topic Re: Why do you have the cards you have? in Credit Cards

Why do you have the cards you have?

lindsaydruart — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 15:05:09 GMT

I figured this would be a good thread to learn more about our wallets than is on the surface. For me, the purpose is to look at what I have, why I have it, if I will keep it or what I need to do for successful gardening....that I plan to start when I can kick my apping addiction. Anyway, here is my list:

What I Have (that reports on personal credit):

Matrix/Surge/Total - Rebuilder Cards, Cancelling each at 11 months to avoid more fees

Old Navy/Gap/Athleta/Banana - HUGE Gap fan for the whole family. I didn't get the CL I wanted on the Old Navy so I just apped them all. Hoping one will get to a Visa so I can cancel the others. The rewards used to be diff for each card but now they are exactly the same across the board.

Merrick Bank - Rebuilder, Doubling every 7 months makes up for what I will lose for cancelling the other rebuilders, my Netflix card

Overstock/Target/Kohls - Sock Drawer/Online only. I only use these cards with SlickDeals. Sometimes I shop in Target if I'm mad at Walmart

Walmart - Huge Sam's Club shopper but my Sam's is a Business Account and Synchrony is being mean. Plan to cancel this when I get the Sam's MC

Torrid/Hot Topic - My skater girl (though big girl) tastes. These are for my retail therapy. Immediate payoffs

Brooks Brothers/Buckle - Semi expensive gifts every now and again for the men in my life but I'll likely get rid of Buckle. Hoping for the BB Visa for an in with Citibank (burned them in the past)

Military Star Card - Gas. The 5 cent off is AWESOME for already cheap gas

Firestone - On the fence with this card, especially since my husband has one. Wiper blades for the cars and trucks? Emergencies only

Victoria Secret - Major surgery coming up and I have never been able to wear a VS bra. Soon....then I'll probably get rid of the card after a year or so

Cap1 QS1 - My everyday card. I heart this card so much. It's my oldest card and a card I rehabbed over a year ago. It started the road.

Cap 1 Spark Classic - Business recurring stuff. I'm hoping to PC to the Cash Select at 6 months

What's your list?

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 12:43:23 GMT

BoA CR- groceries

Barclay SM- gas & groceries

Barclay Ring- BTs

Chase AARP- restaurants

Citibank DC- general spend

Citibank Simplicity- BTs

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

icyhot — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 14:27:18 GMT

Citi Forward- very first card, needed a new laptop in college and my mom said to get a credit card and she would pay the bill. It was my only CC for a long time and got me through it as a youngster

Delta Amex- heard about this on CK and MF forums. Heard it was "easy" to get and I wanted my first Amex. I've found it very useful as I fly to New York a lot and that's the airport of choice

QS- I originally had the VentureOne and liked that it was a no frills travel card. However learned from MF that the earning rates were better elsewhere so I PCd to QS and apped for a Venture

BofA cash- this one is my BABY! I got a mailer for a rebuilder card (not secured, but rebuilder) from BOFA and my mom told me they were a good bank to be with. As my credit and income got better, it grew from a $500 no rewards card to an $8000 cash rewards card in 8 months

CSP- Chase ALWAYS had attractive cards to me but they NEVER approved me for anything. Freedom, Slate, Amazon, SWRR, Marriott, all those, nothing. I had heard about the CSP from MF and loved the transfer partners but I looked away in awe. It seemed like a card for the elite. One day I just said, yanno what, why not? I been rejected for everything else. I actually got approved and was amazed. Glad I did cuz it was literally a week before 5/24 came into effect

Spark- wanted a business card cuz I have a side biz. Things like Google, mailing, business cards etc go here

Citi AA- I think this was my first "elite" card and I was souped when I got it. Didn't realize the Gold would be a waste but I think I apped just because I wasn't sure I'd get the Platinum Select. May be closing an moving some of the CL soon to Forward

