topic Re: Simplifying my credit cards in Credit Cards

Simplifying my credit cards

Anonymous — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 00:14:02 GMT

Hi all,

I'm new here and interested in getting some feedback on how to simplify my credit cards. I actually dislike using credit cards, which is one of my main reasons for wanting to reduce what I have. Speaking of which, I have the following 4 cards, each having a $25k limit, though my total outstanding balance at any given time is never more than a few hundred dollars.

Fidelity Rewards Visa - 2% on everything, auto-deposited into my Fidelity brokerage account monthly.
Amex BCE - 3% on groceries, but I only spend $400-$500/month, so not a lot and not a big difference from the Fidelity card.
Capital One Quicksilver Visa - 1.5% flat, useless but my oldest card at this point, about 6 years.
Chase Amazon Rewards Visa - Useless now that I don't even have an Amazon account, let alone Prime. However, Chase is my primary bank.

Ideally I'd have zero cards, but if I have to have just one, Fidelity makes the most sense since that's also where all of my investment and retirement accounts are located. As for the rest, they're all useless by comparison to the Fidelity card and I hate the idea of having to keep them and putting a small monthly payment on them, using them once in a while, etc. I'd rather just simplify, reduce the number of banks with which I need to deal and have an account, etc.

I appreciate any thoughts you all may have. FWIW, I'm 48yo and the only score I know right now is the VantageScore 3.0 via Chase, currently 818. Also FWIW, I have a 36-month car lease with a final payment in October. I'll either be paying the residual balance outright (about $19k) or leasing or buying outright a new 2022 Impreza, haven't decided what, though.

Re: Simplifying my credit cards

NRB525 — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 00:33:11 GMT

Kudos for setting your goal to be just the few cards you want to manage. You are correct that the cash back difference among these cards is minimal.

I'll suggest closing the AMEX and the Chase cards.

That leaves you with a good 2% card for most spend, and a Capital One card as a backup. It's a good idea to have two active cards, in case one has a problem at check out or on a trip. CapOne being your oldest is a vote to keep it alive as well.

Alternatively, keep the Chase Amazon card open, and close the CapOne. That way, your one log in to Chase handles more financial tasks, no extra CapOne log in. The age of your CapOne card will still be assisting your score for several years even if you close it now.

Re: Simplifying my credit cards

Suzette2 — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 00:44:13 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Hi all,
I'm new here and interested in getting some feedback on how to simplify my credit cards. I actually dislike using credit cards, which is one of my main reasons for wanting to reduce what I have. Speaking of which, I have the following 4 cards, each having a $25k limit, though my total outstanding balance at any given time is never more than a few hundred dollars.

Fidelity Rewards Visa - 2% on everything, auto-deposited into my Fidelity brokerage account monthly.
Amex BCE - 3% on groceries, but I only spend $400-$500/month, so not a lot and not a big difference from the Fidelity card.
Capital One Quicksilver Visa - 1.5% flat, useless but my oldest card at this point, about 6 years.
Chase Amazon Rewards Visa - Useless now that I don't even have an Amazon account, let alone Prime. However, Chase is my primary bank.
Ideally I'd have zero cards, but if I have to have just one, Fidelity makes the most sense since that's also where all of my investment and retirement accounts are located. As for the rest, they're all useless by comparison to the Fidelity card and I hate the idea of having to keep them and putting a small monthly payment on them, using them once in a while, etc. I'd rather just simplify, reduce the number of banks with which I need to deal and have an account, etc.

I appreciate any thoughts you all may have. FWIW, I'm 48yo and the only score I know right now is the VantageScore 3.0 via Chase, currently 818. Also FWIW, I have a 36-month car lease with a final payment in October. I'll either be paying the residual balance outright (about $19k) or leasing or buying outright a new 2022 Impreza, haven't decided what, though.

Honestly, due to past bad times I get having a phobia about credit, using it and owing money. I get it.
that being said, I had a near miss disaster today which was only averted by having credit and the high limits I've fought to get (not as much as yours). I see it as a cushion for such times.

Re: Simplifying my credit cards

cmm89 — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 00:49:23 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Hi all,
I'm new here and interested in getting some feedback on how to simplify my credit cards. I actually dislike using credit cards, which is one of my main reasons for wanting to reduce what I have. Speaking of which, I have the following 4 cards, each having a $25k limit, though my total outstanding balance at any given time is never more than a few hundred dollars.

