Chase appears to be rolling out a stricter 3/24-style limit on Ink business card approvals for sole proprietors. Multiple reconsideration reps have cited it directly in denials over the past week, even for applicants sitting comfortably under the longstanding 5/24 threshold.

This isn’t an official announcement—Chase doesn’t do those—but the datapoints from Doctor of Credit, Reddit’s r/churning, InsideFlyer, and 10xTravel are piling up fast since mid-September 2026. If you run a side hustle, freelance, or file Schedule C, the window for stacking Ink bonuses just got a lot smaller.

The Old Loophole That’s Now Closing

Here’s how it used to work: personal cards from any issuer count toward your 5/24 total. Chase business cards, including every Ink variant, generally do not report to personal credit bureaus and therefore don’t increment the count. You could sit at 4/24, hammer two or three Ink cards in a year, keep your 5/24 slot intact, and still chase Sapphire or Freedom bonuses later. Sole proprietors loved it because no EIN or LLC was required—just your SSN and a plausible business story.

That asymmetry was the entire game. Ink Preferred for 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points after $8,000 spend. Ink Cash or Unlimited for $750 cash back (or 100k points on targeted offers) after similar spend. Stack them, transfer the points, fly business class to wherever actually has good redemptions. Chase finally seems tired of watching the math work so cleanly.

What We Know So Far

The restriction is hitting Ink cards hardest. Reports suggest co-branded business cards like World of Hyatt Business are still approving at higher counts. It looks targeted at sole proprietors using SSN rather than EIN—LLCs and corporations may remain under standard 5/24 for now. Effective date is fuzzy; some reps say it rolled out around September 16, others imply it’s been creeping in for weeks.

Datapoints are messy, which is normal for these quiet tightenings. One applicant at 4/24 got approved on reconsideration earlier in the month. Multiple others at 3/24 and 4/24 were shut down cold, with underwriters explicitly saying “we’re now at 3/24 for sole props.” Recon is not reliably saving these anymore. If you’re at 3/24 or higher and planning an Ink app as a sole proprietor, expect turbulence.

Compare that to personal cards, where 5/24 remains the bright line. Business cards never counted against you once approved; now the approval bar itself is moving. It’s the kind of quiet nerf that makes veteran churners roll their eyes and reach for the referral links while they still work.

What You Should Do Right Now

If you’re at 0/24, 1/24, or 2/24, stop reading articles and apply. The Ink Business Preferred is sitting at 100,000 points after $8,000 in three months—still one of the cleaner high-value bonuses available. Pair it with an Ink Cash or Unlimited if your velocity allows and you haven’t burned the no-annual-fee Ink family rules. Those $750–$1,000 cash-back offers (or 100k point versions on referral) are worth grabbing before the door narrows further.

At 3/24 or above? Consider an LLC if your situation supports it—datapoints suggest it may dodge the new limit, though nothing is guaranteed. Otherwise, let a couple personal cards age out, or shift velocity to Amex, Capital One, or Bilt while you wait. Don’t waste a hard pull hoping recon will save you; the reps are singing from the same hymn sheet right now.

Chase has been tightening Ink velocity for over a year—lifetime language on no-fee cards, stricter bonus eligibility between Cash and Unlimited, the usual 2/90-day rules. This feels like the logical next step. They’re not killing the product, just making it less of a no-brainer for the solo operator who treats sign-up bonuses like a second job.

The points game rewards speed. If you have legitimate (even modest) business activity and you’re under 3/24, pull the trigger on the Ink Preferred or the no-fee duo this week. The bonuses are still excellent, the categories still useful, and the transfer partners still get you into lie-flat seats. Waiting for official confirmation is how you end up reading about the offer in past tense.

Action item: Check your exact 24-month card opening history today. If you’re safely under 3/24 as a sole proprietor, apply for the Ink Business Preferred (or the highest-bonus no-fee Ink available via referral) before the window shrinks any more. Document your business story cleanly—revenue, expenses, industry—and be ready for the inevitable “tell us about your business” questions. The loophole isn’t dead yet, but it’s clearly on life support.