NCSECU- has a low rate just in case I ever need one

PRG- my new best friend. I can't wait to get the bonus and use the travel transfers and having NPSL helps me manage my spending

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 16:12:24 GMT

Current cards:
Barclaycard Rewards Opened as Arrival+ $400 signup bonus, now SD
BofA BBR #1 Opened as 3/2/1 with $200 signup bonus, plus 6% on g/g/d for six months, converted to BBR for free $30 per quarter
Barclay AA Aviator Opened as USAirways for 50k points, now SD
Kohl's 15%/20%/30% off deals
Discover 5882 Signup bonus IIRC, and quarterly categories
BofA BBR #2 0% APR for a year, converted to BBR for free $30 per quarter
USBank Travel Rewards Signup bonus of 37.4k ($748 of airfare), and effectively 6% on charity, 4% on airfare, 2% on everything else
Amazon.com Visa Signup bonus $100 IIRC, then 3% on Amazon, now SD
Discover it #1 Lifetime 0% APR on balance transfer, now 5% quarterly categories
Chase Ink M/C Signup bonus $30, 3% on office stores/restuarants/home improvement, now SD
Sallie Mae M/C Originally 2% on everything plus a $100 signup bonus, program morphed to 5.5% on gas/grocery/bookstores (including Amazon)
NFL Extra Points Signup bonus $400, now SD
Marriott Rewards Signup bonus 70k points, 5pp$ on Marriott purchases
Chase Sapphire CSP signup bonus $500, now converted to plain Sapphire and SD
Capital One Venture Signup bonus $400, now SD
Barclay AA Aviator Opened as USAirways 50k points, now SD
Citi ThankYou M/C Opened as Citi Drivers Edge card, first year 12% on g/g/d, then 6% g/g/d, 2% everything else, program nerfed and converted to useless Citi TY card, now SD
Lowe's Visa Signup bonus of $200 and 10% off first Lowe's purchase, now SD
CCU Visa Cash Rebate 12 transactions monthly means up to 5.09% on $20k in my checking account, SD as of 2/1/16
Capital One Platinum Signup offer of no-fee B/T 0% APR for 12 months, now SD
Chase Sapphire Ann Signup offer 20k URP ($200)
Chase Flex Visa Opened as Providian Visa rebuilder, converted to WaMu Visa, then Chase Flex, now SD
USBank Cash+ Visa Signup offer $200, now 5% on Electronics, Department Stores
Discover it #2 Discover Open Road card 5% on gas, now 5% on quarterly categories
Chase Ink M/C Signup bonus of $250 and 0% APR for a year, 5% CB on office stores, telecommunications
Barclaycard Arrival Opened as Arrival+ with $400 signup bonus, now SD
Fidelity AmEx Signup bonus of $50, 2% CB on everything, now mostly used at Costco
Costco/AmEx Personal Signup bonus of $25, 3%/2%/1% on gas&dining/travel/everything else, now SD
AmEx Simply Cash Signup bonus of $300, now SD
Discover it Miles 1.5 mile per $, doubled first year
Chase Freedom Visa #1 Opened as Chase Cash Rewards with signup bonus of $250 and 5% CB on g/g/d, converted to Freedom 4% on 3 categories, now 5% on quarterly categories
BofA BBR #3 Schwab Visa 2% on everything, got nerfed to BofA 3/2/1 card, converted to BofA BBR for free $30 per quarter
LaQuinta (FNBO) Signup bonus of 20k LQ points, plus another 20k points for spending $10k in first year, 5 points per $ spent at LQ
CostCo/AmEx Business Signup bonus of $50, 0% APR for 12 months, 5%/3%/2%/1% on gas, restaurant, travel, other, now SD
BofA BBR #4 PetRewards card, $10 signup bonus, 4% on pet supplies, 2% everything else, nerfed to 3/2/1 card, converted to BBR for free $30 per quarter
Chase Freedom Visa #2 Signup bonus of $250, 4% on 3 categories per month, now 5% on quarterly categories
PenFed AmEx Signup bonus of $200, 5ppd on airfare, 3ppd on restaurants for first six months, now just 5ppd on airfare
Chase Ink Visa Signup bonus of $600, now SD
Citi Dividend M/C Citi Driver Rewards card, first year 12% on g/g/d, then 6% g/g/d, 2% everything else, program nerfed and converted to useless Citi TY card, I converted to Citi Dividend, 5% on quarterly categories