Fidelity Rewards Visa - 2% on everything, auto-deposited into my Fidelity brokerage account monthly.
Amex BCE - 3% on groceries, but I only spend $400-$500/month, so not a lot and not a big difference from the Fidelity card.
Capital One Quicksilver Visa - 1.5% flat, useless but my oldest card at this point, about 6 years.
Chase Amazon Rewards Visa - Useless now that I don't even have an Amazon account, let alone Prime. However, Chase is my primary bank.
Ideally I'd have zero cards, but if I have to have just one, Fidelity makes the most sense since that's also where all of my investment and retirement accounts are located. As for the rest, they're all useless by comparison to the Fidelity card and I hate the idea of having to keep them and putting a small monthly payment on them, using them once in a while, etc. I'd rather just simplify, reduce the number of banks with which I need to deal and have an account, etc.

I appreciate any thoughts you all may have. FWIW, I'm 48yo and the only score I know right now is the VantageScore 3.0 via Chase, currently 818. Also FWIW, I have a 36-month car lease with a final payment in October. I'll either be paying the residual balance outright (about $19k) or leasing or buying outright a new 2022 Impreza, haven't decided what, though.

TBH, I think you've answered your own question. You explicitly state you don't really care for anything else.

Just make sure the cash back deposited is automically invested according to your risk tolerance/appetite.

Re: Simplifying my credit cards

Anonymous — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 01:12:10 GMT

Hey all,

I appreciate all of the feedback so far! The reason I decided to join and post about this is that I do have concerns about closing credit cards and wanted to better understand whether my fears are justified. Reading through subreddits like r/personalfinance and r/credit have been enlightening in many ways, but Reddit is Reddit and I felt that a more dedicated forum such as this one might be a better source of information.

Since my current total limit across my cards is $100k (and I do make a good salary in the low six figures), vastly more than I'd ever spend, even reducing that to $50k across two cards should be fine. I'd certainly take a hit on my score for a bit, but that would recover. However, since I may also lease a new vehicle in Oct/Nov when my current 1.9% interest lease is up, I definitely want to be careful about changes to my credit profile in the upcoming months. Further, I may also move to a new apartment since that lease is also up on Oct 31 and I know they tend to do credit pulls, so that's another concern. And FWIW, I've never owned a home (being single with no pets and preferring a small, simple space), so I've never had a mortgage and probably never will.

Given that additional information, which I really should have provided in my original post, would it be safe to assume that I might want to wait until maybe early next year before closing any cards?

And as for which cards to close, I definitely agree that the Amex would be the first, though in a way it was my oldest card, as I got my first Amex in 2000. However, that was a Blue Sky card and when I changed it several years ago, that turned out not to be a product change but an entirely different card, so the age of that card was screwed. Regardless, still seems like the best first card to close.

Then, I'm torn between closing the Chase Amazon card and the Capital One. The CapOne is now the oldest by a bit and I just have it set for a simple yearly mailed check of any accrued cash back, but as I'd said, Chase is my bank (and that's who has my current, and possibly future, car lease) so eliminating CapOne gets rid of a bank with which I would no longer otherwise have business. So yeah, it's kind of a toss-up between the Chase and CapOne cards. I do have a love/hate relationship with Amazon though, as I'm an IT guy who works with AWS for a living, and their tech is amazing even if their business practices are horrible, and I really would prefer to never have an account with them again, but I can't rule out the possibility.

Again, thank you all for the feedback and I'll be attentive for any further responses!

Re: Simplifying my credit cards

Anonymous — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 01:25:12 GMT

The following idea just occurred to me: Once my car lease/purchase and possible apartment move are done at the end of the year, assuming my credit score is still really good, I could first apply for a new, appropriate Chase card and then eventually close the Chase Amazon Visa, Quicksilver, and Amex cards over the next several months or so.

Thoughts?

Also FWIW, I hate travel (on average I fly domestically once a year to visit family and I hate airports and airplanes), so travel cards are not worth it to me. And my spending habits are pretty low and don't really favor dining out, gas, etc. so cash back is generally the most ideal rewards feature for me.

Re: Simplifying my credit cards

calisig — Sun, 12 Jun 2022 01:49:24 GMT

I would keep Fidelity and Quicksilver.

