For those with multiple cards...

[Anonymous]

How do you keep track of all of them?  2, 3 or 4 cards is easy enough, but if you have 20... how do you keep track of all those balances, due dates, etc?  Do you pay each one at a certain point ahead of statement cut or due date?  Or do you group them and pay several at a certain time of the month, based on where their close/due dates fall?

And what about usage?  Do you SD most of them?  Do you only use some of them for certain things?  Do you rotate them?  I don't think I even produce 20 swipes in an average month, so it boggles my mind at least.

Also, what is (generally speaking, I know everyone's situation is unique) the optimum number of open cards to have to maximize FICO?  I currently have 3 cards, an open HELOC and a paid-off mortgage and car loan reporting.

[Jwagner]

I have 13, every one of them as an App and every one has an automatic minimum payment set to be paid just in case there's some odd reason I forget (unlikely) or if something were to happen and I were unable (accident, no access to phones or interent - I've been through a number of hurricanes and lived weeks without modern conveniences).  

2 cards or 20, it's not really that much different.   My Chase for example, all 3 cards are in one app on the same screen... Amex, 2 cards... it's all pretty simple.

[scarfa21]

I use Prism.  Keeps track of all of them in a nice single place.

[LCC_mk14]

I do the same - apps and autopay. I also use mint which shows all of my accounts. I use mint primarily for this purpose. I also track all of bills/budgets in a planner so I know what’s at 0 and what cards I used for my spend that month that need to be paid. I typically only use 2-3 a month and the rest stay at 0. I do have one card with a balance that I’ve been paying off and I pay it manually every month the day after the statement closes.
I think it’s all about being organized honestly.

[Anonymous]

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@Jwagnerwrote:

I have 13, every one of them as an App and every one has an automatic minimum payment set to be paid just in case...

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That's a pretty good idea, I might have to set that up myself... I have never done it since I usually PIF and I usually time my payments to fall after I get paid (bi-weekly, so it varies month to month).  If a minimum payment is set up to autopay, can it be easily overridden to manually PIF, or do you just let that payment hit and then you make another manually?

[OmarR]

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@Anonymouswrote:

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@Jwagnerwrote:

I have 13, every one of them as an App and every one has an automatic minimum payment set to be paid just in case...

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That's a pretty good idea, I might have to set that up myself... I have never done it since I usually PIF and I usually time my payments to fall after I get paid (bi-weekly, so it varies month to month).  If a minimum payment is set up to autopay, can it be easily overridden to manually PIF, or do you just let that payment hit and then you make another manually?

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It depends on who you are dealing with. For some establishments, a PIF (or manual payment exceeding the minimum) overrides the auto-pay. For others, the auto-pay still goes thru.

[MrDisco99]

I have 18 cards with 7 issuers. I only carry/use 4 or 5 of them at a time. I login to the apps for all of them around once or twice a week just to make sure the balances and due dates are what I think they are and that nothing got mistakenly/fraudulently charged to any of my SD cards. I have apps on my phone so I can check them anytime anywhere and they alert me any time a card gets swiped. I also look at my CK and Experian apps to make sure my reports have no surprises. All of that only takes a few minutes.

[Anonymous]

I have a good memory so I remember what cards I have used and when the payments are due.  I have 25 cards but probably use no more than 6 or 7 a month.  

[Anonymous]

The Prism app is the best that I have found to organize my cards and payments.

[AverageJoesCredit]

Not only am i average, im old school. Pen and paper and notebook. Every couple days i update my page to show if i owe anything . To me no biggie i take a half an hour put on my music have some coffee and go account by account. Routine now