Dear departed:
AmEx Premier Gold Signup bonus of 75k points ($750 of g/c)
Citi AA Platinum #1 Signup bonus of 75k miles
La Quinta (Chase) Signup bonus of 25k LQ points, 5ppd on LQ purchases
BankOfAmerica Business Signup bonus of $250, 0% APR for 12 months
Chase Premier Visa 8501 0% APR for 12 months
United Explorer Card #1 Signup bonus of 50k miles
United Explorer Card #2 Signup bonus of 50k miles
Citi AA Platinum #2 Signup bonus of 50k miles
AmEx Premier Gold Signup bonus of 50k points ($500 of g/c)
Chase Sapphire Pref Signup bonus of 50k URP ($500)
Citi AA Platinum #3 Signup bonus of 75k miles

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 16:22:15 GMT

Barclay Rewards World Mastercard- This is my main card and I love it. I just recentluy got a CLI on it and I use it for recurring payments, daily spend.

Capital One Quicksilver 1- I use this for restauraunts since I dont go that often and am trying to just spend less money in general.

Logix FCU Platinum-No rewards on this one so I have it just to have a 3rd major for now.

Pottery Barn-0% on large purchases is amazing to have so I usually buy something. Make 3 or 4 payments to pay it off and do it again.

Amazon-I use it for free shipping, movies,tv and kindle books.

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

zerbherb — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 16:36:00 GMT

PRG- had a trip coming up knew i would reach the 50k spend bonus in one purchase. First true travel card

Discover- Daily driver and my best card

Everyday- My in with amex and 2x points grocery.

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 16:37:10 GMT

Discover: Main card at the moment due to double cash promo. Otherwise, using for 5% rotating categories.

Chase Freedom: Really not using it much anymore, but using on 5% rotating categories if it's the best option (and it doesn't overlap with Discover).

Sallie Mae: Gas, grocery, and amazon go on here if it's not already covered by a 5% rotating card.

Chase Sapphire Preferred: Use this on basically everything else.

