There are a few fundamental rules to the success of anyone involved in points and miles. If there’s one that is more important than any other, it is the Chase 5/24 rule.

The Chase 5/24 rule is so fundamental that you’ll almost always hear someone mention it when discussing sign up strategies. “What’s your 5/24 status?” is almost always the first question asked when someone asks for credit card recommendations.

If you haven’t heard of the 5/24 rule yet, you may be wondering what the big deal is.

I just applied for the Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card.

This is a living post, continuously updated over time as the miles and points hobby evolves. They change the rules and we have to stay on top of them.
Today I've updated the section about Citi cards to reflect the new sign up bonus eligibility timelines for their AAdvantage co-branded credit cards. If I've left something important out please feel free to let me know in the comments.

A couple days ago I wrote a post clarifying the Chase 5/24 rule and it's relationship to small business credit cards. A reader asked the following question in the comments:

"How do I figure out if I can apply for the United Explore Card under the 5/24 rule. I didn’t keep track of when I applied for the various cards I have.

There are numerous ways to accrue travel rewards fast, and many people will fall into more than one of these categories.

Daddy Warbucks Type A: You buy expensive flights and book expensive hotel rooms which earn exponentially more travel rewards than booking cheap flights and accommodation.
Daddy Warbucks Type B: You spend tons on credit cards organically, whether that be personal use, through your business, or both.
Manufactured Spender: You figure out ways to increase your spending for a fee that doesn't outweigh the value of the rewards you're earning.
Road Warrior: You travel for business, get to charge paid

It looks as though the Chase 5/24 rule has spread its umbrella to maximum reach. For a while now there were a handful of Chase cards that you could still get approved for despite having opened more than five credit cards in the last 24 months. These were the...

World of Hyatt Visa
British Airways Visa Signature Card
Iberia Visa Signature Card
IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card
Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Business Card

I didn't want to pull the trigger too early on this one... many bloggers already wrote about this news back in mid November.

Once you’ve opened five credit cards from any bank in the last 24 months (not counting most business cards), Chase will likely deny you for all of their travel rewards credit cards.

5/24 is a buzzword in the miles and points sphere.

The Chase Hyatt Card's bonus of 40,000 Hyatt points can be stretched pretty far if you spend them on lower tier Hyatts. That's not to say slumming it is required--there are some fantastic, high-end, well located Category 1 and 2 Hyatts around the world.

If you're into Hyatt hotels and don't have this credit card, it seems like a no-brainer to open.