Chase Sapphire Card 48-Month Bonus Rule Explained

In the interest of full disclosure, OMAAT earns a referral bonus for anyone that’s approved through some of the below links. These are the best publicly available offers (terms apply) that we have found for each product or service. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of the bank, credit card issuer, airline, hotel chain, or product manufacturer/service provider, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Please check out our advertiser policy for further details about our partners, and thanks for your support!

Now is the time to apply for a Chase card.

Two of the most popular travel rewards credit cards are the Chase Preferred and Chase Reserve. Both of them have great points earning structures and valuable benefits. If you are a type of consumer, which card makes the most sense?

If you apply for either of these cards you have to follow the 48-month rule in order to get the welcome bonus. I wanted to learn more about how that works. Standard Chase application restrictions are included in this.

How the Chase Sapphire 48-month rule works

You will see the terms associated with earning the welcome bonus when you apply for Chase.

The product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of any Sapphire credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of any Sapphire credit card who received a new cardmember bonus within the last 48 months.

I would like to clarify what this means. If you're not eligible for the welcome bonus, you won't get it.

• You currently have any Chase Sapphire credit card (this includes the Preferred and the Reserve)
• You are a previous cardmember who has received a bonus on a Chase Sapphire credit card in the past 48 months (this includes the Preferred and Reserve); the 48 months wouldn’t be from when you opened the card, but rather from when you earned the bonus

If you have had a Chase card in the past, you can be eligible for either the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Chase Sapphire Preferred if you haven't had one in the last year.

Being an authorized user on someone else's card wouldn't disqualify you from earning the bonus on your own card.

When are you considered a previous Chase Sapphire cardmember?

Not being a previous cardmember who received a bonus on either card within the past 48 months is needed to be eligible for the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

When you have had a card in the past, you are considered a previous member. You are considered a previous cardmember if you cancel an account within a few days. I would recommend waiting until the next month to be safe.

After earning the bonus over 48 months, you closed the account on November 15th. I would wait until December 1 to apply, just to be on the safe side, but you could potentially be eligible for the reserve within a few days.

Bottom line

Two of the most popular travel rewards credit cards are the Chases. The 48-month rule is the biggest restriction to be aware of if you are applying for a Chase card for the first time.

You can't earn the bonus on either card if you've received a bonus on a Chase card in the last 48 months. If it doesn't clarify your questions, please let me know.

What are your experiences with Chase's rule?