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

lindsaydruart — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 16:46:23 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Current cards:
Barclaycard Rewards Opened as Arrival+ $400 signup bonus, now SD
BofA BBR #1 Opened as 3/2/1 with $200 signup bonus, plus 6% on g/g/d for six months, converted to BBR for free $30 per quarter
Barclay AA Aviator Opened as USAirways for 50k points, now SD
Kohl's 15%/20%/30% off deals
Discover 5882 Signup bonus IIRC, and quarterly categories
BofA BBR #2 0% APR for a year, converted to BBR for free $30 per quarter
USBank Travel Rewards Signup bonus of 37.4k ($748 of airfare), and effectively 6% on charity, 4% on airfare, 2% on everything else
Amazon.com Visa Signup bonus $100 IIRC, then 3% on Amazon, now SD
Discover it #1 Lifetime 0% APR on balance transfer, now 5% quarterly categories
Chase Ink M/C Signup bonus $30, 3% on office stores/restuarants/home improvement, now SD
Sallie Mae M/C Originally 2% on everything plus a $100 signup bonus, program morphed to 5.5% on gas/grocery/bookstores (including Amazon)
NFL Extra Points Signup bonus $400, now SD
Marriott Rewards Signup bonus 70k points, 5pp$ on Marriott purchases
Chase Sapphire CSP signup bonus $500, now converted to plain Sapphire and SD
Capital One Venture Signup bonus $400, now SD
Barclay AA Aviator Opened as USAirways 50k points, now SD
Citi ThankYou M/C Opened as Citi Drivers Edge card, first year 12% on g/g/d, then 6% g/g/d, 2% everything else, program nerfed and converted to useless Citi TY card, now SD
Lowe's Visa Signup bonus of $200 and 10% off first Lowe's purchase, now SD
CCU Visa Cash Rebate 12 transactions monthly means up to 5.09% on $20k in my checking account, SD as of 2/1/16
Capital One Platinum Signup offer of no-fee B/T 0% APR for 12 months, now SD
Chase Sapphire Ann Signup offer 20k URP ($200)
Chase Flex Visa Opened as Providian Visa rebuilder, converted to WaMu Visa, then Chase Flex, now SD
USBank Cash+ Visa Signup offer $200, now 5% on Electronics, Department Stores
Discover it #2 Discover Open Road card 5% on gas, now 5% on quarterly categories
Chase Ink M/C Signup bonus of $250 and 0% APR for a year, 5% CB on office stores, telecommunications
Barclaycard Arrival Opened as Arrival+ with $400 signup bonus, now SD
Fidelity AmEx Signup bonus of $50, 2% CB on everything, now mostly used at Costco
Costco/AmEx Personal Signup bonus of $25, 3%/2%/1% on gas&dining/travel/everything else, now SD
AmEx Simply Cash Signup bonus of $300, now SD
Discover it Miles 1.5 mile per $, doubled first year
Chase Freedom Visa #1 Opened as Chase Cash Rewards with signup bonus of $250 and 5% CB on g/g/d, converted to Freedom 4% on 3 categories, now 5% on quarterly categories
BofA BBR #3 Schwab Visa 2% on everything, got nerfed to BofA 3/2/1 card, converted to BofA BBR for free $30 per quarter
LaQuinta (FNBO) Signup bonus of 20k LQ points, plus another 20k points for spending $10k in first year, 5 points per $ spent at LQ
CostCo/AmEx Business Signup bonus of $50, 0% APR for 12 months, 5%/3%/2%/1% on gas, restaurant, travel, other, now SD
BofA BBR #4 PetRewards card, $10 signup bonus, 4% on pet supplies, 2% everything else, nerfed to 3/2/1 card, converted to BBR for free $30 per quarter
Chase Freedom Visa #2 Signup bonus of $250, 4% on 3 categories per month, now 5% on quarterly categories
PenFed AmEx Signup bonus of $200, 5ppd on airfare, 3ppd on restaurants for first six months, now just 5ppd on airfare
Chase Ink Visa Signup bonus of $600, now SD
Citi Dividend M/C Citi Driver Rewards card, first year 12% on g/g/d, then 6% g/g/d, 2% everything else, program nerfed and converted to useless Citi TY card, I converted to Citi Dividend, 5% on quarterly categories

Dear departed:
AmEx Premier Gold Signup bonus of 75k points ($750 of g/c)
Citi AA Platinum #1 Signup bonus of 75k miles
La Quinta (Chase) Signup bonus of 25k LQ points, 5ppd on LQ purchases
BankOfAmerica Business Signup bonus of $250, 0% APR for 12 months
Chase Premier Visa 8501 0% APR for 12 months
United Explorer Card #1 Signup bonus of 50k miles
United Explorer Card #2 Signup bonus of 50k miles
Citi AA Platinum #2 Signup bonus of 50k miles
AmEx Premier Gold Signup bonus of 50k points ($500 of g/c)
Chase Sapphire Pref Signup bonus of 50k URP ($500)
Citi AA Platinum #3 Signup bonus of 75k miles

Good lord, how do you keep up with that? I have this huge spreadsheet I use. Using the sign up bonuses to your advantage is awesome!

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 17:03:04 GMT

FNBO unsecured - It was my first credit card. Started out as secured and unsecured about a year ago. Small limit and no rewards, but I use it every once in a blue moon to keep it active and probably will keep it around for a good long while. It's been good to me.