I personally don't see any advantage to having your cc where you bank, so keeping the Chase Amazon because of that isn't a reason to me, especially since you don't Amazon. I prefer to keep all my accounts diversified across multiple banks. I know some say don't worry about closing your oldest account, because it will stay on your credit report - until it falls off - but if you were to keep it, it would add that much more age to your file compared to if you get another card today.

What I don't understand is this:

@Anonymous wrote:
The following idea just occurred to me: Once my car lease/purchase and possible apartment move are done at the end of the year, assuming my credit score is still really good, I could first apply for a new, appropriate Chase card and then eventually close the Chase Amazon Visa, Quicksilver, and Amex cards over the next several months or so.

Why do you want a new card if you are trying to get rid of cards? Is there some sort of "appropriate" spend you are planning to use a card for that your current cards don't cover?

Re: Simplifying my credit cards

Kforce — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 04:10:16 GMT

I am one of the few in the myfico forum that like it simple.

If not for reality I would just have two cards.

Reality is more like 3 or 4 cards.

Three for Fico scoring. (Cards reporting balance, AZEO, Age, etc.)

Two for network restrictions. (Need a MC and Visa)

Two for safety just encase a card get locked for fraud, lost, etc.

Convenience, depends on a few factors. For my family wife, daughter and myself each uses a different daily card. More simple on tracking spend, looking for fraud, knowing who to ask if something looks unknown, and collect money from daughters non family spend. Gas for car OK, new sunglasses from "Dicks Sporting"

My early 3 cards were a general 2% Visa (like your Fidelity), a 3% MC (gas, grocery, fast-food, restaurant) - BofW Cashback MC, and a 5% in a few categories that I used a lot (US-Bank Cash+). I believe it made a good simple set for my spend. The USBank lived in the desk and was linked for paying cell and utilities, never in pocket. Only two cards to put daily spend on.

I later simplified even more and put all spend on three - 3% general spend cards.

Two of the three are not available for new applications and the third has a nerf date.

If making a card set today I would get the Alliant 2.5% general spend (10k/mo cap & 1k in checking), a 2% general spend (many options- you have one already), and either a good 5% for your spend or a card like the Bank-West 3% in 4 categories no AF. If OK with just 2% cards and family convenience was more important maybe just a few general spend cards on different networks

Get a new card that fits your spend or family needs better than what you have now.

(Maybe Alliant 2.5%) for rewards or a (2% MC) for network and family spend tracking.

Dump the Amex

Wait for 4-5 months

Get another better card (BofW, US-Bank, ??)

Dump the Amazon if it is not a good fit.

Wait 4-5 months

Then dump the Cap1 after you have a superior 3 card set is in hand.

Re: Simplifying my credit cards

ptatohed — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 05:38:00 GMT

I was going to say what cmm said, you answered your own question. Use only the Fidelity. But, unlike others, I have never closed a card in my life. I just stop using it. Sock drawer it, cut it up, whatever. I just don't see the need to actually close the accounts. Unless you are worried about fraudulent use? Even then, sometimes you can just freeze the cards. Good luck!

Re: Simplifying my credit cards

Anonymous — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 10:21:21 GMT

My thought process regarding having a Chase card as my backup, whether the otherwise-useless Amazon card or a different one that actually would have some value to me, is that it keeps both credit cards with the two financial institutions where I have other accounts (i.e. Chase for banking and auto loan and Fidelity for investment accounts and a CMA as a backup checking account), thus helping achieve the simplicity that drove my original post.

To your point about getting a new card, I was thinking of it as a replacement for an existing card just so that I'd still have a second card as a backup but it would be one that would have more value. That said, now that I've looked over Chase's other cards, they don't really have any that would be much better for my spending patterns than the Amazon card, so that makes getting a new Chase card moot. The Fidelity 2% card is all I really need, so having any card as a backup really is fine.

Re: Simplifying my credit cards

Anonymous — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 10:26:31 GMT

@ptatohed wrote:
I was going to say what cmm said, you answered your own question. Use only the Fidelity. But, unlike others, I have never closed a card in my life. I just stop using it. Sock drawer it, cut it up, whatever. I just don't see the need to actually close the accounts. Unless you are worried about fraudulent use? Even then, sometimes you can just freeze the cards. Good luck!

