Link: Apply now for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) and Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review) are two of the most popular travel rewards credit cards. They both have excellent welcome offers (particularly the Sapphire Preferred), great points earning structures, and valuable benefits. Which of the cards makes the most sense depends on the type of consumer you are.
For those considering applying for either of these cards, one major consideration is the 48-month rule, which you have to follow in order to earn the welcome bonus on either card. In this post I wanted to take a closer look at how that works. This is in addition to standard Chase application restrictions, including the 5/24 rule (though there are some reports of people being approved in spite of being over the 5/24 limit).
In this post:
How the Chase Sapphire 48-month rule works
When you apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve, you’ll see the following terms associated with earning the welcome bonus:
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.
There’s sometimes confusion about what exactly this means, so let me try to clarify. You’re not eligible for the welcome bonus on the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve if:
- 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
In other words, you are potentially eligible for either the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve if you’ve had one of the Chase Sapphire cards in the past, you just can’t currently have one of the cards, and can’t have received a new cardmember bonus on one of the cards in the past 48 months.
Note that being an authorized user on someone else’s Chase Sapphire card (either currently or in the past) wouldn’t make you ineligible for earning the bonus on the card yourself.
When are you considered a previous Chase Sapphire cardmember?
As you can see based on the terms, eligibility for the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve is based on not currently having either of these cards, and based on not being a previous cardmember who received a bonus on either card within the past 48 months.
Many wonder at what point you’re considered a previous cardmember based on having had the card in the past. Most data points suggest that you’re considered a previous cardmember within a few days of canceling an account. Personally I’d recommend waiting until the next calendar month, just to be on the safe side.
In other words, say you had the Chase Sapphire Preferred (and earned the bonus over 48 months ago), and then closed the account on November 15. You might then potentially be eligible for the Chase Sapphire Reserve within a few days, though personally I’d wait until December 1 to apply, just to be on the safe side.
Bottom line
The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve are two of the most popular travel rewards credit cards. If you’re considering applying for a Chase Sapphire card but have had one in the past, the biggest restriction to be aware of is the 48-month rule, which impacts bonus eligibility.
This means you can’t earn the bonus on either card if you currently have a Chase Sapphire card, or are a previous cardmember who has received a bonus on a Chase Sapphire card in the past 48 months. Hopefully the above clarifies any questions you may have about this rule (and if it doesn’t, please let me know).
What has your experience been with Chase’s 48-month rule?
How do you know when you earned your previous bonus?
If you keep copies of your statements, you can simply look back through them to find out.
I changed my Sapphire to a Freedom when COVID started. I went online and through the Freedom card found all my statements for both the Freedom and when the account was for the Sapphire Reserve. I saw I opened the account on December 10. My January 6 statement showed the bonus points since I had booked international travel for the next year in December. All the information was there. I was happy to see this...
I changed my Sapphire to a Freedom when COVID started. I went online and through the Freedom card found all my statements for both the Freedom and when the account was for the Sapphire Reserve. I saw I opened the account on December 10. My January 6 statement showed the bonus points since I had booked international travel for the next year in December. All the information was there. I was happy to see this since I don't get paper statements. I saved these as pdf files on my computer as back up for when I apply for a new Sapphire and want the bonus points.
Here’s a semi- related question. What happens if you have Sapphire Ink but missed the minimum spend requirement for the 100k point bonus. $15k spend requirement in 90 days with $6k spending limit was a little problematic for me. Can I cancel card and reapply in a couple months in order to try again?
Ben, would the same rules apply if you downgraded Reserve/Preferred to the Unlimited? Would it be safer to wait a little longer?
I had a similar question. I downgraded to the CSP some time ago after getting the CSR back in 2017. Could I cancel the CSP then turn around and apply for it outright and get the bonus? Only downside there is that I don't want to lose my current point balance or have to transfer to it a partner when I have no specific redemption in mind right now.