I'm always of the opinion that you shouldn't rub bonuses in their faces. To translate, you should keep the card until right before the annual fee is due and then call to cancel. In your case, wait to cancel the CSP until this summer.
However, you can have too many Chase cards and you're approaching that limit. If you cancel the United, you can get the Chase IHG or Hyatt, which ignore the 5/24.
So I've decided to cancel the Chase United for sure. I still want to cancel the others as well. But something you said raised a question for me, and this may be a silly question, but:
I thought the 5/24 rule didn't allow one to have received 5 cards within 24 months. In other words, do I have to cancel the United card to be out of the 5/24 window? I thought that once March 2018 passed, I'd be out of that window as I wouldn't have received a new Chase card within the past 24 months (so even if I still have the card, does that matter to them)?
Basically, does the 5/24 rule mean I definitely have to cancel the card?
Thanks for mentioning the Chase IHG...I'm looking into that one. I hear that the Ink one gives a higher bonus though....
Apologies if you already know some of this...
First, the 5/24 rule applies (mainly) to the Chase branded cards. I.e., Ink, Freedom, Sapphire, etc. It also affects some co-branded cards like Marriott and United. It doesn't, however, apply to a few of the co-branded cards like Hyatt or IHG (probably because people hold on to them longer due to their anniversary benefits). The Amazon card is also not affected. NOTE: While you can get these cards, they do count towards the 5/24 for Ink, Freedom, etc.
Correct -- the 5/24 rule is based on new cards received. It's not just Chase issued cards, though. Chase looks at ALL credit cards received in the past 24 months from ALL banks. That's why this game is best played with a partner.
Anyway, there's a more ambiguous rule (that I mentioned in my initial post) about having too many Chase cards active, total. It's probably around 6-7 cards. In other words, even if you fit under the 5/24 rule, trying to get another Chase card with an active F, FU, CSP, CSR, United, and Hyatt, might be pushing it.
@monarda Chase won't issue you many of their cards if you've opened 5 new accounts over the past 24 months. Some, as explained above, will still work. Citi and AmEx have similar policies but they're more lenient.