Approval Rules Citi 6/6
You'll be declined if there are 6 or more hard inquiries on your credit report the past 6 months
Deep Dive into the Citi 6/6 Rule
This rule is primarily for Citi approvals, but it can also impact U.S. Bank card approvals as well. It's also a rule that's not completely trackable by the Points Navigator, as other inquiries such as a car loan, home loan, and even declined credit card applications will apply. The best way to check is to look at a credit service like Credit Karma to see how many hard inquiries you've had in the last 6 months.
Important to know:
This does not appear to be a hard and fast rule, as there have been many reports of people who were beyond that threshold and were still approved for a new Citi card.
Related Rules
How Does This Affect Your Credit Card Strategy?
Like with all these rules, it pays to take the slow and steady approach, especially if you plan to be in the hobby long-term. If you take our advice and generally spread out your applications, waiting two to three months between getting new cards, then this is a rule that shouldn’t impact you from credit cards alone. It is an important one to be aware of, especially if you’ve recently bought a house or car, as those loan inquiries will also count towards this rule. So this rule is different from most in that respect.
Important to know:
If you’re just considering credit card applications, having six in six months is playing with fire. That is too fast a pace, and if you continue in that manner you will run into trouble down the line. If you haven’t tracked your card applications and other finances well and you have some concern about whether you might trip this rule, we do recommend looking into a credit service to be sure. You want to avoid a denial from any bank if at all possible.
Importance of this Rule
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This is a rule that is important to be aware of, but it’s not one that will impact your strategy much, if at all. If you know you’ve opened 4-5 cards within the past six months and have taken a loan out for something else - like a car or house - in that same time period, then you may want to hold off until your oldest inquiry falls off. If you aren’t sure what your status is, it’s worth it to check before applying for a new Citi card. That’s an easy way to avoid getting tripped up by this rule.
Rule Applies to All Cards from This Bank
Cards Subject to This Rule
FAQs
Are there exceptions to this rule?
No, this appears to apply to all cards offered by Citi. There have been conflicting reports on whether or not Citi’s two business cards are part of this rule. We have included them as it wasn’t black or white either way, and we prefer to play it safe when it comes to these rules for longevity purposes.
How do I check my status?
The best way to check for this rule is to use a credit service like Credit Karma to check how many hard inquiries there have been on your credit. The Points Navigator was built to track all your credit card approvals, but we don’t have access to things like car and home loans, or even declined credit card applications.
Do business cards count for this rule?
As stated above, we’ve seen conflicting reports on this, but we’re going to say they do count unless we find out definitively otherwise.
Do product changes on existing cards count for this rule?
No, a product change does not count as a new application/approval, so it will not count for this rule.
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.