Five or more cards opened across all issuers in 24 months → automatic Chase denial.
What it is
Chase automatically denies card applications from anyone who has opened five or more credit cards — from any issuer, not just Chase — in the past 24 months. It is unpublished but universally enforced, and it is the single most important sequencing constraint in this hobby: Chase cards must come first, because every other issuer's card consumes a slot.
How the count works
Count every personal card account opened in the past 24 months across all issuers, including store cards and authorized-user cards (recon has removed AU cards on request in some reports, but plan as if they count). Business cards from issuers that don't report to personal bureaus — Chase, Amex, Citi, Bank of America, Barclays — don't add to the count. Business cards from Discover, Capital One, and TD do report, and do.
Current enforcement
Automatic denial at exactly 5/24 in recent Sapphire Preferred reports, and no successful recon override reported in over a year. Approvals at 4/24 remain routine with strong scores. Treat the rule as a hard wall.