Discover IT - Rotating categories, double cash back, great customer service, best CL. My favorite card.

Chase Freedom - Probably my least favorite right now, but I want to keep it around still. Like the rotating categories when they DON'T match up with Discover. $200 sign up bonus was nice as well. Now it gets very little use except for Visa checkout.

Cap One QS - My most used every day card (too impatient to wait for the extra 0.5% from Discover after a year on little things. Just a good card to put every day purchases on.. instant rewards. They've been great to me with extending credit and combining accounts.

Amex BCE - Groceries and gas when not covered by 5% rotating category by Discover or Chase. That's it, but it's worth it as we do a LOT of spending on those two things.

Old Navy - I shop there a lot for clothing. Nice little rewards system!

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 18:23:08 GMT

I have a total of 26 cards. Accumulated 20 past 12 months. I am a credit card hoarder

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 18:49:48 GMT

I picked the ones that look the nicest.

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 19:14:55 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I have a total of 26 cards. Accumulated 20 past 12 months. I am a credit card hoarder

Well, admitting it is your first step to recovery.

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

Thomas_Thumb — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 19:50:37 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I picked the ones that look the nicest.

For me it's age before beauty.

Sure, it's tempting to acquire a hot new card but consider the difference in age - saying no may keep you from getting into trouble.

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 20:30:52 GMT

@lindsaydruart wrote:
Brooks Brothers/Buckle - Semi expensive gifts every now and again for the men in my life but I'll likely get rid of Buckle. Hoping for the BB Visa for an in with Citibank (burned them in the past)

Synchrony sold the Brooks Bros accounts (the store cards and MCs) to Citi around June 2015. I'm not sure what the value of an "in" or "relationship" with Citi is, but you've already got a basic one. Granted, Citi didn't actually approve you.

I have 12 cards, and each has a little moment to shine as the rewards-maximizing option. I keep no cards just for the sake of AAoA or utilization.

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 21:51:53 GMT

@icyhot wrote:
Citi Forward- very first card, needed a new laptop in college and my mom said to get a credit card and she would pay the bill. It was my only CC for a long time and got me through it as a youngster

Delta Amex- heard about this on CK and MF forums. Heard it was "easy" to get and I wanted my first Amex. I've found it very useful as I fly to New York a lot and that's the airport of choice

QS- I originally had the VentureOne and liked that it was a no frills travel card. However learned from MF that the earning rates were better elsewhere so I PCd to QS and apped for a Venture

BofA cash- this one is my BABY! I got a mailer for a rebuilder card (not secured, but rebuilder) from BOFA and my mom told me they were a good bank to be with. As my credit and income got better, it grew from a $500 no rewards card to an $8000 cash rewards card in 8 months

CSP- Chase ALWAYS had attractive cards to me but they NEVER approved me for anything. Freedom, Slate, Amazon, SWRR, Marriott, all those, nothing. I had heard about the CSP from MF and loved the transfer partners but I looked away in awe. It seemed like a card for the elite. One day I just said, yanno what, why not? I been rejected for everything else. I actually got approved and was amazed. Glad I did cuz it was literally a week before 5/24 came into effect

Spark- wanted a business card cuz I have a side biz. Things like Google, mailing, business cards etc go here

Citi AA- I think this was my first "elite" card and I was souped when I got it. Didn't realize the Gold would be a waste but I think I apped just because I wasn't sure I'd get the Platinum Select. May be closing an moving some of the CL soon to Forward

NCSECU- has a low rate just in case I ever need one

PRG- my new best friend. I can't wait to get the bonus and use the travel transfers and having NPSL helps me manage my spending

Why dont u request a CLI on ur forward? Have you considered any other TYP earning cards?

6/13Care Credit - this was my very first card. had a huge bill at the dentist, also bailed out a few family members with this one. This card is actually a joint account with my partner. What doesn't make sense to me is, the only way u can make this 2 separate accounts, you have to close it, then reopen. Ok... but you have to wait a year from when you close a synch card to be eligible to reopen it I thought?

