Over the last few years, we’ve seen issuers tighten the screws when it comest to credit card bonuses. Amex and Chase continue to be the biggest issuers that generally tend to offer generous credit card bonuses. However, it seems like Chase may well be copying Amex’s tactics as it looks tighten restrictions on bonuses, with updated language on their Chase Sapphire cards.
New restrictions on Chase Sapphire Cards
As per this r/churning thread, multiple data points are showing that Chase has now updated terms and conditions on the card. The 48 month language is no longer there, but it has been replaced by a language that’s more generic. This basically means that the 48 month rule is gone and the restriction could well be for a lifetime. If you pull up the Chase Sapphire Reserve application on Chase’s website, you’ll see the updated terms and conditions here.
100,000 Bonus Points After You Spend $5,000 On Purchases In The First 3 Months From Account Opening: This credit card is unavailable to you if you currently have one open. The new cardmember bonus may not be available to you if you currently have any other personal Sapphire cards open, previously held this card or received a new cardmember bonus for this card. We may also consider the number of cards you have opened and closed, as well as other factors in determining your bonus eligibility.
I pulled up the page for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and found similar terms and conditions as on the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
75,000 Bonus Points After You Spend $5,000 On Purchases In The First 3 Months From Account Opening: This credit card is unavailable to you if you currently have one open. The new cardmember bonus may not be available to you if you currently have any other personal Sapphire cards open, previously held this card or received a new cardmember bonus for this card. We may also consider the number of cards you have opened and closed, as well as other factors in determining your bonus eligibility.
The Pundit’s Mantra
If you check co-branded Chase cards, you’ll still see that these restrictions aren’t yet showing up there. For now, this change could just be restricted to Chase’s Sapphire card lineup. However, given the recent trajectory over the years, I won’t be surprised if Chase adds more cards to this ‘once in a lifetime’ bonus rule. For the time being, Chase is seemingly enforcing both the one Sapphire rule and now the once in a lifetime rule.
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New Credit Card Offers
American Express Business Credit Cards
- Earn 200,000 Membership Rewards points with the Business Platinum Card
- Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards and enjoy a 0% intro APR on the Business Gold Card
Chase Sapphire Cards
- Earn 100,000 bonus points and a $500 statement credit with the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
- Earn 200,000 bonus points with the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card for Business
Co-Branded Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards
- Earn 185,000 bonus points with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card
- Earn 155,000 bonus points with the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card
- Earn 125,000 bonus points with the Marriott Bonvoy Business Card
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