Good morning everyone, I hope your weekend is off to a great start. Every time a new credit card is announced or the sign up bonus increases to an all-time high, bloggers and readers debate endlessly about whether the card is “worthy of a Chase 5/24 slot.” Back in the day (before the Chase 5/24 Rule existed), I think Chase had the best credit cards and the best sign up bonuses, but those days are long gone. Many credit cards from American Express, Bank of America, Barclays, Capital One, Citi, US Bank, and Wells Fargo have bigger sign up bonuses and more transferable points than similar Chase credit cards. I like to think of myself as a free agent when it comes to credit cards, miles, and points, so I Chase chase the credit card sign up bonus, regardless of the credit card issuer.
I currently have 8 Chase credit cards, and based on my Chase 5/24 score, I won’t be able to pick up any new Chase credit cards for more than a 12-18 months. The last Chase credit card I applied for was the Chase Ink Cash Credit Card and I was happy to pick up 90,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points. Here is my current Chase credit card roster:
| Grant’s Chase Credit Cards | Opened | Notes |
| Chase Freedom Flex 1 | 11/1/2013 | Opened Chase Freedom (2013), converted to Chase Sapphire Reserve (2017), & converted to Chase Freedom Flex (2021). |
| Chase IHG Rewards Select | 11/18/2013 | |
| JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton | 12/15/2014 | Opened JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton (2014), converted to Chase Marriott Premier Plus (2017), & converted to JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton (2019). |
| Chase Ink Plus | 3/21/2016 | |
| Chase IHG Rewards Premier | 7/25/2018 | |
| Chase Freedom Flex 2 | 7/13/2021 | Opened Chase Sapphire Preferred (2021) & converted to Chase Freedom Flex (2023). |
| Chase IHG Rewards Business | 6/17/2022 | |
| Chase Ink Cash | 10/13/2023 |
I should also state that I have opened, closed, and converted many other Chase credit cards over the last 11+ years, so don’t feel bad for the popular Chase credit cards you don’t see in my current roster. They had their time on the team, but didn’t make the cut.
Without further ado, here are the 6 credit cards I have opened since getting approved for the Chase Ink Cash in October 2023:
| Credit Card Name | Opened | Sign Up Bonus | Value |
| Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red | 10/13/2023 | 75,000 American Airlines Miles | $1,125 |
| AMEX Hilton Surpass | 10/26/2023 | 170,000 Hilton Honors Points | $850 |
| Bank of America Air France / KLM | 2/6/2024 | 50,000 Air France / KLM Miles + $100 Statement Credit | $850 |
| Barclays JetBlue Plus | 2/6/2024 | 70,000 JetBlue TrueBlue Points | $700 |
| Bilt MasterCard | 2/6/2024 | 20,000 Bilt Points | $300 |
| AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business | 7/5/2024 | 5 x 50K Marriott Free Night Certificates | $1,000 |
| Total Value From These 6 Credit Cards | $4,825 |
The value of the sign up bonus can be subjective, but here is how I value the cents per point (CPP) for the miles, points, and free night certificates:
- 1.5 CPP for American Airlines Miles
- 0.5 CPP for Hilton Honors Points
- 1.5 CPP for Air France / KLM Flying Blue Miles
- 1.0 CPP for JetBlue TrueBlue Points
- 1.5 CPP for Bilt Rewards Points (since I can transfer them 1:1 to many airline programs)
- $200 for each 50K Marriott Free Night Certificate
In fairness, Laura does stay under Chase 5/24, but that is because she doesn’t Chase chase credit card sign up bonuses like I do. Here is her current Chase credit card roster and she hasn’t applied for any Chase credit cards since 2020.
| Laura’s Chase Credit Cards | Opened | Notes |
| Chase Southwest Airlines Priority | 11/3/2017 | Opened Chase Southwest Airlines Plus (2017) & converted to Chase Southwest Airlines Priority (2018). |
| Chase Freedom (Visa) | 3/13/2018 | Opened Chase Sapphire Preferred (2018) & converted to Chase Freedom (2019). |
| Chase World of Hyatt | 1/30/2019 | |
| Chase IHG Rewards Premier | 7/10/2020 | |
| JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton | 10/25/2020 | Opened Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless (2020) & converted to JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton (2022). |
If you’re unsure about staying under Chase 5/24, consider whether it’s worth passing up some excellent credit card sign up bonuses for another average Chase bonus. On average, I’ve earned $800 from each of my recent credit card bonuses. While some Chase credit card sign up bonuses exceed $800, once you’ve maxed out those bonuses, it’s time to look beyond the Chase ecosystem. Other major credit card issuers offer competitive bonuses that are just as appealing.
Whether you completely agree or completely disagree with my perspective, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend everyone!
“overrated”
Amen! Glad to hear someone finally say it.
Thank you Jack, glad I’m not alone in the overrated camp :)
5/24 isnt a thing anymore. I’ve gotten approved for new Chase cards and i’m way over
Oh that’s really cool, which cards have you gotten in the last few months?
sapphire preferred and Ink unlimited. others over 5/24 have experienced the same and i think it’s been documented on other BA blogs too
Oh nice, those are good cards to pick up. I’ll check out the other BoardingArea blogs to read more about the recent approvals. Thank you.
So does Laura have 10 ABG’s?
No, she doesn’t have any business credit cards. She does have a AMEX Gold Card though.
How do you decide which cards to keep and which cards to close or upgrade?
Hi Lili, it really comes down to how much is the annual fee and how much value due I get from the credit card benefits. I do an annual post for all the credit cards I have and show the value I get from each one. Here is the post from December 2023: https://travelwithgrant.boardingarea.com/2023/12/20/i-paid-4807-in-credit-card-annual-fees-in-2023-was-it-worth-it/