4/14Buckle - They started me off with $500 it was a proud moment getting approved with them. I think I may close it. I dunno I get free coupons at least.

9/14Commerce Bank - This was the bank sent me a prequalified offer, at the time I only had a credit one card with $500 limit. I couldnt believe the terms said min credit limit $1k, and they issued me $2k! They have grown nicely with me over time. Weird bank though! They pay points on interest charges...and make CLI's extremely difficult.

12/14Cap1 QS VS - this card is a joke. It was like pulling teeth to get it to this limit. No working with me on the 25.24% APR. This card will be going bye bye if no APR reduction by 12/2016. Cap1 SUCKS unless you are just starting out with nowhere else to go (although u would be better off with discover secure, boa secured, at least those grow with u over time) HOWEVER at least cap1 does call u back and honor your limit no matter what...

4/15Amazon PLCC - this is the card to blame all of the below cards on lol. They started me off at $850 and in 60 days got to its current limit. I will never forget this moment.

5/15Sam's PLCC - I was disappointed that I was not approved for the MC. I played my cards right, I knew I had history with synch bank and my chances were good. Initial limit $1200, got to its current limit in 90 days. Hoping for an MC upgrade on this one.

5/15AMEX ED - this is where I started getting cocky. I only applied for this one because credit karma said my odds were Very Good. And indeed they were! A 5k starting limit.

7/15AMEX PRG -these other two cards I did the following month of first amex approval. I knew in my eyes amex liked me or else they would not have issued me a 5k starting limit (not that its huge or folks dont get way more, I had just seen more 1-2k limits). decent sign on bonus as well, and is my most used card.

7/15 8.49% AMEX Delta Gold , - proof of amex at least trying, this card gets apr reductions all the time. I am excited for the summer when my ED is out of a promo to go for an APR reduction. I may be converting to the EDP and ditching the PRG but that is highly unlikely. I should have done my research because I only got the 30k $50 bonus on this card....and had I waited I could have 50/60. It did save me an inquiry though.

7/15 Citi DoubleCash - I got this one on a whim, I blame the forum if anything, jk jk. Lots of folks seemed to be using this card, and I kept getting crazy offers from chase that year. I remembered seeing 22.9% 0 for 9 months on a Diamond Preferred, then started seeing 0 for 12, then 19%.... then I saw 0 for 15 on a DC then 19.99%....then presto chango 0 for 21 then 12.99% on simplicity and 0 for 18 then 13.99 on DC. I snagged it up right away! Their cash back deposits very quickly into my checking which is nice. They are weird with limits on these cards though. I have one SP CLI. I am going to hope for a 5k+ limit soon and if not I'm taking the HP.

7/15 Chase IHG WMC - this was app'd for immediately post DC approval. Also appd for hyatt. What a joke that was. Denied on both. Took 4-6 recon calls just to get the IHG approved but I did it. Now we know had I just let it be it probably would have approved both!

9/15 BOA Amtrak WMC - my most difficult approval of them all. Started at their highest APR tier of 22.9%, which ended up being 23.24 post fed increase. I got this card in september, and I had to get a joint applicant to even get this card approved. But whatever I did must have worked because they gave me an APR reduction of 3% and also a huge CLI when the account was barely 4 months old. And its in the process of being converted into just my name only. Woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10/15 Lenovo Preferred - this was done very late at night. Folks were talking about this one, with no HP and I impulse app'd. This is the only time I have ever really applied without thinking too much about it. I have to say this card was very appealing at first but they do not have the best pricing for Thinkpads....I would be better off earning rewards on another card then using this garbage. One day I might get desperate for a computer that costs more than $99 so I have this to use in case.

10/15 2.9% CU Visa- My bank offered me this so I took it. It also functions as a line of credit. Glad I got this one.

