Rules

The unwritten (and written) issuer rules that decide whether you get approved and whether the bonus pays. Maintained as living pages: each carries a verification date and updates as enforcement reports change.

Rule	Issuer	In one line	Verified
The 5/24 rule	Chase	Five or more cards opened across all issuers in 24 months → automatic Chase denial.	Jul 7, 2026
The 48-month Sapphire rule	Chase	One Sapphire bonus per 48 months, counted from when the last bonus was received.	Jul 7, 2026
Amex once-per-lifetime & the pop-up	American Express	One welcome bonus per card product, ever — enforced by a pre-submission pop-up you can safely test.	Jul 7, 2026
ChexSystems: who pulls, who cares	Cross-institution	Which banks check your banking history, how hard, and how many new accounts they'll tolerate.	Jul 7, 2026