I basically have stopped using all of my cards except Fidelity. That, however, can and likely will ultimately lead to possible credit limit reductions (no big deal) and eventual closure by the bank. I seem to recall reading it's better for the card holder to close a card than the bank to do so for lack of use, but I could be misremembering...

Also, yes, fraud is certainly an increased possibility with the number of cards, as is the number of online accounts that have to be kept and maintained. That's why in my original post and in my replies I mention closing cards with lenders where I don't have any other business (i.e. Amex and CapOne), so that I could get rid of those accounts/logins entirely. But I wasn't aware that cards could be frozen, so that's certainly worth keeping in mind.

Re: Simplifying my credit cards

Anonymous — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 10:29:45 GMT

Just make sure the cash back deposited is automically invested according to your risk tolerance/appetite.

That is the one annoying thing about Fidelity. It's not possible to automatically invest cash that's deposited into the brokerage account. It gets deposited into SPAXX, which I then have to use to purchase shares of the only (Fidelity) fund in that account, FSKAX. The same is maddeningly true with automatic investments from a checking account. With my Fidelity CMA, I can only auto-transfer from the CMA to the brokerage account, then I have to manually invest that, while I can have money automatically pulled AND invested into FSKAX from my Chase checking account. That's such a bizarre limitation, given that the CMA is at the same institution as the brokerage account!

Re: Simplifying my credit cards

Anonymous — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 10:45:32 GMT

@Kforce I appreciate your in-depth response. To reply to your main points:

I am single and live alone, so I don't have the family needs like the ones you describe. I also am a fairly low spender, so even a 2% vs. 3% card would make little difference in the big picture, which is why I've been fine with a 2% card for everything and even 5% cards aren't really valuable for me, given how little I'd spend in the categories that seems to come up like restaurants (I almost never eat out) and gas (I average about $30/month, filling up about every 8-9 weeks since I WFH).

I've never run into network restrictions (i.e. Visa vs MC) other than many years ago when I used my Amex as my primary, so I'm not really concerned there.

I'm not clear on your point about having three cards for FICO scoring. Based on what I've read so far, I've not found a good explanation for how many cards is "ideal" for FICO scoring. And I don't need a "perfect" score, given my general needs, but I'd be happy just to keep it over 800. As I mentioned before, I have never, and probably will never, had a mortgage, just car loans. So the only other times I can really see in my life where credit scores are important are said car loans and apartment rentals, both of which may be coming up later this year. Can you please let me know if I've missed something important there?

So with that all said, a second 2% card (maybe even MC based on that point of yours), seems like it would be an ideal backup, especially if it were with Chase in order to minimize the number of banking institutions with whom I'd have accounts. Otherwise, keeping the 1.5% CapOne along with the 2% Fidelity might be the optimal pairing, even though that would require keeping the CapOne relationship. I could actually streamline some more, however, if I were to move my savings from Ally (which I don't think I mentioned earlier) back to CapOne's 360 Savings (when I used to use CapOne as my main bank for checking and savings). That may be an idea worth considering...

Thank you again for the feedback and suggestions!

Re: Simplifying my credit cards

AverageJoesCredit — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 12:10:16 GMT

Keeping all ones credit eggs in one basket isn't really a good idea. Lender diversity is good even with minimal cards. Having a couple high limit cards can show future applications you have experience with managing high limits. I would just keep everything and when time comes for a new Chase card transfer over Amazon limit then close. Sometime in future you may Ned those high limits for something better to have than wish one had when needed. If none of this matters close all except your primary

Re: Simplifying my credit cards

Kforce — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 15:57:35 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Kforce I appreciate your in-depth response. To reply to your main points:

I am single and live alone, so I don't have the family needs like the ones you describe. I also am a fairly low spender, so even a 2% vs. 3% card would make little difference in the big picture, which is why I've been fine with a 2% card for everything and even 5% cards aren't really valuable for me, given how little I'd spend in the categories that seems to come up like restaurants (I almost never eat out) and gas (I average about $30/month, filling up about every 8-9 weeks since I WFH).

I've never run into network restrictions (i.e. Visa vs MC) other than many years ago when I used my Amex as my primary, so I'm not really concerned there.

