Sometimes the most memorable experiences are the ones that aren’t on any itinerary. The experts at Adventure Life, a custom travel company with headquarters in Missoula, understand this and allow for the serendipitous in every carefully crafted vacation they plan.
Chase makes great credit cards. The Sapphire Reserve and Preferred top just about everyone’s
If you’re thinking about getting a Chase card, I’ve got you covered. Below is everything you need to know about the 5/24 rule. And if you’re looking for good alternatives to Chase cards, check out these suggestions.
Simply put, Chase will not approve you for a card if you’ve opened five or more new card accounts across all banks in the last 24 months. They introduced this rule several years ago to prevent card churning.
In other words, they don’t want you to get a bunch of credit cards just for the welcome bonuses.
The Bad News: All personal credit cards from any bank count toward your total open accounts. You can’t get around the 5/24 rule just by getting non-Chase cards.
The Good News: Some credit cards don’t count toward the 5/24 rule. There are exceptions! Don’t worry, I’ll cover those later.
It’s worth pointing out that you can still
The list of Chase cards you can’t get if you’ve opened five accounts in the last two years is long. If these cards are out of your reach, you’re missing out. That’s why it’s important to understand the 5/24 rule.
When you can’t get these cards because of the 5/24 rule, here are some excellent alternatives.
There are a lot of reasons to want these cards. To start with, the Ultimate Rewards program is great and the points are valuable. The Sapphire cards in particular offer big intro bonuses worth hundreds of dollars. I couldn’t do without my Reserve card with its top-of-line perks:
The Southwest cards are a must-have for domestic travelers for one reason: the fantastic Southwest Companion Pass. If you get two of the Southwest cards at the right time, you can get the pass with just the welcome bonuses. That’s how I’ve done it.
With the pass, you can take a family or friend with you for free on any Southwest flight. The pass can be used unlimited times and is good for up to two years!
I’ve saved thousands on family vacations with the pass. It’s simply the best deal in
The Marriott Bonvoy credit cards are brand new. As part of the upgrade, Marriott Bonvoy program now offers great welcome bonuses and other travel perks. Marriott’s reward program often flies under the radar, but it’s Hotel + Air Package deals are pretty great.
Today you can transfer Marriott points to 39 airline transfer partners at 3-to-1 ratio with most programs. Plus, you will bet a 5,000 miles bonus for every 60,000 points you transfer to frequent flier miles. Thus, with the transfer bonus, if you transfer 60,000 Bonvoy miles, you’ll get 25,000 miles in the airline frequent flyer program of your choice!
Most Bonvoy cards also come with a free night award on every card anniversary. But if you want to maximize your free night awards, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card should be on your wish list.
Keep in mind that those cards will count toward your 5/24 total. If you’re not worried about getting a Chase card (or already have the ones you want), then start applying for your next Amex, Citi, Capital One, Barclays or U.S. Bank card.
Otherwise, you might want to get a card that doesn’t count toward the total (more on this below).
If you’re above 5/24 and you’re waiting it out to apply for a new Chase card, you can still earn intro bonuses. That’s because certain cards won’t show up on your credit report. They won’t count toward your total opened accounts, making them exceptions to the rule.
Which cards can you get? Just about any
That means you can get business cards from American Express, Bank of America, Citi and even Chase.
Yes, I said Chase. You will have to be below 5/24 to get a Chase business card, but it won’t contribute to your total number of new accounts for future applications.
With all those issuers, there are a lot of great options to tide you over until you can get another Chase card. Bank of America issues a great Alaska Airlines business card and, as I’m sure you know, American Express has a whole lineup of excellent business cards (including the Business Gold Rewards card and the Business Platinum card).
There has been a lot of discussion about Barclays business cards. They issue business cards for JetBlue, Hawaiian Airlines and American Airlines, so it’s worth mentioning.
While most report that the cards don’t count, there are enough reports of them counting that I’d be wary of taking the chance unless I was okay with a hit to my 5/24 total. I personally haven’t applied for any of these cards for that very reason.
You might be thinking that you’d like to get one of those small business cards but you don’t run a business. You might be surprised at how easy it is to qualify for one of these cards.
If you’re like me, you probably sell some of your old stuff on eBay from time to time. If you do that a few times a year and make a few bucks, guess what? You’re a business owner. You can get a
There is several ways to qualify. Do you do a little freelancing on the side? That counts. What about a small crafts business? Or maybe a little neighborhood landscaping? It might be worth selling a few things on Etsy or Ebay just get access to these cards. Think about it.
