Approval Rules Sapphire Lifetime

You may be ineligible to earn a signup bonus on a Sapphire card if you currently have a Sapphire personal card open, previously held the same card, or received a new cardmember bonus for the same card

Deep Dive into the Sapphire Lifetime Rule

With the announcement of the revamped Chase Sapphire Reserve card that launched in June, 2025, the rules surrounding Sapphire personal cards have changed. No longer can you wait 48 months to apply for a new Sapphire card and receive the bonus for it. Here is what the new terms state on the personal Chase Sapphire Reserve card:

There is a lot of ambiguity in the new language, and data points since the change have confirmed that lack of clarity. Let's break it down piece by piece for you, along with what we've learned since these changes have taken place:

• This credit card is unavailable to you if you currently have one open: This is pretty clear. If you currently have a Chase Sapphire Reserve open, you won't be able to get a second. If you plan to apply for the updated version of the card, you will want to downgrade (preferable) or close your current Chase Sapphire Reserve.
  • What we've learned: All data points since the change have confirmed this part of the rule is being strictly enforced.
• The new cardmember bonus may not be available to you if you currently have any other personal Sapphire cards open: Chase is being coy by using the language may not be available. We initially thought Chase was leaving the door open for a Chase Sapphire Reserve approval even if you currently have a Chase Sapphire Preferred (or vice versa as the Preferred now has this same language).
  • What we've learned: Unfortunately data points so far show that you may be approved for the new Reserve card if you have the Sapphire Preferred card open, but you won't be eligible for the bonus. Same rule applies for the reverse - you won't be eligible for a Preferred bonus if you have a Reserve open. You'll need to downgrade (recommended) or cancel your open Sapphire card, wait at least a few days or a week, then apply for the other Sapphire card you've never had.
• Previously held this card: Chase is covering their bases by saying you may not be eligible for the bonus if you've already held this card before. This is insinuating there may be lifetime language similar to what American Express has (which in reality is 7-10 years), excluding anyone who has had this card at any time in the past.
  • What we've learned: Data points so far point to that not always being the case, as we have seen people be eligible for the bonus on the updated Reserve while having it at some point in the past. There has been inconsistency, and it appears that the more time has passed since you had the card, the better your chances.
• Or received a new cardmember bonus for this card: This is similar to the last point. Chase is saying you may not be available to receive a new bonus if you have received a welcome offer on this card at any time in the past. May not is the key term here.
  • What we've learned: Same as above. There have been data points of people being approved for the updated Reserve and being eligible for the signup bonus while receiving the signup bonus on this same card before. This has been the exception, though, not the norm.
• We may also consider the number of cards you have opened or closed: Chase is saying they will look into your history when determining if you are available for this card. Credit card companies looking into your credit card history when applying for a new card is nothing new.
• • What we've learned: Nothing has really changed here. When you are in this hobby, you will be opening and closing cards more often than the general population, so being denied a card for this reason is always a risk.
• As well as other factors in determining your bonus eligibility: This language just gives Chase a broad reason for denial. Other factors can literally mean anything.

All data points since these changes were made reflect the ambiguity of this language. We've seen people get approved and be eligible for the bonus while having already received the signup bonus in the past. We've seen people get denied while never having a Reserve. Only Chase knows how strict or loose they are going to be when approving people for a new Sapphire card. And it seems to be changing by the month.

Chase Sapphire Popup

Chase also introduced a new popup similar to how American Express handles their application process. When you fill out an application, you may receive a popup that says you are ineligible for the bonus. It will then ask if you want to proceed with the application. If you do not want the card without the signup bonus, you can cancel your application before they do a credit check. The popup looks like this:

Related Rules

How Does This Affect Your Credit Card Strategy?

You will most likely want to keep either the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Preferred in your wallet as long as you're in the hobby, making this rule important to your overall strategy. The reason you’ll want a Sapphire card is they make it possible to transfer your miles to one of their airline or hotel partners. With the new restrictive rules in place, though, you'll want to be smart in how you apply for Chase cards, in particular Sapphire cards.

Here is how to best strategize:

• If you've never held a personal Sapphire card, you can open whichever one you desire more out of the Preferred or Reserve. Keep in mind that if you apply for one, you may not be able to earn the bonus on the other at any point.
• Keep in mind that if you open one, you won't be able to open the other AND be eligible for the signup bonus until you've downgraded or canceled the first one. That part of the rule has been consistently enforced since the changes were made.
  • Tip: Never downgrade or cancel a card you've held for less than a year.
  • If and when you do downgrade, we recommend downgrading to the Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex.
• If you've held either card for more than a year, you will need to downgrade (recommended) or cancel it before applying for the other one.
  • If you hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred and want the Reserve, downgrade or cancel the Preferred, wait at least 48 hours (we recommend a week to be safe), then apply for the Reserve.
• If you previously held the Sapphire Preferred or Reserve and want it again, you may be able to get it, but there has not been consistency in the enforcement of this rule. Don't assume you'll be able to get it again, as most people have not. There have been data points where someone has been approved for the card AND received the bonus despite holding that same card before. But it has been the exception, not the rule.
  • Tip: It appears that the longer ago you opened the card, the better your chances are of getting approved. Again, we want to stress that you very well may be denied, so think hard before downgrading and being left without a Sapphire card altogether.

Note that this rule has only been in place since June, 2025, when the Sapphire Reserve was revamped and the Sapphire Reserve Business card was introduced. The data points have been changing ever since, so we honestly don't know what to expect as time goes on. It's important to be very flexible in this hobby, as rules are always changing. If you have a partner you're playing the two player game with, you have more flexibility with these rules as they apply to each person individually. So even if one person gets shut out of earning welcome offers, the other might still be eligible.

Cards Subject to This Rule

JP Morgan Chase

Chase Sapphire Preferred

Chase Sapphire Reserve

FAQs

Are there exceptions to this rule?

This rule only applies to the two Chase Sapphire cards, and the exceptions are the inconsistency in which they've been enforced. The one consistent part of this rule is that you cannot hold one Sapphire card, apply for the other one, and expect to be eligible for the signup bonus. You will have to cancel or downgrade before possibly being eligible for a new one.

How do I check my status?

By loading all your cards into the Points Navigator system, we’ll keep track of your Chase Sapphire status for you. This is just one of many rules, and we’ll keep track of all other ones for you, too. The rules can get overwhelming the deeper into the hobby you get and the more cards you own. You don’t want to apply for a card that you have no chance of being approved for, so we’ll flag each one so that doesn’t ever happen. And with the ever changing rules regarding credit card points and miles, we're always updating based on the most recent information.

Do business cards count for this rule?

No. The only cards this rule applies for are the two Chase Sapphire personal cards.

Do product changes on existing cards count for this rule?

Kind of. If you downgrade your Chase Sapphire Reserve or Preferred card to a Chase Freedom Flex after 12 months, you may be eligible to receive the signup bonus on the card you haven't already owned.