Can you ever have too many cash back cards?

[Anonymous]

Yes if they have an annual fee and your rewards are less than the annual fee.

[takeshi74]

---

@icyhot wrote:
Would it be worth having around for the CL and the fact that it's a flat 2% cash card?

---

You have to determine that.  Others can't tell you if anything is worth it to you or not.  Run the numbers for your spend to help you decide.

---

@icyhot wrote:
Can you ever have too many cash back cards?

---

Sure but, again, it's up to the individual to determine what "too many" means based on subjective matters. There's no X that applies across the board to everyone.  People can manage different numbers of cards.  People have different levels of spend in different categories.  People have different preferences for various aspects of rewards cards.  All that and more play into determining what is "too many" for the individual.

---

@icyhot wrote:
I don't want to close it because I like having a good relationship with Citi and I don't care to upgrade to the Platinum Select. 

---

"Relationship" doesn't carry the significance that many around seem to think it does.  Relationship may help in some cases but it will not overrule the primary decision factors which are one's credit and income.  Even if you close all your Citi cards you can open another one if your credit and income meet their criteria.  It's ultimately your call to make but I recommend using more tangible criteria (e.g. revolving utilization, AAoA, specific card features/benefits, etc) to determine which cards to keep open.

---

@icyhot wrote:
and wouldn't see much use for it.

---

There's another thing to consider.  If you don't have any use for it then why would you PC to it and keep it around and do those reasons justify keeping it for you?  This isn't a universal matter.  Some choose to keep everything open as much as possible.  Some close whatever they don't have any need for.  You have to determine where your own preferences and priorities place you.

[kdm31091]

Of course you can have too many in the sense that outside of huge, huge spend, it becomes more and more difficult to justify many cash back cards, simply because you inevitably focus most of your spend on one or two (and therefore, the rewards pile up on one or two) while others are left with $5 in rewards for months.

Now, with no AF cards, it's not that big of a deal in a sense because it's not costing you any money to keep it open, but I still personally dislike keeping useless accounts open. A few solid cash back cards is all you need, IMO, and OP has stated before their spend is not incredibly high.

[icyhot]

So I've decided I will PC to the double cash....I use my CSP for travel and dining (biggest spend) my BofA Cash for gas and groceries (second biggest spend) and my Fidelity Amex for everything else. But for places that don't take Amex I end up using the BofA cash which ends up giving 1% as opposed to a potential 2% with a DC.

[icyhot]

OAN: I've been eyeing the Sallie Mae that gives 5% on gas and groceries AND Amazon (my favorite online store) but I'm staying away from Barclays.

[jsucool76]

I would recommend a higher tier thankyou card. you have a forward (provided it's the 5x forward and not the nerfed one) and the value can really be great with a premier or Prestige.

[icyhot]

I was considering it but before I do that I need to evaluate whether I'll put TYP to good use

[icyhot]

And I was trying to avoid another AF

[Anonymous]

I'm in the exact same spot as you right now-- Citi AAdvantage card with AF coming up soon, Fidelity Amex, and the BOA 3-2-1 card. I see no need to hang on to the Citi AAdvantage, especially since I already have the Barclays Aviator AAdvantage which in my opinion is a superior product (and they do nice spending bonus programs from time to time to keep you spending, which Citi doesn't!) So I'm planning on also doing the PC to Double Cash, even though I already have a 2% back card, it seems like the best Citi card for me as there's no annual fee to deal with, and you get to use it at places where Amex isn't accepted. Would I go out and app for one today? Probably not, but since I (like you) already have the TL open with Citi, it's the best available option.

I'm personally a fan of not closing cards if they aren't charging an AF, as it will boost your AAOA over time and you can stay in the door with a major prime provider like Citi, but I realize it's a matter of judgment and there's not necessarily anything wrong with closing out if you don't want to keep tabs on another card.

Good luck and also please update us back with how your PC goes! I ran into some headwinds with Barclays this week trying to PC my Arrival+ into the no-AF version, but I've heard that Citi is usually pretty flexible.

[icyhot]

Yeah I think Citi is flexible but they won't budge on the 12 month waiting period. I'd so change it now