How many open accounts should I have to build my credit??

[Anonymous]

On credit karma it's showing I have 6 open accounts total.. 2 active that I have zero balance on and 4 closed from over 8 years ago. On the rating it's showing I'm in the poor section because I have few total accounts. Should I apply for more credit ???? To be in the good section it says I would need 11-20 open accounts ,and 21+ accounts to be in excellent

[Anonymous]

Ideally you should have at least 3 revolving accounts open (credit cards) with only 1 card reporting a 1-9% balance for that card. An installment account (mortgage, auto, loan) is good for an ideal mix.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Ideally you should have at least 3 revolving accounts open (credit cards) with only 1 card reporting a 1-9%  balance for that card.   An installment account (mortgage, auto, loan) is good for an ideal mix.

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Excellent summation of the basics!

It is precisely my goal to implement this soon, as I am currently using only cash.

No change to my lifestyle or quality of life, just simple replacement of cash utilization with appropriate credit lines.

Thanks for the post!

[CatOfSpades]

Yes, ignore that part of Credit Karma. It has a low overall impact on your score, and it's just there to show you why you don't have a perfect score. You can still have a really great score without that many old or new accounts on record. 

[RonM21]

Once you at least get that third card, and then follow the utilization advice, you should see progress.