Yes, at first. Authorized user cards appear on your personal credit report with an open date, and Chase’s automated review counts recently opened accounts without checking whose name the debt is in. So an authorized user card opened in the past 24 months can push you to 5/24. Chase reconsideration agents have long been willing to exclude authorized user accounts when you point them out, and removing yourself from those cards before you apply avoids the problem entirely.
Why do authorized user cards count toward 5/24? #
Chase’s 5/24 rule declines most applicants who’ve opened five or more personal credit cards, from any bank, in the past 24 months. To count, Chase looks at the open dates of accounts on your credit report.
When someone adds you as an authorized user, the issuer usually reports that account on your report too. It carries an open date and looks, to an automated system, like any other card. The report does mark the account as “authorized user” rather than “individual” or “joint,” but the first-pass decision often doesn’t look that closely.
How do you get Chase to exclude authorized user accounts? #
1. Apply, then call reconsideration #
If you’re over 5/24 only because of authorized user cards, expect a pending decision or a denial. Call Chase’s reconsideration line:
- Personal cards: 888-270-2127
- Business cards: 800-453-9719
Numbers change occasionally, so check the one on your denial letter if these don’t connect. It’s best to call within 30 days of a decision.
2. Explain the accounts #
Keep it short and factual:
“I recently applied for the Sapphire Preferred and was declined for too many recently opened accounts. Two of those accounts are authorized user cards on my spouse’s accounts. I’m not responsible for them. Without them, I’ve opened three cards of my own in the past 24 months. Could you review my application again?”
3. Let them review #
The agent can see the responsibility code on each account. If excluding the authorized user lines brings you under five, they’ll review your application on its merits: income, credit and your existing Chase relationship. It isn’t guaranteed. Agents have discretion, and results vary by person and by time.
How do you remove authorized user accounts before applying? #
If you’d rather get an instant online approval, clear the accounts first.
- Have the primary cardholder remove you. Most issuers let the primary do this online or by phone. Some let the authorized user remove themselves.
- Wait for the reports to update. Once you’re removed, the account usually drops off your report or shows as closed after a billing cycle or two.
- Dispute it if it lingers. You can ask each credit bureau to remove an account you’re no longer an authorized user on. The bureau checks with the issuer, which usually takes a few weeks.
- Check your reports before you apply. You can get free reports from each bureau through AnnualCreditReport.com.
The trade-off: if that authorized user account was your oldest or highest-limit line, losing it can lower your score a little. For how these accounts help your credit in the first place, see does adding an authorized user help build credit.
How do you keep track of your 5/24 number? #
You need the month and year each card was opened, which ones list you as the primary cardholder and which as an authorized user, and the date each one ages past 24 months.
Credit Card Central keeps a live 5/24 counter based on the opened date of each card in the app. Cards you label as belonging to someone else, such as a partner’s cards you track for them, stay out of your count. So if you add your own cards and label your partner’s, the app shows the number a reconsideration agent should arrive at, even though your credit report may still show more until the authorized user lines are removed. The counter includes business cards you’ve added, so leave out the ones that don’t report to your personal credit. Everything stays on your phone, with no bank login.
Frequently asked questions #
Does my spouse’s card count toward my 5/24 if I’m an authorized user? #
Chase’s automated system may count it because it’s on your credit report. A reconsideration agent can exclude it once they see you’re an authorized user, not a joint owner.
Do business cards count toward 5/24? #
Business cards that don’t report to your personal credit, which includes Chase, Amex and Citi business cards, don’t add to your count. Chase still applies 5/24 when you apply for its own business cards. See do business credit cards show on personal credit.
How long does it take for an authorized user account to drop off my report? #
Usually one to two billing cycles after you’re removed. A dispute with the credit bureau can speed it up if the account stays on your report.
Is there a downside to being an authorized user if I want Chase cards? #
Mostly inconvenience. If those accounts put you over 5/24, you’ll likely face an automatic denial and a call to reconsideration. If you plan several Chase applications, avoid being added to cards you don’t need. For spacing applications, see how long to wait between credit card applications.
Does a product change count toward 5/24? #
No. A product change doesn’t open a new account, so no new open date appears on your credit report.