How many cards is too many? [Consolidated]
Jul 27, 2013, 5:03 pm
#61
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: LAX/SNA
Programs: AA, Hilton Gold
Posts: 3,887
As long as you haven't lied, and pay your bill on time there's nothing to worry about.
Jul 27, 2013, 6:57 pm
#62
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: DFW
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, HH Gold, AA Lifetime Gold, United Silver, BA Gold
Posts: 864
How many credit cards is too many?
AMEX: 5
CITI: 4
DISCOVER: 1
CHASE: 5
CREDIT UNION: 1
FIDELITY AMEX: 1
PENFED AMEX: 1
BOFA: 1
Haven't had issues so far. Out of the above 5 of them charge a fee and I pay a fee on 3 of them every year.
CITI: 4
DISCOVER: 1
CHASE: 5
CREDIT UNION: 1
FIDELITY AMEX: 1
PENFED AMEX: 1
BOFA: 1
Haven't had issues so far. Out of the above 5 of them charge a fee and I pay a fee on 3 of them every year.
Jul 28, 2013, 8:10 am
#63
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 3,317
Open credit cards: 8
Barclay: 1
Amex: 2
Chase: 3
Citi: 2
Going to cancel one of the Citi AA's next month.
Credit limit: ~$48k
Surprised to hear 15 cards is too much...I've heard The Points Guy say numerous times he has over 20-25 active cards with no adverse effects. Also, I find it hard to believe people aren't in the 15 card range over in the Citi AA forum.
Barclay: 1
Amex: 2
Chase: 3
Citi: 2
Going to cancel one of the Citi AA's next month.
Credit limit: ~$48k
Surprised to hear 15 cards is too much...I've heard The Points Guy say numerous times he has over 20-25 active cards with no adverse effects. Also, I find it hard to believe people aren't in the 15 card range over in the Citi AA forum.
Jul 28, 2013, 8:17 am
#64
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 756
Not to say 15 cards is too many, also the Points Guy is a card veteran. OP is fairly new at only 3 yrs and when I started in that early stage, I couldnt get more than 5 without problems as credit scores and history not well establish yet.
Jul 28, 2013, 8:37 am
#65
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 3,317
Interesting. I've only been doing this since February. I'm 27 and a student, and my credit history is pretty new (comparatively). I've been an authorized user on my mom's CC for years, and I think that's why I haven't been having any problems with approvals. Credit score went from a 700 in February to a 768 today. Went from being an authorized user on 1 account to having 8 of my own.
Jul 28, 2013, 8:40 am
#66
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 2,028
I'm 23, and my first card was opened when I was 20, though I am an auth. user on my mother's Amex, which shows up on my report going back to 1999. Regardless, I have 21 credit cards open and a 771 TU score.
Jul 28, 2013, 10:25 am
#67
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 756
Then you are luckier than me. Never been on anyones AU. I started my history about 3 yrs after college. My credit history and score had to start from scratch. Took awhile to get a decent score. Remember being turned down more than a few times during my early yrs. Hell, forget about 15 or more cards, just remembered now having a difficult time just trying to get my very first CC approved. Ah, times are so much better now.
Last edited by sharka; Jul 28, 2013 at 10:30 am
Jul 28, 2013, 11:26 pm
#68
Join Date: Dec 2010
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium, Radisson Gold, Hyatt Globalist, M life Gold, IHG Spire
Posts: 918
"You can't have 'too much credit,' but you can utilize too much credit," says Anthony Sprauve, a spokesman for FICO
From the standpoint of your credit score, cards you don't use don't hurt you. O.k., maybe a little if you had several dozen.
OTOH, having too many with a single issuer, that could be a problem, but if so, they'll decline you.
If you have cards with AFs but you don't use them, that really is throwing money away.
From the standpoint of your credit score, cards you don't use don't hurt you. O.k., maybe a little if you had several dozen.
OTOH, having too many with a single issuer, that could be a problem, but if so, they'll decline you.
If you have cards with AFs but you don't use them, that really is throwing money away.
Jul 28, 2013, 11:29 pm
#69
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: LAX/SNA
Programs: AA, Hilton Gold
Posts: 3,887
Jul 28, 2013, 11:43 pm
#70
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,184
I have 20+ open cards. Only one of them is more than 18 months old, and even that one is less than 3 years old. So it can be done. That being said, I'm extremely meticulous (some might say obsessive..) about monitoring and optimizing my credit profile, and have used pretty much every trick in the book to get where I am (credit freezes, multiple apps to merge inquiries whenever possible, bumpage, paying off mid-cycle, etc). I certainly didn't just go out and start applying for cards left and right without carefully planning it all out.
Jul 28, 2013, 11:47 pm
#71
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: LAX/SNA
Programs: AA, Hilton Gold
Posts: 3,887
I have 20+ open cards. Only one of them is more than 18 months old, and even that one is less than 3 years old. So it can be done. That being said, I'm extremely meticulous (some might say obsessive..) about monitoring and optimizing my credit profile, and have used pretty much every trick in the book to get where I am (credit freezes, multiple apps to merge inquiries whenever possible, bumpage, paying off mid-cycle, etc). I certainly didn't just go out and start applying for cards left and right without carefully planning it all out.
