One of the most frequent questions I’m asked is how to know if you fall under the Chase 5/24 rule.
That rule states that Chase will not approve you for any new credit cards if you’ve opened five or more new cards in the last 24 months from any bank (aside from a few business cards from Chase, AMEX, etc.).
While you can check your credit report to see where you stand, I’ve found an easier way that ALWAYS keeps you up to date — and it’s FREE!
It’s an online program called Travel Freely that helps you manage your credit cards, application dates, annual fee dates and, of course, your 5/24 status.
How to Use Travel Freely to Check Chase 5/24 Rule Status and More
To get started, you can click on the Beginners Start Here link on the lefthand side of the dashboard when you sign up for free and then log into Travel Freely. That will walk you through exactly what to do to get everything set up.
But I want to give you a quick personal overview of what I really love about this system along with some of its key features.
You can also watch this video Q&A below with Travel Freely founder, Zac Hood, where he highlights some key features and offers a live demo.
Adding Your Cards
The first thing you want to do inside Travel Freely is to add the cards you currently hold, which is simple to accomplish by clicking Card Dashboard on the left after you sign up and log in.
It’s important to input the date you opened the card if you can, as that will help the software later notify you when you’re eligible to apply for a new bonus again, when you’re about to be charged your annual fee, etc.
You can usually find this information by logging into your credit card’s online account, or you can check your credit history free with Credit Sesame (this is an affiliate link for which I may earn a commission).
If you go to Settings, you also have the option to add a second user and then you can add their cards, as well, which is handy to keep both spouses or traveling partners’ cards all in one spot!
How the Card Dashboard Helps With the Chase 5/24 Rule
This is also the key way to see at a glance inside the area of Travel Freely called the Card Dashboard what cards you opened when, so you’ll know if you do or don’t fall under Chase’s 5/24 rule.
There’s also a box at the top right of the Card Dashboard (it’s called 5/24 Card User 1) that tells you how many cards you have that fall under the Chase 5/24 rule (for example, some business cards don’t).
Additionally, Travel Freely will send you an email alert when your total number of cards that fall within the 5/24 rule drops below five, cueing you that you’re eligible to apply for another Chase card.
The Card Genie
Once you enter all your cards, the system will make recommendations for other cards you may be interested in based on your current profile. It also only displays cards that you are eligible to apply for.
For example, if you hold Chase Sapphire Preferred, it won’t show you Chase Sapphire Reserve as a recommendation, since you can only hold one of those cards at a time.
You can apply for these cards through the Travel Freely system if you’d like, because Go to Travel Gal is an affiliate partner with this online program, or you can apply for the cards directly through the TRAVEL CREDIT CARDS link at GotoTravelGal.com (preferred) shown below to help support Go to Travel Gal.
The Calendar
I love this area of Travel Freely, as it shows you at a glance:
- When annual fees will be charged
- Deadlines to meet a minimum spend to earn a sign-on bonus
Travel Freely will also send you emails to alert you about these key dates to help those of us forgetful folks (none of you, I’m sure!) stay on top of what we need to know.
In Summary
Travel Freely is a user-friendly, totally FREE way to manage your travel credit cards, understand where you stand with Chase 5/24 and keep track of anniversary dates, annual fees, when you’re eligible to apply for new cards and more.
What do you think? Will you give it a try?
Sign up for Travel Freely HERE.
