Approval Rules 48 From Bonus
You will not be eligible for a signup bonus on the same card if you’ve received one for THAT card in the previous 48 months.
Deep Dive into the 48 From Bonus Rule
Several banks have instituted this rule on select cards, which only allows you to receive a welcome offer every 48 months. Fortunately this rule applies to each card individually and not entire families of cards. So you are eligible to receive the signup bonus on ALL affected cards should you choose. You do have to adhere to each banks’ other rules though.
There are four Citi cards impacted by this rule:
Below is the language for the Citi Double Cash:
The language is the same for all four affected cards, but there is one important caveat regarding the Citi Strata Premier. That card went through a rebranding in 2024 and used to be the Citi Premier card. The terms say that if you received a signup bonus for the Citi Premier in the last 48 months, you are ineligible to receive another one on the Citi Strata Premier.
There are also five co-branded personal American Airlines cards that have this rule:
- Citi American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum
- Citi American Airlines AAdvantage Executive
- Citi American Airlines AAdvantage Mileup
- Citi AAdvantage Globe Mastercard
- American Airlines Citi Business
Below is the language in the “Pricing and Information” link on the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite credit card:
This means you cannot receive the signup bonus for this specific card if you’ve received it within the last 48 months or if you upgraded a different card to this card and earned a bonus.
The American Airlines Citi Business card also has this same rule. It’s the only business card offered by the airline. This card has been rebranded in recent years, so if you’ve had previous versions of the card and received the signup bonus in the last 48 months, you are still ineligible for the welcome offer. You must wait 48 months as outlined in the terms for the card below:
Important to know:
You can see the language is largely the same for all three “families” of cards. The bottom line is that you cannot receive a signup bonus from the same card if you’ve received one in the last 48 months or if you converted another Citi card AND received a bonus.
Not all Capital One cards have this rule. In fact only five out of all the Capital One cards offered apply this rule:
- Capital One Quicksilver
- Capital One Savor
- Capital One Venture Reward
- Capital One Venture X
- Capital One VentureOne Rewards
But it is a rule that is stated in multiple places within those five affected cards’ pages. If you go to the Venture X page, for example, you will see the following language in the “View important rates and disclosures” link and in the footnotes from the “early spend bonus.”
From the footnotes:
Capital One has historically been one of the strictest banks when it comes to credit card approvals. Various rules have been reported about the number of cards you can hold at once and how long you have to wait between approvals. None have been documented on their site, though, and all have been inconsistently enforced.
This 48 month rule is stated in various places for the five applicable cards, making it black and white and one to pay attention to.
This rule affects three cards in the Wells Fargo lineup of cards:
Like all other cards with this rule, it only impacts each card individually, not collectively like other family rules. Unlike some of the other unwritten rules, this rule is clearly stated in the “Important Credit Terms” for all three cards:
Important to know:
This means that if you currently have the card or opened one in the last 48 months that you may not be eligible for a signup bonus on that particular card. That doesn’t mean you can’t get other Wells Fargo cards, though, as long as you adhere to their other rules. They also have a 1/6 rule that states that you may not be able to open any new card if you’ve opened one in the past six months. So as long as you space out your applications every six months and don’t apply for the same card twice in a 48-month period, you should be eligible for the card and to receive the signup bonus.
Related Rules
How Does This Affect Your Credit Card Strategy?
Citi/American Airlines
This is going to impact the American Airlines cards more so than the other four Citi cards. That’s because we only recommend getting two of the four Citi cards - the Citi Strata Premier and Citi Strata Elite. When it comes to the American Airlines cards, the Citi American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp is not one we recommend, so you can essentially cross that off your list as well when it comes to this rule. But you may end up getting any of the three remaining cards at some point in your points and miles journey, so this rule is one you should know. It’s important when strategizing to keep the other Citi rules in mind when applying for any of these cards.
Important to know:
Whether you’re an American Airlines loyalist or want a base of points for an upcoming trip, it’s important to know this rule, and the other Citi rules, when outlining your strategy for which cards to get and when. Knowing you can only get a bonus on each card once every four years will impact the order in which you get the cards. Also knowing the other Citi rules - the 5 Day, 1/8, 2/65, 6/6, and 1/95 rules - will also impact your strategy.
If you want multiple American Airlines cards, here are some tips for the order in which to apply:
- Apply for the Business card first: Since this same rule also applies to the one American Airlines business card, this will allow you to start the 48 month clock on this card as soon as possible. It offers a 65k mile signup bonus and waives its $99 annual fee the first year. This will not count towards your 5/24 status - which is a nice extra bonus
- This also provides wiggle room against the Citi 1/95 rule which states that you’ll be declined if you apply for a second business card within 95 days
- Apply for one of the two personal cards next: Keep in mind that you will also have to adhere to Citi’s 1/8 and 2/65 rules which states that you’ll be declined if you apply for a second Citi card (personal and/or business) within 8 days and a third Citi card within 65 days, so space out your applications accordingly. Which card you get depends on whether you fly on American regularly or you just want a cache of points for an upcoming trip
- AAdvantage Platinum: This card waives its $99 annual fee the first year and offers a 50k mile welcome offer. It also offers a free checked bag for you and up to four companions and a few other benefits and perks
- AAdvantage Executive: This card has a hefty $595 annual fee but comes with a 70k mile signup bonus along with a whole host of perks - complimentary Admirals Club Membership for the cardmember and immediate family or two guests, several $120 annual credits, free first checked bags, and several other benefits
Important to know:
If you really want to build up your American points, you can apply for the business card and both personal cards provided you space them out appropriately. You don’t want to trip any of Citi’s aforementioned rules and be denied. If you opened all three in 66 days (the minimum amount of time you’re allowed), you could start that 48 month clock on each card. While this is within the rule Citi sets forth, that’s still a short time period to open three different cards. You can certainly do it, but we don’t recommend making that the norm. You also need to be cognizant of Citi’s 6/6 rule which states you will be declined for a new card if you’ve had six hard pulls on your credit in the past six months.
