Chase Sapphire Preferred Card’s Welcome Offer Eligibility Changes: 2019 to 2026

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card is one of the most enduring travel rewards cards on the market, and its welcome offer has long been a primary draw for new applicants.

This page tracks changes to the eligibility rules for earning that welcome offer bonus, covering the full period from the card’s 2009 launch to today. Here’s how those restrictions have changed and what that means for you.

As of 2026

Before jumping into the specific rules of this card, it’s worth knowing that Chase enforces a few broader policies that affect welcome offer eligibility:

• Chase’s widely reported 5/24 rule means applicants who have opened 5 or more new credit cards from any issuer in the previous 24 months are typically not approved.
• Chase generally does not approve applicants for more than 2 of its cards within any 30-day period.
• Under the current framework, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® each carry their own once-per-lifetime welcome offer eligibility, and you can hold both cards simultaneously.

2009 to 2017

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card launched in September 2009 as an early entrant in what would become a robust travel credit card space. In its early years, explicit bonus eligibility restrictions were limited compared to what the card family would eventually adopt.

A standard restriction against current Sapphire cardmembers earning the welcome offer bonus was in place, and by the mid-2010s, a 24-month cooling-off period was documented in the card’s terms — meaning applicants who had received a Sapphire bonus within the prior 2 years were not eligible for another. This rule was firmly in place by the time the Chase Sapphire Reserve card launched in August 2016.

2017 to 2018

On August 27, 2017, Chase formalized what became known as the One Sapphire rule. Under this policy, customers were limited to holding just 1 Sapphire-branded card at a time. If you held the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, Chase would decline your application for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, and vice versa.

While the card’s terms had always disqualified current Sapphire cardmembers from earning a bonus, this rule went further. Chase would reject the application itself, not merely deny the bonus offer. In practice, it closed off any avenues for holding multiple Sapphire products simultaneously.

2018 to 2025

In August 2018, Chase significantly tightened the eligibility window, extending the cooling-off period from 24 months to 48 months. According to the updated card terms,¹ applicants were ineligible for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s welcome offer if they had received a new-cardmember bonus on any Sapphire product within the prior 48 months — regardless of which specific card they had earned the bonus on.

The rule also applied retroactively. Someone who earned a Sapphire welcome bonus in late 2017 would not become eligible for another Sapphire bonus until late 2021, regardless of whether they kept or closed the card in the interim — even if they’d opened the card a year before the new rule’s existence.

Combined with the One Sapphire rule, this meant cardholders faced a strict 4-year wait between any Sapphire bonus opportunities. The rules worked together: You couldn’t hold more than 1 Sapphire card, and you couldn’t cycle back for another welcome offer bonus until 48 months had cleared. This framework remained mostly unchanged for nearly 7 years.

June 2025

In June 2025, Chase launched a comprehensive overhaul of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, raising its annual fee and updating its benefit structure. Chase simultaneously introduced the Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ as a new small-business card. The eligibility rule changes took effect June 23, 2025,² and applied equally to the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

Both the One Sapphire rule and the 48-month rule were eliminated at the same time. In their place, Chase introduced 2 significant changes.

First, customers could now hold both the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card simultaneously.

Second, Chase replaced the explicit 48-month window with a proprietary, individualized eligibility screening system — a pop-up notification system similar to what American Express had already used for a while. Applicants who don’t qualify for a welcome offer are notified via a pop-up during the application process and can withdraw without triggering a hard credit inquiry.

One limitation carried over from this initial rollout, though modified: Current Sapphire cardholders could still be blocked from earning a first-time bonus on the other Sapphire card, even if they had never received that product’s bonus before.

January 2026 to Now

Effective January 22, 2026, Chase updated the rules again. Under the current card terms,³ you can earn a welcome offer bonus on each individual Sapphire card once per lifetime — even if you currently hold the other Sapphire card. If you hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and have never earned a welcome offer bonus on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you are eligible to apply and receive its welcome offer, and vice versa.

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Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

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Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

Welcome Offer

Earn 60,000 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

60,000 75,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$1,500

Annual Fee

$95

APR

19.24% - 27.49% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® card is one of the best travel rewards cards on the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.

Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance. With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 5x points on all travel booked via the Chase Travel portal
• 3x points on dining purchases, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services
• 2x points on all other travel worldwide

Cons

• $95 annual fee
• No elite benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status

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Card Highlights

• Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
• Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel℠
• 10% anniversary points boost - each account anniversary you'll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.24% - 27.49% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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Chase Ultimate Rewards

The pop-up notification system introduced in June 2025 remains in place, flagging ineligible applicants before a hard inquiry is triggered on your credit report. The Chase Sapphire Reserve Business card is treated as a separate product and does not affect eligibility for the personal Sapphire cards.

Final Thoughts

Over more than 16 years, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card‘s welcome offer eligibility rules have grown significantly more restrictive. They moved from a relatively permissive early era to a strict 4-year familywide blackout and now to a per-card lifetime framework.

The current system offers more flexibility than the 48-month era because holding both Sapphire cards and earning each bonus independently is now possible. However, the lifetime restriction per card makes it clear that cycling back for the same welcome offer bonus twice is no longer part of the picture.