Thanks for the input! I wish I had gotten into the game with the BA Chase. Too late for that I plan on doing the double AA Citi deal and then following the instructions from post #2 on the big thread for a biz card for even more miles. Fingers crossed that it all works!

None... on AMEX alone I have:

Blue
Green
Gold
Platinum
Centurion
SPG
Delta Platinum
Hilton
Business Plat Optima
Business Plum
Business Platinum
Business Delta Gold
Business SPG
Corporate Green
Corporate Gold

Then add up everything from Capital One, Chase, Citi, Discover, Diner's, retail, U.S. Bank, credit unions CCs like Pentagon, Bank of America/FIA, Barclays, etc... kind of think of it, I think it's actually more than 50.

holy bajesus. That's a lot! You just keep the cards even those with annual fees?

I have cards with all the major banks:

AMEX: 3 personal, 1 business
Citi: 4 personal, 1 business
Chase: 6 personal, 1 business
Cap1: 1 personal
Barclays: 1 personal
BOA: 2 personal
HSBC: 1 personal

This does not count 6 - 8 department store cards. I manage them using Quicken and pay them off monthly.

I have several cards with an annual fee that I continue to renew simply because the perks are worth more that the fee. The others I cancel after the annual fee posts and wait 2 years to apply again. I generally keep a few of the no annual fee cards and make a few charges each year to keep the card open and improve my credit score.

Most banks don't limit you to a certain number of cards, instead they limit your available credit. Most of the time, especially with Chase, if your app is denied you can call the reconsideration line and move some of your credit line from another card to the card you want to open.

I am just starting this adventure..So I have questions.. Isn't Opening this many credit cards going to hurt your credit score.....

Read following......

http://www.credit.com/credit_informa...t-Mistakes.jsp

Read point 5...Excessively Shopping for Credit

Damn! The South Texas Coin Laundry could have used you as a business associate. However, we would have required you to max out on AUs, and the CITI and BoA virtual accounts to show the mint you were serious about bank recapitalization. Coulda shipped to the STCL loading docks (4x4s at our Fort Knox Post Office - controlled access, armed guards, etc. - no joke) and done some nice 100k deposit days (with one of the 4 nearby banks who have taken in up to 70,000 a day).

Is your game "he who has the most cards wins?"

a full deck, tho some may disagree....

In the short run, your credit score may go down a few points, but if you pay the game on a regular basis and are responsible with your cards, your score may actually increase because you will have more available credit and lower credit utilization ratio. Also inquiries drop off your report after 24 months, so as the old inquiries drop, you can apply for new cards

I think you're only missing the Zync. If you get that, you complete the Amex collection and I heard they warp you to the secret Super Mario underwater world.

+1 ^

I have a question about re-applying for cards later on down the line, and being eligible for the sign up bonuses. I am thinking more long term, like over multiple years. I've just started traveling a lot the past two years, and over the past few months have gotten hooked on the miles and points game. Other than my AMEX PR Gold, I don't have any rewards card. My wife is an AU on that, and doesn't have any rewards card of her own. Both of us have good income and good credit around 800. Just about all our spending currently goes on the AMEX, about $3k-$4k per month, so meeting minimum spends shouldn't be an issue.

Right now I am trying to come up with a good long term strategy and am curious about my options. Here's some things that have come to mind:

1. If you get a card with a big sign up bonus and then cancel it later that year, do you get locked out of future big sign up bonuses? I'm thinking longer time frame, like 1 or 2 years. For example I get the AA Citi, get the 75k miles, then cancel the card 9 months later. Can you apply for the card again for some future bonus (i.e. immediately, couple months later, year later, couple years later, never)?
2. If you get a card with a big sign up bonus issued by bank (chase, citi, amex, etc), will this prevent or hinder you in getting a big sign up bonus with a different card issued by the same bank? For example getting the AMEX PR Gold for 75k points, and then the AMEX Plat for 100k points?
3. For question 2, about cards issued by the same bank, but giving bonuses into different programs: should I be applying for them on the same day? Does it matter?

Like I said before, I'm looking at more of a longer time horizon of churning, focusing only on the large sign up bonuses and canceling the cards before the annual fees. Would we be able to do this on, say, an annual basis? Or are we going to get locked out of the big sign up bonuses once we receive them? I do travel moderately for work (15-20 domestic trips per year) so I'm able to top off FF or hotel accounts accordingly and get entry status on 1-2 airlines and hotel chains.

Right now getting hundreds of thousands of points spread around a couple FF or hotel accounts is very enticing. But if it's a one time thing, and everything after that would just be earned on spend or small promotions then it loses some of it's luster. And my wife is definitely not big on these strategies, but if it leads to tpac or tatl first/bus flights and nice hotel stays she might be a convert.

I've really loved the info I find on FT, and am starting to maximize my travel. Already in the past few months I've fast tracked to HHonors Gold, got 60k bonus AMEX points, utilized the DL 100k transfer for 50% bonus and silver status, have 10k+ bonus points into UA and HHonors with various rental car/hotel promotions.

Another question,

How do individuals get business cards? My dad has a legitimate one-man business, so I saw the CC application, and one has to put in their legal business name, number of employees, and number of years in business. How do you non-small-business-folk get around that?

It'd be nice to get both the personal and the business bonuses. Amex (Canada) has the 25K bonus on business cards now.

Have heard the SPG is churnable, ummm...I mean it can be recycled, and it is in my recycling bin, but it has to be done right. It is the Swiss Army knife of cards, although slower to post airlines miles than AMEX.

Just recently crossed to the dark side.. started 5/11.
My new additions
AA citi - x3 ( 225K miles) will probable keep personal visa and cancel others
SPG personal - Keep?
SPG business- will cancel
Amex PR ( 75K )-will cancel

.. other cards
amex GR- will cancel
amex bus GR- will cancel
amex costco - no annual fee
chase freedom- will cancel
chase onepass MC - no annual fee, fee checked luggage
macys store card- no annual fee
sears visa- no annual fee
Bank of america- x5 debit cards -business and personal

My current hit parade. So far this year I've recyled 6 cards and am adding new cards at the rate of one a month. I'm on a card diet now (at 18) since the mint folded (something about the government having bad credit issues).

Chase Amtrak
Chase SWA
Chase Disney
Chase British Airways
Chase Continental
Chase United
AMEX Gold
AMEX Delta
AMEX HHonors
CITI American
CITI Expedia
CITI HHonors
BOA Aeroplan
Local CU Mastercard
USBank LAN
Barclays AirTran
Barclays Frontier
GE Money Bank Old Navy