Another option would be to spread all three out since you have to wait 48 months between each signup bonus. If you get one per year, that means you can get the signup bonus points each year for three years, then only have to wait another year before the 48 month clock starts over on the first card you get.
Capital One
Capital One has some solid cards, some near the top of our most recommended list. But the ones near the very top are business cards that don’t have this rule in place. Since this rule only impacts five total cards, it shouldn’t affect your credit card strategy very much, if at all.
The Capital One Venture Rewards and Venture X cards are probably the only two of the affected cards you’ll even be interested in, so this rule becomes even less important. Knowing that, you can space them both out by getting one two years after the first, then going back to the first one after 48 months have passed. If you’re playing the two player game, then you could do the same thing, only one person would get the Venture Rewards, one would get the Venture X, then at the two year mark you could swap.
Important to know:
Keep in mind that Capital One has another rule - the 1/6 Rule - which says you can only be approved for 1 card every 6 months. There have been reports that this is not strictly enforced though. Like with all rules, it’s better to err on the side of caution. But it’s another one to keep in mind when you’re opening Capital One cards. If you use the strategy outlined above, the 48 From Bonus rule still shouldn’t impact your card strategy since it impacts such a small number of cards, even if this 1/6 rule is also in effect.
Wells Fargo
Only two of the Wells Fargo cards are worth ever getting, and one of those is a business card that doesn’t have this same 48 month rule. The system as a whole is near the bottom of our list, but that’s not to say you won’t eventually get a Wells Fargo card. The longer you’re in the hobby, the more systems you end up getting into as it diversifies your long-term game and helps you take a break from the more popular banks.
Important to know:
If and when you do get into the Wells Fargo points system, we recommend getting the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card first. There are a few reasons for this. First, it’s one of two Wells Fargo cards that has airline and hotel transfer partners, and that is the key to unlocking the most value from credit card reward points. The partner list isn’t as extensive as major programs like Chase or American Express, but it does still have seven airline and hotel partners, so it’s better than systems with no transfer partners. The second reason to start with the Autograph Journey card is because it does have this 48 month rule, so you want to get the clock going on that as soon as possible.
The Wells Fargo Signify Business card is the only other Wells Fargo card we recommend. It does not have this same 48-month rule, so if you get that after getting the Autograph Journey card, you will not have to wait 48 months to earn another signup bonus down the road. However, it’s important to note that you cannot transfer points from the Signify Business card to airline or hotel partners, so you’d still need to hold the Autograph card, transfer your points from the business card to it, then transfer to any partners. You’ll then need to cancel the Autograph card and wait 48 months (from receiving the signup bonus) before you’re eligible to get it again.
Importance of this Rule
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Because this rule encompasses cards from multiple different banks, it’s one that you should know and understand. Having to wait four long years in between bonuses adds to the rule's importance because it really forces you to think long term when considering any of the cards affected. It may not drive your overall card strategy like 5/24, but it emphasizes the importance of having a strategy in place for how many cards you are going to get, which order to get them in, and how much to space out your applications.
Cards Subject to This Rule
FAQs
Are there exceptions to this rule?
No, the rules are pretty clear for all cards affected by this rule. The good thing is the rule only applies to each card individually, so you can get all affected cards and be eligible for the bonus on each provided you follow each banks’ other rules..
How do I check my status?
If you load all your cards into the Points Navigator, we can keep track of this rule, and all other rules, for you. You’ll know before you apply for a new card whether you’re about to violate one of the many rules set forth by the banks. This 48 month rule is important because of its long, 48 month restriction on bonuses. Plus it has cards from three different banks that are impacted. Add in all the other rules from each of the three banks that you also have to be aware of, and it gets really confusing, really quickly. Might as well let us do all that hard work for you!
Do business cards count for this rule?
There is one Citi business card that is affected by this rule - the American Airlines Citi Business World Elite Mastercard. No other business cards from Capital One or Wells Fargo have this same restriction though.
Do product changes on existing cards count for this rule?
Yes, but only if you received a welcome offer when you upgraded the card (downgrading rarely offers the opportunity of a signup bonus). It is clearly stated in the terms and conditions for many of the affected cards. For example, this is from the AAdvantage Platinum Select terms - “New account bonus is not available…if you converted another Citi credit card account on which you earned a new account bonus in the last 48 months into a Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select account.”
About Approval Rules
Collecting credit card points is largely driven by understanding and abiding by bank rules regarding approval (or disapproval) of cards. So here's what you need to know:
- Approval rules are rarely fully publicized by the banks
- We use our own research and data points from other users in creating the rules listing
- Our goal in sharing/using the rule listings is to provide you guidance to avoid getting declined
- There can sometimes be exceptions to the rules, but we try to take a more cautious approach in advising you.