Approval Rules Chase Ink Lifetime Rule
The new cardmember bonus may not be available to you if you have ever had this card
Deep Dive into the Chase Ink Lifetime Rule Rule
Chase rolled out new rules for their Ink Business cards, restricting signup bonuses to once per lifetime. There are two separate rules for the four Ink cards Chase offers to its customers. One is the Chase Ink No Fee Lifetime Rule, which impacts the Chase Ink Business Cash and Chase Ink Business Unlimited cards, the two no fee Ink cards. This is a family rule saying you may not be eligible for the signup bonus on either card if you've owned either in the past.
The Chase Ink Lifetime Rule is a little different and also affects two cards: the Chase Ink Business Preferred and Chase Ink Business Premier.
Here are the terms from each of those card pages:
What does this mean?
- If you had the Chase Ink Business Preferred card in the past, you may not be eligible to receive the signup bonus if you were to apply again.
- The same terms apply for the Chase Ink Business Premier. If you've had that card in the past, you may not be eligible for the signup bonus on it if you were to apply again.
- Fortunately there is no family language, so you are eligible to receive the welcome offer on both of these cards individually, unlike the Chase Ink No Fee Lifetime Rule.
- There is no crossover for these rules either, so you should be able to get 3 of the 4 Ink Business cards and be eligible for the signup bonus on all three.
- You can get both the Chase Ink Business Preferred AND Chase Ink Business Premier
- You can get one of the Chase Ink Business Cash OR Chase Ink Business Unlimited
Chase Popup
Chase has fortunately added a popup to alert you if you won't be eligible for the signup bonus before formally submitting your application. Since Chase has been inconsistent with their enforcement of this rule, and since the popup alerts you before they do a hard pull on your credit, you can apply with no risk. If you get the popup, you can choose to proceed with the card application and no signup bonus, or you can choose to pull your application. No credit check will be done if you pull it.
Related Rules
How Does This Affect Your Credit Card Strategy?
If you're new to points and miles and don't yet have any Ink cards, then you need to be aware of this rule. You can still get both of the cards that have this rule, but you'll only be eligible for the signup bonus once. Because of this, it's important to wait for an elevated offer before applying.
For veterans of the hobby, these new restrictions are tough to stomach. Many have earned hundreds of thousands of signup bonus points from various Ink cards and relied on them to replenish their Chase Ultimate Rewards balance. If you're one of those people, it's time to regroup and come up with another plan.
If you have already gotten both of these cards, you may be out of luck for now. It is still worth trying, since the popup prevents a hard pull on your credit. Even if you manage to get one more, it does not appear that we will return to the old days of getting multiple welcome offers on the same card. So how do we pivot?
How to maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards points now
If you transfer points to Chase partners, the most logical move is to start collecting points directly with the partners you use most.
Hyatt credit card options
Hyatt has two cards, one personal and one business, and is rumored to launch a premium option in 2026. Both current cards follow the Hyatt 1/24 Rule. You cannot earn a signup bonus if you hold the card and have received a bonus in the previous 24 months. A simple pattern would be:
- Apply for the personal Hyatt card in year one.
- Apply for the business Hyatt card in year two.
- Cancel the personal Hyatt and reapply 24 months after receiving your original bonus.
Southwest credit card options
If you transfer to Southwest or United, both programs offer several ways to collect points. Each has rules similar to Hyatt.
- The Southwest Personal 24 Rule allows only one signup bonus across the three personal Southwest cards in a 24 month period.
- Southwest has two business cards. Their 24 month rules apply individually, so you can hold both business cards and earn bonuses on each.
United credit card options
All United cards follow the same 24 From Bonus rule used by Southwest business cards. You cannot earn the bonus on a specific card more than once every 24 months, but you can earn bonuses on all six United cards within that same 24 month period.
If you transfer to all three systems, that gives you a total of 11 cards to earn signup bonuses with, all within a 24 month period before you can cancel and start again. Then you can use Chase Ultimate Rewards to top up as needed.
Chase also has many other partners, most with co-branded cards that earn points. You can personalize this broader strategy based on which partners you use most often.
Importance of this Rule
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This is probably a more important rule for those who have been in the hobby for a while and have relied on Chase Ink cards to replenish your Chase Ultimate Rewards stash. Chase had tightened approvals in the previous year on Ink cards anyway, so most of us have had to change our strategy and slow down. But we were still able to get the bonuses more than once, so this requires yet another pivot.
If you're just starting out and are new to the points and miles world, this shouldn't impact you too much. Just be aware of the rule and know that you can only get 3 of the 4 Ink cards over your lifetime. Because of this, it's a good idea to wait for an elevated signup bonus on any of these cards before applying so you can maximize your points collection.
Cards Subject to This Rule
FAQs
Are there exceptions to this rule?
This is a new rule, and enforcement has been a mixed bag thus far. The use of terms may not be available to you means that Chase is leaving the door open to earn the welcome offer more than once on these cards. Data points thus far have reflected that. We've seen some who had already had the card be approved again. But we've seen more that have been denied the bonus again. As of now, we'll say there are not exceptions. But since Chase provides a popup before doing a credit check, it doesn't hurt to try. Just make sure you have a backup plan.
How do I check my status?
The Points Navigator was built to help people navigate the complicated rules of credit card approvals and bonuses. Load all your cards into our system, and we'll let you know which rules you've triggered, and how that impacts what cards you can apply for next and which ones you'll be excluded from.
Do business cards count for this rule?
Yes, this rule applies to only two cards, and they're both business cards.
Do product changes on existing cards count for this rule?
You will not want to product change to either card, so this is not applicable.
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.