Becoming an authorized user on someone else’s card will look like an open account on your credit report. In other words, Chase will see it and might deny you when considering your application.
I’d avoid becoming an authorized user for this reason, but you can always call Chase and explain the situation. They may reconsider your application. I don’t think it’s worth the risk, though.
Store cards that are part of major payment systems like
So skip that Gap card next time the sales clerk propositions you during check out.
Upgrading or downgrading your card within the same lineup shouldn’t count as a new card account. For example, if you decide to upgrade from the Gold Delta SkyMiles card to the Platinum SkyMiles card, you should be okay.
Though unusual, some issuers will do a hard pull on your account for upgrades. If there’s a hard pull, it will appear on your credit report and Chase will likely consider it a new account. So ask the issuer if they plan to do a hard pull on your credit before you upgrade or downgrade your card.
To sum up, these cards add to your 5/24 total:
These actions won’t impact your chances of getting a Chase card:
Chase keeps tightening the rules. There used to be a few ways to get a Chase card even if you had opened five (or more) accounts in two years. The most popular of these methods was applying after getting a pre-qualified or other special offer directly from Chase. But that doesn’t work anymore.
A few readers have reported in the past that they’ve been able to go directly into a Chase branch with one of these special offers and get approved. This won’t work now.
Asking to be pre-approved, even in a branch location, often results in the agent checking online, which will trigger the rule. They’ll know you’re over, and you won’t get a card.
If you take a chance and give this strategy a try, Chase might decide to close all of your accounts because you’ve ‘cheated’ the rules. Is it really worth it?
If you get a targeted offer online, in an email or via old-fashioned snail mail, you may still have a chance of getting a card even if you’re over the 5/24 limit. Of course, there’s no guarantee that this will work. Be sure to use your personalized invitation code, if you got one with the offer.
It’s possible that Chase made a mistake! If you’ve been denied but you don’t think you’re over the 5/24 limit, don’t be afraid to call the Chase reconsideration line.
Be sure to ask for the reasons that you’ve been denied. It’s possible that they included a card that you’re just an authorized user on by accident or have made some other error.
Whether you’re waiting for a card to drop off your report so you can get a new Chase card or your just not sure how many accounts you’ve opened in the last couple of years, there’s an easy way to check.
All you need to do is to take a look at your credit report. There are a variety of places that allow you to do that for free, including Credit Karma and Experian.
Once you have access to your report, just look for accounts that have been opened in the last 24 months. They should be easy to find.
While you’re looking at your report, it’s always a good idea to check it over for any errors. Make sure all of the accounts (including mortgages and car loans) are yours, and that all of your payments are current.
If you find any errors (it happens more often than you think!) report it immediately to the credit bureau that issued the credit report.
Chase’s 5/24 rule is here to stay. You can’t escape it. Chase has even tightened the rules over time.
So it’s important to know what does and doesn’t count before you apply for a new Chase card. Check your credit report and make sure Chase won’t turn you away. There’s nothing worse than a denied application and taking a hit to your credit score for no reason.
And if you are over five new accounts in the last two years, you might want to hold off on that new card. Unless, of course, you’ve been following along and know the exceptions to the 5/24 rule. I know I’m looking forward to the day I can apply for another Chase card or two. But if you’ve given up on getting more Chase cards in the near future, there are some
Although it’s probably hot enough for polar bears to wear sunscreen this summer, it’s never too early to start thinking about your winter vacation in a tropical climate.
The Caribbean and its beautiful islands, sandy beaches and festive umbrella cocktails are often the go-to destination for those looking to escape the snowy winter. Unfortunately, high demand also means high prices. So how do you avoid the hefty price tag when it comes to traveling to the Caribbean? Having a healthy balance of Ultimate Rewards can help. Let’s take a look at the possible redemptions with Chase’s transfer partners.
Do you have a great website for your business, but are struggling with adding an online store? What if you could add an e-commerce platform to your site in five minutes, even while you’re vacationing poolside in the south of France? This summer, join over 1 million sellers in 175 countries by enhancing your website in minutes using Ecwid’s one-of-a-kind technology.
United Airlines recently announced another round of changes to its MileagePlus award program. These include a variety of increases in award prices, a new variable scheme to replace Standard awards and new redeposit fee rules. The award devaluation is not as massive as United’s previous devaluation which became effective at the beginning of 2014.
