on some rules, a common tactic is to use the business slot if you need an extra card. For example, after opening two personal Chase cards, applying for a Chase business card may still be okay, because blogs note you can usually get one Chase business card in a 30-day window. (However, all Chase cards count toward 2/30, so stick to one business card per month at most.)
- Combine with 5/24 Planning: The 2/30 rule works alongside the famous “5/24” rule (which limits you to five new cards in 24 months). So even if you’re well under 5/24, 2/30 might still block you. We often make our Chase applications earlier in our card-churning journey, then wait 30+ days if we need to add another Chase card later.
- Avoid Rejections: Getting a rejection not only wastes time but also hurts your credit score a bit (because of the hard inquiry). By respecting 2/30, we avoid those rejections.
Tips for Working Around or Planning with 2/30
Here are some friendly tips to live with this rule and still maximize your rewards:
- Track Your Dates: Keep a simple calendar or a note of when you applied for each Chase card. Count 30 days from each application. You can only apply for a third card after that first application date has aged out of the 30-day window. In practice, many of us wait at least 31–45 days between Chase applications to be safe.
- Plan Ahead: If you know you want two Chase cards, it can help to apply for them close together (like in the same week). That starts the clock on both at the same time. Then you can resume another Chase application after a month. Alternatively, you can space them by applying one at the beginning of the month and another at the end – either way, once two are done, we pause.
- Use Targeted Offers First: If a Chase card shows up as a prequalified or targeted offer, use that as one of your two. Preapproved offers have better odds and count as an application under the rule once you accept them.
- Mix With Other Banks: While we’re waiting on Chase, we can apply to other banks (like Amex, Citi, or others) in the meantime. This helps us stay busy with other bonuses and doesn’t count against 2/30. (Just remember those banks have their own application limits too.)
- Reapplying After a Decline: If you happen to hit 2/30 and get denied, don’t panic. You can reapply later. Just wait 30 days from your last Chase approval and try again. Chase doesn’t spell it out, but reports show the 30-day wait resets the clock. That gap helps your next app go through.
Plan Smart, Apply Smarter
Let’s use the 2/30 rule to our advantage, not let it get in the way. When we space things out right, your applications are more likely to get through, and we don’t end up burning through chances with Chase too fast. That rule exists to help Chase control its risk, but from our side, it just means we stick to a schedule. With a little planning, you can still pick up strong sign-up bonuses and top-tier cards—just two at a time, with a pause in between.
