Originally Posted by
ekmom
I was hoping I could just open a card, charge stuff on it, and sit back and accumulate miles. Maybe this isn't for me after all.
It really depends on how much you want to get out of it. With your level of spending, you could simply use one card and expect to earn approximately 1 coach ticket to Europe each year.
Compare to the reality that each credit card signup is roughly 1 coach ticket to Europe.
Doesn't it hurt your credit score to keep opening cards?
Sometimes. And sometimes it improves your score. And sometimes, even if it hurts your score, it's still worth it.
Sounds like the first step for you is to become very familiar with credit scoring. This is the best place to start:
http://www.myfico.com/crediteducatio...yourscore.aspx