Approval Rules Sapphire Lifetime
You may be ineligible to earn a signup bonus on a Sapphire card if you received a new cardmember bonus for the same card any time in the past
Deep Dive into the Sapphire Lifetime Rule
You will be restricted to one cardmember bonus per lifetime on each Chase Sapphire personal card.
What does this mean?
With these most recent changes:
- You can hold both the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred at the same time.
- You can earn the signup bonus on each card once per lifetime.
- It is still unclear whether Chase will allow bonuses again after a set period.
- This mirrors American Express’s lifetime language, though Amex restrictions are more like a seven-year limit in practice.
A memo was sent out to Chase customers clarifying the new terms:
Keeping up with the changes
Previously, the Sapphire cards had 48 months restrictions on welcome offers, along with family restrictions. You could only earn a bonus on one personal Sapphire card every 48 months, and you could not hold both cards at the same time.
With the Sapphire Reserve relaunch in June 2025, Chase removed the 48-month language and introduced lifetime-style restrictions. The issue was that the new terms were vague, and enforcement was inconsistent.
This new announcement has provided some clarity. Even though Chase has not fully updated the terms on its website, recent data points reflect the new terms. Chase has been approving applicants for a Sapphire card and its welcome offer as long as they have not earned a bonus on that specific card before. For example, if you earned the Sapphire Preferred bonus, you can still earn the Sapphire Reserve bonus, and vice versa.
Chase Sapphire Popup
Chase also added a new application popup that warns you if you are ineligible for a signup bonus before a credit check. You can cancel the application at that point if you do not want the card without the bonus.
Related Rules
How Does This Affect Your Credit Card Strategy?
You will likely want to keep either the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Preferred in your wallet as long as you are active in the points and miles hobby. That makes these new rules especially important to your long-term strategy. A Sapphire card is essential because it allows you to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to airline and hotel partners.
Out of all Chase cards, only four allow you to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards and transfer them to partners.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- Chase Sapphire Reserve Business
- Chase Ink Business Preferred
You will want to hold at least one of these cards at all times to maximize the value of your Ultimate Rewards.
For the two personal Sapphire cards, the strategy has shifted. Since you can now hold both cards at the same time and earn the signup bonus on each once, the decision of which card to open first or keep long term is less critical and depends more on your personal travel habits and spending.
How to strategize:
- If you have never held a personal Sapphire card, open the one that best fits your needs between the Preferred and the Reserve.
- Because of the new lifetime restrictions, be more selective and wait for an elevated welcome offer before applying.
- If you later decide to downgrade, the Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex are the best options.
- Before canceling or downgrading, make sure you still hold one of the four cards that allow transfers to partners, or you will lose that ability.
Importance of this Rule
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Even though this rule only affects two cards in the entire points and miles world, it’s still a very important one, particularly if you don’t have a partner you’re doing this hobby with. With the importance of owning a Sapphire card in the hobby and these new lifetime rules in effect, you want to make an educated decision regarding applying for Sapphire cards to maximize your points earning.
Cards Subject to This Rule
FAQs
Are there exceptions to this rule?
This rule only applies to the two personal Chase Sapphire cards. The new language suggests lifetime restrictions, but it is still unclear whether these are true lifetime limits or whether Chase will follow a model similar to Amex’s Lifetime Rule, which functions more like a seven-year restriction in practice.
How do I check my status?
By loading all your cards into the Points Navigator system, we can track your Chase Sapphire status for you. This is just one of many rules we monitor. As you go deeper into the hobby and add more cards, these rules can become overwhelming. Since credit card points and miles rules change frequently, we continually update our tracking based on the most current 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?
We do not know yet. If you previously downgraded from the Reserve to the Preferred or upgraded from the Preferred to the Reserve without receiving a welcome offer, the new terms suggest you may be able to downgrade and reapply to earn a bonus. However, this rule is still new, and there are not enough data points to confirm how Chase will handle this in practice. We will update this section as more information becomes available.
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.