@MyWorthiness wrote:Hello there you seem to have quite a bit of credit accounts so I would like your input. I recently just applied for some credit cards and got approved for all of them. I applied for 12 to be exact which is a total of 21 when added to my other cards. I plan on gardening until 2016 until my inquiries fall off...would you recommend that? thanks
If you're talking to me I'll say it all depends on you. Some people are fine with just two or three cards, I like many. I know a couple of people who have more than me and know many here on this forum with many more than me who like quantity as well. I have every card I want so I won't be applying for anymore any time soon. With that said I plan on gardening (hopefully I can do it, it's very hard for me 
) for a year or more and then getting rid of my comenity cards and my fingerhut account, that'll leave me with 25 cards, exactly what I want. My many cards helped me get my scores up quick, from mid 500s to over 700s in a year, I think it's because every month I get over 20 on time payments added to my portfolio, but of course ymmv.
@One7 wrote:
@MyWorthiness wrote:Hello there you seem to have quite a bit of credit accounts so I would like your input. I recently just applied for some credit cards and got approved for all of them. I applied for 12 to be exact which is a total of 21 when added to my other cards. I plan on gardening until 2016 until my inquiries fall off...would you recommend that? thanks
If you're talking to me I'll say it all depends on you. Some people are fine with just two or three cards, I like many. I know a couple of people who have more than me and know many here on this forum with many more than me who like quantity as well. I have every card I want so I won't be applying for anymore any time soon. With that said I plan on gardening (hopefully I can do it, it's very hard for me
This is just the thing. People have different interests when it comes to credit cards. I look at all those credit cards and half of them I would never want, although I am somewhat of a snob when it comes to credit cards and tend to want only high end cards (for me that is mostly travel related) with decent credit lines. For me I focus on quality over quantity. Everyone is different though and that is cool.
;
I like having the cards that I want...I like getting reards from my favorite stores and I like getting travel rewards and cash back rewards as well. It really depends. I manage all of my cards very well and I do feel that having the amount that I have is great as far as reporting..having 20 something paid balances reporting every month is good. Sometimes I take a month of from using all of them and I just use some but for the most part I keep them ALL active because thats the best way to do it...the only way your gonna have a report is to have something being reported. Can you tell me how to add my cards to my profile please?
@red259 wrote:
@One7 wrote:
@MyWorthiness wrote:Hello there you seem to have quite a bit of credit accounts so I would like your input. I recently just applied for some credit cards and got approved for all of them. I applied for 12 to be exact which is a total of 21 when added to my other cards. I plan on gardening until 2016 until my inquiries fall off...would you recommend that? thanks
If you're talking to me I'll say it all depends on you. Some people are fine with just two or three cards, I like many. I know a couple of people who have more than me and know many here on this forum with many more than me who like quantity as well. I have every card I want so I won't be applying for anymore any time soon. With that said I plan on gardening (hopefully I can do it, it's very hard for me
This is just the thing. People have different interests when it comes to credit cards. I look at all those credit cards and half of them I would never want, although I am somewhat of a snob when it comes to credit cards and tend to want only high end cards (for me that is mostly travel related) with decent credit lines. For me I focus on quality over quantity. Everyone is different though and that is cool.
Definitely people have different interests, I use all my cards and use them monthly. They were all very instrumental in my credit process, without them I wouldnt have been able to get my scores up and be approved for the prime cards I wanted. Now I just have to garden and get my CLs up on my major cards. Some people didnt screw up their credit so the smaller cards were never neccessary but for me I had to go through the long process. What cards do you have if you dont mind me asking?
All of my instant approvals via online or in store application or "by invitation" cards that I just got this month are...Capital One Quicksilver Visa that I just got approved for this month and it was by invitation, A Visa card with AAA logo from Bank of America that I got by inviation, Williams-Sonoma Visa Signature via in store instant approval, J.Crew via in store instant approval (I shop there for Crew Cuts my baby boy), Pier 1 Imports via in store instant approval, Victoria's Secret via in store instant approval, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue via online instant approval app, Target Red Credit Card via in store instant approval, Barneys New York via online instant approval, Raymour and Flanigan credit card via instant approval in store (it was time for us to buy new mattresses because I have a bad back now), Lord and Taylor via in store instant, I have a Capital One Cash Back Rewards card that I've had for almost 2 years, An Amex green charge, A Barclay Visa (approved for finanacing through Apple to buy a new imac for my son's birthday) since its time for a new computer for him, Wells Fargo Visa Platinum, Capital One regular card (my first card), Atlantic Federal Credit Union gold card through our credit union, Merrick Bank credit card, First National Bank credit card. Oh gosh my fingers are tired...I hope I didnt leave anything out. Anyway, my 3 newest majo cards have no interest for 15 months (I love those types of promos), oh and I have another capital one mastercard. I'm just starting out my credit in the last 4 years and everything is going very well. I am primary account holder on all my cards.