I'm not clear on your point about having three cards for FICO scoring. Based on what I've read so far, I've not found a good explanation for how many cards is "ideal" for FICO scoring. And I don't need a "perfect" score, given my general needs, but I'd be happy just to keep it over 800. As I mentioned before, I have never, and probably will never, had a mortgage, just car loans. So the only other times I can really see in my life where credit scores are important are said car loans and apartment rentals, both of which may be coming up later this year. Can you please let me know if I've missed something important there?

So with that all said, a second 2% card (maybe even MC based on that point of yours), seems like it would be an ideal backup, especially if it were with Chase in order to minimize the number of banking institutions with whom I'd have accounts. Otherwise, keeping the 1.5% CapOne along with the 2% Fidelity might be the optimal pairing, even though that would require keeping the CapOne relationship. I could actually streamline some more, however, if I were to move my savings from Ally (which I don't think I mentioned earlier) back to CapOne's 360 Savings (when I used to use CapOne as my main bank for checking and savings). That may be an idea worth considering...

Thank you again for the feedback and suggestions!

I am envious of your planed line up of two cards.

You might be the MyFico award winner for least number of cards by design.

I will soon only have 4.

I don't know the approximate score loss from only two cards, however a few points would be lost by having either no accounts showing a balance or more than 50% of your cards having a balance. Taking advantage of all zero except one card and having less than 50% cards reporting a balance requires 3 cards. My guess is 10-20 points max as a Fico point loss. If I am way off others will jump in and correct my wild stab at a number. A lot of Fico score experts in the forum. The simplicity might be worth more than a few points, I wish I did not know about the score loss and I too might only have two cards.

Re: Simplifying my credit cards

SouthJamaica — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 16:20:41 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Hi all,
I'm new here and interested in getting some feedback on how to simplify my credit cards. I actually dislike using credit cards, which is one of my main reasons for wanting to reduce what I have. Speaking of which, I have the following 4 cards, each having a $25k limit, though my total outstanding balance at any given time is never more than a few hundred dollars.

Fidelity Rewards Visa - 2% on everything, auto-deposited into my Fidelity brokerage account monthly.
Amex BCE - 3% on groceries, but I only spend $400-$500/month, so not a lot and not a big difference from the Fidelity card.
Capital One Quicksilver Visa - 1.5% flat, useless but my oldest card at this point, about 6 years.
Chase Amazon Rewards Visa - Useless now that I don't even have an Amazon account, let alone Prime. However, Chase is my primary bank.
Ideally I'd have zero cards, but if I have to have just one, Fidelity makes the most sense since that's also where all of my investment and retirement accounts are located. As for the rest, they're all useless by comparison to the Fidelity card and I hate the idea of having to keep them and putting a small monthly payment on them, using them once in a while, etc. I'd rather just simplify, reduce the number of banks with which I need to deal and have an account, etc.

I appreciate any thoughts you all may have. FWIW, I'm 48yo and the only score I know right now is the VantageScore 3.0 via Chase, currently 818. Also FWIW, I have a 36-month car lease with a final payment in October. I'll either be paying the residual balance outright (about $19k) or leasing or buying outright a new 2022 Impreza, haven't decided what, though.

It seems to me that each card serves a significant purpose, so I would just leave it.

Fidelity because you actually use it and like it.

Amex BCE because it optimizes your cash back on groceries.

Capital One because it helps your score.

Chase card because it's the only one that shows up on your primary banking site.

Obviously, if you're going to drop any it should be the Capital One and/or the Chase card.

Re: Simplifying my credit cards

NRB525 — Sun, 12 Jun 2022 09:53:50 GMT

@Kforce wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@Kforce I appreciate your in-depth response. To reply to your main points:

I am single and live alone, so I don't have the family needs like the ones you describe. I also am a fairly low spender, so even a 2% vs. 3% card would make little difference in the big picture, which is why I've been fine with a 2% card for everything and even 5% cards aren't really valuable for me, given how little I'd spend in the categories that seems to come up like restaurants (I almost never eat out) and gas (I average about $30/month, filling up about every 8-9 weeks since I WFH).

I've never run into network restrictions (i.e. Visa vs MC) other than many years ago when I used my Amex as my primary, so I'm not really concerned there.