10 new accounts in the last year. I think that is pretty extreme but there are folks that have opened way more! Now I have focused more on helping others get their credit in order, and the high I get from it, is actually the same! In the interim I just work on CLI's and APR reductions. And if I get them some decent sign on bonuses I usually will get a free dinner or two, or sometimes even a free trip if we are talking multiple bonuses for one person! :-) :-)

I have even lately tried to shift away more from adding cards and bonuses to helping folks cosolidate their debt, snowball pay off cards, etc. I always encourage folks to look into credit unions. But BEWARE. Even credit unions can be VERY VERY SHADY. I have been to quite a few credit unions where they don't know any better and suggest folks consolidate their credit card debt with home equity loans. That is NOT a wise idea unless u have high income and its a quick way to save interest. There are FAR FAR FAR better, easier, and less risky ways to do this. I just was devastated to see a place with a 8% visa encourage this bad behavior. Weird!

In the last year, I have learned that Bank of America is by far the best bank and my favorite card. I think every app spree I have done with family and friends has included at least one card from them. I think that American Express has really went down the drain in the last year though. I am not so sure I would have even applied with them had I known all of this was going to happen to them. Alas at least they do not cap1 me and reduce my APR. Citi is the best with their citigold promos, and they are really doing a fine job of improving their site and appearance. And let us not forget Discover! I and honored that my partner has a Discover IT and they have the best customer service and deals. Seriously. Adding 12 months no interest, BT offers constantly, and also them doing APR reductions even whilst amidst a promo, ya cant beat that. I dont think any other banks even do that! For sure the top two cards right now on my radar for folks are the Discover IT Miles 3% then PC to categories, and the $200 AARP promo.

I also will say its not really a must to open a new card for a BT offer. If you are careful with your money handling you will always get BT offers from Disco, BOA, Citi. Keep a 0 BT fee card in your arsenal so you can always move money away and back to a card should you beging accruing interest but it also has a BT offer on it. The debt shuffle is my favorite move!

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

Chris679 — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 21:46:24 GMT

OK I'll bite:

Capital One QS MC - my oldest card, started out as a Platinum, now in the SD

local CU Visa - low 8% APR if i ever need to float a balance for a couple of months and don't want to open a new card, SD

Citi Forward Visa - 5x pts on dining and Amazon, carry this every day

Citi Double Cash WMC - started as a Platinum, 2x pts on non-category spending, carry this every day

Discover It - started as the More card, opened for 0% APR on some furniture, use this for Netflix so it will update the TU FICO each month

BoA Cash Rewards Visa sig - started as BoA Amex, opened for 0% APR on some furniture i think?, SD

Chase Freedom Visa - started as Slate, opened for 0% APR to purchase my Beretta 92A1, SD

Amex Blue Cash - I think I just opened this one because I wanted it, SD

Amex Everyday - 0% APR on kitchen appliances (extended warranty came in handy), SD

Barclay Sallie May WMC - 5x cash back on gas and groceries, carry this every day

Chase Marriott - opened for sign up bonus

Amex Delta - opened for signup bonus

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 22:00:53 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
I have a total of 26 cards. Accumulated 20 past 12 months. I am a credit card hoarder
Well, admitting it is your first step to recovery.

I'm not addicted. I can stop any time I wa.... oooh, look! Another card to apply for!

Chris.

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

IncrsCreditScore1 — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 22:13:13 GMT

@icyhot: You mentioned MF a couple of times. What is MF, please.

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

icyhot — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 22:24:26 GMT

Jfriend33- I have requested several, many many many times. I've apped for the Citi Premier and was declined. I don't use TYP much anyway

IncresCreditScore-MyFico

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 22:34:44 GMT

Every card I have is a rebuilder at this point. All have some use. Chase Freedom and Discover for Cashback and Categories. Care Credit for Medical bills (although that's going away soon) and Walmart and Amazon for shopping at their respective stores. Amex EDP will be for general spending and CSP is moving to the maybe list since I don't travel that much. After getting the EDP I'll likely be done.