And I forgot that I have Walmart and I just got the card in mail yesterday. Also, I just got an invitation for Citi Preferred and Discover "It" but I've done alot of apps this month so I'm going to pass on those two for now. I'm gardening until 2016
@One7 wrote:
@red259 wrote:
@One7 wrote:
@MyWorthiness wrote:Hello there you seem to have quite a bit of credit accounts so I would like your input. I recently just applied for some credit cards and got approved for all of them. I applied for 12 to be exact which is a total of 21 when added to my other cards. I plan on gardening until 2016 until my inquiries fall off...would you recommend that? thanks
If you're talking to me I'll say it all depends on you. Some people are fine with just two or three cards, I like many. I know a couple of people who have more than me and know many here on this forum with many more than me who like quantity as well. I have every card I want so I won't be applying for anymore any time soon. With that said I plan on gardening (hopefully I can do it, it's very hard for me
This is just the thing. People have different interests when it comes to credit cards. I look at all those credit cards and half of them I would never want, although I am somewhat of a snob when it comes to credit cards and tend to want only high end cards (for me that is mostly travel related) with decent credit lines. For me I focus on quality over quantity. Everyone is different though and that is cool.
Definitely people have different interests, I use all my cards and use them monthly. They were all very instrumental in my credit process, without them I wouldnt have been able to get my scores up and be approved for the prime cards I wanted. Now I just have to garden and get my CLs up on my major cards. Some people didnt screw up their credit so the smaller cards were never neccessary but for me I had to go through the long process. What cards do you have if you dont mind me asking?
I have the following cards and the reasons I have them are also listed. I screwed up my credit with some baddies and did not have any open revolvers until May 2013, so I have been at this for just over a year now (I was rejected for the CSP, Amex PRG and Chase ink card the first time I went after each of them) :
Cap 1 Venture- used for redeeming cash back on travel purchases I can't use points on (also was my first card to build credit profile andf I apped because I knew it would be easier to get in with Cap 1 than another lender and I could do SP CLI). I'm keeping it for another year for util purposes and AAoAs. Likely will replace it next year with Barclay's Arrival which will serve the same purpose.
Chase Freedom- non AF card which I like for the rotating 5x categories and will keep to help AAoAs/build relationship with Chase
CSP- Use this for restaurants/ travel bonuses. Got for signup offer and will likely downgrade and keep for restaurant spend now that I have the Bold and can transfer to travel partners with that.
Amex PRG- got this to make sure I got my foot in the door with Amex and to get the MR signup bonus. I will likely cancel it at the one year mark, but am building up my MRs and hope to roll them over into ther Amex everyday card which is next on my list
Amex BCP- got this for the gorccery store bonus before the Amex everyday preferred came out. Will likely downgrade and and SD when renewal time comes if I pick up Amex Everday because I'd rather have MRs than cash back and should be able to do enough transactions to get the extra bonus points
Citi AA Exec- got this for the 100k mile signup offer plus $200 cash back and lounge membership. This card is going a long way to getting me first class round trip to Asia, but will get tossed when AF is due again
Chase Ink Bold- A biz card that gives me bonuses on office supplies, cell phone/cable/internet bills not to mention nice signup offer. I'll likely pay the fee to keep this card year after year
Amex SPG- Just picked up this card for the signup offer and ability to use points at starwoods hotels and/or transfer points to airlines. This will likely be my non-bonus category spend card going forward. Also, as with the Amex BCP above I like the ability to grow credit lines quickly with Amex which will help overall util.
well it defintely looks like you are doing a great job at rebuilding! I've done alot of applications and got those approvals but I'm defintely going to garden until 2016. My score has taken a hit from all the inquiries but I will get the points back in a few months as long as i keep track of my utilization and payments as i am.