I'm not clear on your point about having three cards for FICO scoring. Based on what I've read so far, I've not found a good explanation for how many cards is "ideal" for FICO scoring. And I don't need a "perfect" score, given my general needs, but I'd be happy just to keep it over 800. As I mentioned before, I have never, and probably will never, had a mortgage, just car loans. So the only other times I can really see in my life where credit scores are important are said car loans and apartment rentals, both of which may be coming up later this year. Can you please let me know if I've missed something important there?

So with that all said, a second 2% card (maybe even MC based on that point of yours), seems like it would be an ideal backup, especially if it were with Chase in order to minimize the number of banking institutions with whom I'd have accounts. Otherwise, keeping the 1.5% CapOne along with the 2% Fidelity might be the optimal pairing, even though that would require keeping the CapOne relationship. I could actually streamline some more, however, if I were to move my savings from Ally (which I don't think I mentioned earlier) back to CapOne's 360 Savings (when I used to use CapOne as my main bank for checking and savings). That may be an idea worth considering...

Thank you again for the feedback and suggestions!

I am envious of your planed line up of two cards.
You might be the MyFico award winner for least number of cards by design.
I will soon only have 4.

I don't know the approximate score loss from only two cards, however a few points would be lost by having either no accounts showing a balance or more than 50% of your cards having a balance. Taking advantage of all zero except one card and having less than 50% cards reporting a balance requires 3 cards. My guess is 10-20 points max as a Fico point loss. If I am way off others will jump in and correct my wild stab at a number. A lot of Fico score experts in the forum. The simplicity might be worth more than a few points, I wish I did not know about the score loss and I too might only have two cards.

The OP doesn't have a goal of maximizing score to keep adding cards, so any "penalty" from not having 3+ cards is not going to impact the few credit situations OP needs. "Optimizing score" through AZEO is a chimera referred to a lot here, but it distracts from OP's main objective: minimizing risk through fewer card obligations.

OP's goal is "good enough" rewards, minimum time spent managing cards, and does not include any Credit Card Hobby ( obsession ) desires. One card plus a back up credit card, plus the car lease and possibly apartment lease satisfies that goal set.

I realize this is well outside the mindset of everyone here, but it's a common choice by more-normal people who are not on MyFICO

Re: Simplifying my credit cards

Anonymous — Sun, 12 Jun 2022 12:55:03 GMT

@NRB525 wrote:
The OP doesn't have a goal of maximizing score to keep adding cards, so any "penalty" from not having 3+ cards is not going to impact the few credit situations OP needs. "Optimizing score" through AZEO is a chimera referred to a lot here, but it distracts from OP's main objective: minimizing risk through fewer card obligations.

OP's goal is "good enough" rewards, minimum time spent managing cards, and does not include any Credit Card Hobby ( obsession ) desires. One card plus a back up credit card, plus the car lease and possibly apartment lease satisfies that goal set.

I realize this is well outside the mindset of everyone here, but it's a common choice by more-normal people who are not on MyFICO

This sums up my position pretty well. I am definitely not looking to optimize rewards, just to find a minimalist approach to using credit since I have to play the credit game due to the need for renting apartments, getting car leases/loans, etc. Ultimately, I aim for simplicity and, to be blunt, I don't even really like the whole idea of credit card rewards since they're predicated upon so many people, whether or not for reasons under their control (I try not to judge), paying ludicrous amount of interest, which in turn is used to pay for those rewards, so it's definitely a serious form of exploitation. I'd prefer to be able to have a single credit card with no bonuses at all, just for the added safety they provide over debit cards. That said, the Fidelity card definitely is the simplest for me since it does give a simple, fixed bonus (to make up a bit for the increased prices to make up for interchange fees) that I don't even have to think about since it automatically goes straight into an investment account.

Thanks again to everyone here for the feedback! I'm certainly going to be closing the Amex eventually (probably early next year) and probably the Chase card as well, since not having it would help me stay true to not having an Amazon account. I think the combination of Chase (checking, maybe car loan/lease), Fidelity (primary card, backup checking, retirement/investments), and CapOne (backup card, high-yield savings) strikes a reasonable balance.

Re: Simplifying my credit cards

Anonymous — Sun, 12 Jun 2022 13:32:56 GMT

@NRB525 wrote:

I realize this is well outside the mindset of everyone here, but it's a common choice by more-normal people who are not on MyFICO

I do realize that such abhorrent behavior exists but no need to bring it up in polite society!