How Long to Wait Between Credit Card Applications?

General waiting guidelines

While there is no universal rule on how often you can apply for a credit card, financial experts generally recommend waiting at least 3 to 6 months between credit card applications. Waiting 6 months (or up to a year if your credit is average or you’re rebuilding it) between applications could help your credit score recover from hard credit inquiries and allows you to demonstrate responsible debt management and establish a positive payment history.

However, six months is only a general recommendation, as the ideal time between credit card applications varies widely from person to person. The right timeframe depends heavily on factors such as your credit profile, major financial goals, and the specific issuer’s application rules.

Risks of submitting credit card applications too close together

Multiple credit card applications within a short time can hurt you in the following ways:

Affect your credit score. When you apply for a credit card, the issuer typically performs a hard credit inquiry, which can cause a small, temporary drop in your score. So, you may want to wait for your score to recover before applying for another card, especially if you’re working to improve your credit.

Reduce the average age of your accounts. Opening a new credit card can lower the average age of your credit accounts. Since each new account is added into the calculation with an age of 0 months, opening several new cards at once can have a greater impact.

Signal greater credit risk to lenders. When lenders see multiple hard inquiries on your credit reports within a short time, they may think you’re dealing with financial hardship. And that could lead to seeing you as a credit risk, potentially resulting in higher interest rates or denied applications.

Issuer-specific rules. Many major credit card issuers have strict internal rules on the number and timing of applications that automatically deny applicants who have opened too many accounts recently.

Complicated account management. Tracking multiple payment due dates, APRs, spending requirements, and annual fees, if any, increases the risk of missed payments.

Issuer-specific application rules

Most issuers have their own rules and recommendations surrounding waiting times between credit card applications, and it can be helpful to review these before applying. Below are some of the unwritten guidelines used by major banks based on feedback from actual cardholders:

• American Express generally limits approvals to 1 credit card within 5 days, 2 cards in 90 days, and 1 of the same product per 90 days. Maximum of 5 credit cards and 10 charge cards.
• Bank of America follows the 2/3/4 rule (maximum of 2 new credit cards within 30 days, 3 within 12 months, and 4 within 24 months).
• Barclays may not approve your application if you’ve had more than six credit card applications in the last 24 months for most credit cards (6/24 rule).
• Capital One typically limits you to 1 card every 6 months.
• Chase automatically denies you if you have opened 5 or more personal or business cards across any bank in the last 24 months (5/24 Rule) and limits you to 2 Chase cards every 30 days.
• Citi allows 1 application every 8 days and up to 2 applications every 65 days (8/65 Rule).
• Wells Fargo requires a 6-month wait between branded consumer card applications.
• Discover limits to 2 cards with a 2-month waiting period between card applications.

How to increase your chances of getting approved for a credit card?

You can improve your odds of qualifying for a credit card by spacing out applications and following some basic tips:

• Check your credit reports: Before applying for a new line of credit, review your credit reports from three major credit bureaus. Look for errors, accounts that you don’t recognize, and the accuracy of the information, including your personal details. If you spot any issues, you can file a dispute online, by phone, or by mail directly.
• Use prequalification tools: Most major credit card issuers offer online prequalification tools you can use to check your approval odds with a soft credit pull, which does not lower your credit score. Issuers review basic personal and credit information like your name, address, income, and the last four digits of your SSN without triggering a hard inquiry. Prequalification shows your likelihood of approval, but do not give any guarantee, and a formal application still requires a full review and a hard credit pull.
• Research your options: Before applying for cards, it may help you to compare options and consider your financial goals.
• Limit new credit applications: Only apply for a new credit card when you really need one, such as a travel credit card that offers perks like travel insurance for your next overseas vacation.
• Increase your credit limit. You could consider asking your card issuer for a credit limit increase on your existing card instead of applying for a new card. This could give you more available credit and might also lower your credit utilization ratio, which could help improve your credit.

Given the above, it could be wise to space out your credit applications and only apply for new credit when necessary.