Chase First. Always.

The one rule that determines your entire card strategy…and what happens if you get it wrong

By Cassie  ·  3P Travel  ·  Estimated read time: 7 minutes

"Most people apply for the wrong card first. That one decision can cost you hundreds of thousands of points before you even get started."

If you've read my first few posts, you know the story. You know why points matter, you know the golden rule about never carrying a balance, and you're probably ready to actually do something.

So let's talk about the part that trips up almost every beginner: which cards to get, and in what order.

Because here's what most people do. They google "best travel credit card," find something that looks good, apply for it, and then later discover they accidentally locked themselves out of the most valuable cards in the entire system.

I almost did this myself. I'm glad I didn't. Let me save you from that mistake.

What Is the Chase 5/24 Rule?

Chase has a policy, not publicly announced but well established, that if you have opened 5 or more credit cards from any bank in the last 24 months, you will be automatically denied for most Chase cards.

Read that again. Five cards. Any bank. Twenty-four months.

That means if you went on a card-opening spree with Amex, Capital One, and Citi before you ever touched Chase, you may have locked yourself out of some of the most powerful travel cards on the market for two full years.

Why Does This Matter So Much?

Because Chase Ultimate Rewards points are the most valuable and flexible points currency for most beginners. Chase Sapphire cards earn Ultimate Rewards points that transfer to airline and hotel partners like United, Hyatt, and Air France at a 1:1 ratio.

World of Hyatt, in particular, has historically been one of the best hotel programs in existence. And the only way to transfer points to Hyatt is through Chase. You cannot get there from Amex. You cannot get there from Capital One. Chase is the key.

Their points also transfer to United MileagePlus, which gives you access to the entire Star Alliance, and to Air France Flying Blue, which is how our family got to Italy.

If you open a handful of store cards or other bank cards before you apply for Chase, even with the best of intentions, you may hit your 5/24 limit before you ever get started.

A Real Example of What Can Go Wrong

I've talked to people who opened an Amazon card, a Target card, a Capital One Quicksilver, a Delta Amex, and a hotel card all in the same year because each one had a good bonus at the time. Totally understandable. But by the time they came to me wanting to get into the Chase ecosystem, they were already at 5/24 and had to wait 18 months before any of those older cards aged out.

Eighteen months of waiting. That's a lot of trips that didn't happen.

The Right Order: Chase First, Then Everyone Else

Here's the framework:

• Start with Chase. Get the Sapphire Preferred before anything else. It's the foundation of the entire system.

• Then move to Amex. The Gold and Business Gold are incredible everyday earning cards. Amex does not have a 5/24 equivalent, so you have more flexibility.

• Then consider Capital One Venture or Venture X and other cards once your Chase foundation is set.

The Business Card Secret That Changes Everything

Here's something most beginners don't know, and it's one of the most powerful concepts in the entire system: Chase business cards generally do NOT count against your Chase 5/24 slots.

You can apply for a Chase business card and it won't use up one of your precious 5 personal slots.

And before you say 'I don't have a business,' hold on. You might qualify and not know it. You may already be a sole proprietor if you do any freelance or consulting work, sell anything online even occasionally, have any 1099 income, tutor or coach on the side, drive for a rideshare app, or run any side hustle of any kind. You apply using your Social Security number as your tax ID and your own name as the business name.

This is how I was able to open so many cards quickly and earn over a million points in year one.

What To Do Right Now

Before you apply for anything, count how many cards you've opened in the last 24 months. Log into Chase or use a credit monitoring app and count every single one.

• At 4 or below: Chase is on the table. Start with the Sapphire Preferred.

• At 5 or above: Start with Amex instead. I'll cover exactly which Amex cards to prioritize in a future post. Revisit Chase when older cards age out of your 24-month window.

The next post covers the math behind why sign-up bonuses are the fastest path to free travel, and how I crossed a million points in year one without changing my spending at all.

You've read few posts now. You know the story, you know the rule, and you know the cards. The only thing left is to start.

I'll be here for every step after that.

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Swipe Smart. Go Far.

Cassie Jemilo, Founder of 3P Travel

Cassie@3P-travel.com  |  www.3P-Travel.com

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