While the last devaluation may not seem like very long ago for many travelers, by the time the new award chart takes effect on November 1st, 2017 it will have been almost four years so in some ways we should be thankful that these changes aren’t even worse.
ResDiary gives both consumers and restaurateurs more time to travel. It’s an extremely useful tool, whether you’re on the go looking for the perfect restaurant, or looking to manage your business wherever you are in the world.
Premium credit cards can be a great value, but they also carry a hefty annual fee. You can enjoy free airport lounges, travel credits, insurance, and other perks and privileges, but at some point, you might decide you
Frequent flyer programs have come a long way since American Airlines introduced AAdvantage in 1981. The vast majority of world airlines have frequent flyer programs, and while they differ widely, each of their redemption schemes is based on one of the three underlying principles: region-based, distance-based or revenue-based.
From the Olympic Sculpture Park and Pike Place Market to the Space Needle and Seattle Underground, Seattle and the surrounding area offer a wealth of opportunities for sightseeing and relaxation whether you have a weekend or more to explore.
The recent merger of Alaska and Virgin America has created America’s fifth largest airline. We know that Alaska is going to drop the Virgin America brand, but that was originally supposed to happen in 2019. It’s apparently been moved up. Virgin America’s Elevate program is now scheduled to end on January 1, 2018. Its airline partnerships will begin dissolving even earlier.
Are you a creative type looking to design the perfect website to showcase your work? Like to travel, but don’t think you have the time or resources to build something beautiful? Well, look no further than Portfoliobox, a company specifically designed for creative professionals such as photographers, designers, architects, makeup artists, models and more. With a variety of templates and user-friendly tools, even a busy traveler can find time to build their dream online portfolio with just a few clicks from anywhere in the world.
Asiana Airlines, a Korean carrier, is a diamond in the rough in the
Etihad Airways is a Abu-Dhabi-based airline that offers worldwide coverage, luxurious premium cabin seats, and a
PwC, a leading professional services network, conducted its most comprehensive retail survey to date in 2016, reaching out to nearly 23,000 online shoppers from around the globe to learn more about their interests and habits. Among the findings was the insight that affordability figures heavily into shopping decisions, with 60 percent of those surveyed choosing a favorite retailer because of its prices. Many are increasingly using their mobile devices while shopping as well, with 31 percent accessing coupons or promotional codes on their smartphones.
Delta upgrade certificates are one of the best benefits of elite status offered by any major US airline. There are two varieties – regional upgrade certificates (RUCs) and global upgrade certificates (GUCs). These instruments allow fliers to skip to the front of the pecking order for upgrades when booking paid flights.
For travelers seeking to fly in a premium cabin, upgrade certificates can save an
Once you’ve set your strategy using RewardExpert’s service, it’s a good time to start to research your lodging and sightseeing options. But what about last-minute entertainment? Whether you decide to take a spontaneous weekend vacation or find yourself with a spare evening while away on business, SeatGeek can help you find and buy tickets to the hottest sporting events, concerts and plays in any city you visit.
You might be taken aback by the $450-$550 price tag on a premium credit card, but you need to weigh the benefits to see if the fee is worth it. One of the biggest payoffs beyond the sign-up bonus the first year is the annual travel credit one gets with a premium card. When you put that together with lounge access and the other benefits these cards offer you might find the card not only pays for itself but gives you extra funds for travel.
Now that there are a number of new premium cards in the market it’s time to revisit the benefit of airport lounge access. It is one of the most popular ones for frequent travelers. The lounge is a sanctuary where you can unwind in a comfortable chair, work or play on your computer with free Wi-Fi, grab a complimentary latte or beer, watch some news and sometimes even take a shower.
Some lounges even provide more than basic comfort, with upscale décor, delicious light meals and inventive cocktails. You might even want to arrive at the airport early just to enjoy the lounge. There are a number of ways you can get access to this valuable perk including having a premium credit card. Let’s run through the options.
More Americans are choosing to travel internationally these days. In fact, according to CheapOair’s recent travel trends report, international air travel has increased by nearly 170 percent since 2013—with a 30 percent increase since last year alone.
The premium travel credit card market has turned into a competitive battlefield where the largest banks are fighting for customers’ loyalty and attention. U.S. Bank and UBS are the two latest banks to offer new potentially lucrative cards to the market: the Altitude Reserve and Visa Infinite credit cards. Let’s take a closer look at them.
