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Issuer guide

Chase credit cards

The strongest all-around card issuer for travelers who are under 5/24. Ultimate Rewards transfer 1:1 to Hyatt and United, the protections lead the industry, and the Freedom-to-Sapphire ladder lets a no-fee card feed a premium one. The catch is access: Chase turns away anyone who opens cards aggressively.

28 cards live Rewards program: Ultimate Rewards guide → Rules and rates verified June 10, 2026
Annual fees
$0 to $795
No FX fee
94% of cards
Bonuses up to
≈$3,075
Point value
2.05¢
Lounge access
3 cards
Primary rental CDW
5 cards
Our picks

The Chase cards worth a look first

Computed from verified rates, not sponsorship. Full lineup further down.

Biggest welcome bonus
Chase Sapphire Reserve card art

Chase Sapphire Reserve

$795 annual fee

Earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Offer ends June 15, 2026.

Read the review
Best travel earning
United Quest Card card art

United Quest Card

$350 annual fee

5x miles on prepaid hotels via issuer portal. Among the strongest effective travel returns in the Chase lineup.

Read the review
The honest read

Where Chase wins, and where it loses

Strengths

  • Hyatt transfers make Ultimate Rewards the highest-floor transferable currency
  • Best travel protections in the market, including primary rental coverage on Sapphire cards
  • Points pool freely across your own cards and with one household member
  • Deep product ladder: Freedom, Sapphire, Ink, plus United, Southwest, Marriott, Hyatt, IHG and Aeroplan cobrands

Weaknesses

  • The 5/24 rule blocks anyone with five or more new cards across all issuers in 24 months
  • Sapphire welcome bonuses are now once per lifetime per product
  • Sapphire Reserve jumped to $795 with credits that take work to capture
  • Pop-up eligibility screening adds uncertainty at application time
Before you apply

Chase application and bonus rules

Some of these rules appear in Chase's written offer terms. Others are unpublished bank behavior documented by years of community data. We label which is which.

The 5/24 rule

Community-documented

Chase denies most applications from anyone who has opened five or more personal credit cards, from any issuer, in the past 24 months. Authorized-user accounts usually count. Chase has never published this rule, but it is the most consistently documented policy in the industry. If you want Chase cards, get them first.

Sapphire bonuses: once per lifetime, per product

In official terms

The old 48-month rule died with the June 2025 Sapphire Reserve refresh. Since January 2026, each Sapphire product pays its welcome bonus once per lifetime, and you can hold the Preferred and Reserve at the same time. Eligibility is confirmed by a pop-up at application, before any credit pull.

2 cards per 30 days

Community-documented

Chase approves at most two personal cards in a rolling 30 days, and generally one business card. A third application inside the window is declined automatically.

Business cards and 5/24

Community-documented

Chase business cards do not add to your 5/24 count because they stay off your personal report, but you must already be under 5/24 to get approved for one. Many people open Ink cards precisely because of this.

Non-Sapphire bonus windows

In official terms

Freedom, Ink, and most cobrand cards still use 24-month language: no bonus if you hold the card or earned its bonus in the past 24 months. Southwest personal cards allow only one at a time.

The points

How Ultimate Rewards actually work

Transfer partners

14 transfer partners at 1:1, including Hyatt, United, Southwest, Aeroplan, Flying Blue and British Airways. Sapphire Preferred Hyatt transfers move to 4:3 under the June 2026 refresh.

Pooling points

Combine points freely across your own Chase cards and with exactly one household member. Cash-back Freedom cards earn full Ultimate Rewards once you also hold a Sapphire or Ink Preferred.

Expiration

Points never expire while the account stays open. Closing your last card forfeits the balance, so move points first.

We currently value Chase Ultimate Rewards at 2.05¢ per point (floor 1¢, ceiling 2.5¢). Check the points valuation calculator for what your balance is worth.

Full lineup

Every Chase personal card

27 cards
Business

Chase business cards

1 cards
Browse

Chase cards by category

Travel Rewards Cash back Groceries Gas Dining Premium Business Airline Hotel 0% APR No annual fee Excellent credit Good credit Flexible points
FAQ

Chase card questions, answered

What credit score do you need for a Chase credit card?
A 700+ FICO score is the practical floor for Sapphire cards, with Reserve approvals clustering around 740+. Freedom cards approve into the high 600s. Your 5/24 status matters as much as your score: a perfect 800 gets denied at 5/24, while a 720 under the limit usually sails through.
Is the Chase 5/24 rule still in effect in 2026?
Yes. Despite scattered reports of exceptions, every reliable data source shows 5/24 enforced as of mid-2026. Count every personal card you have opened across all issuers in the past 24 months, including authorized-user accounts. At five or more, wait before applying.
Can I get the Sapphire Preferred bonus if I had it years ago?
Under the rules in effect since January 2026, no. Each Sapphire product now pays its bonus once per lifetime. The application shows a pop-up telling you whether you qualify before any hard pull, so checking costs nothing.
Can I hold the Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve at the same time?
Yes, since January 2026. Chase dropped the old one-Sapphire rule. Each card can earn its own once-per-lifetime bonus.
Do Chase Ultimate Rewards points expire?
Not while your account is open. If you close your last Ultimate Rewards card, unredeemed points are forfeited, so transfer them to a partner or move them to a household member first.
Which credit bureau does Chase pull?
It varies by state more than any other major issuer. Experian is most common, but Chase regularly pulls Equifax or TransUnion as well, and double pulls are reported. Assume any of the three.

Written by the CreditCardSignups editorial team. Issuer rules and card rates verified June 10, 2026. Unpublished issuer policies can change without notice, so treat the community-documented rules as strong patterns rather than guarantees.