Card Usage Strategy

[Anonymous]

So now that all my major credit related goals have been reached and I don't have that to worry about, I've starting to worry about AA on my current cards due to usage (as in not enough of it!). I would appreciate any feedback, either in general or card specific, about what how much and how often I need to use my cards in order to keep them happy.

My current portfolio is:

Discover More $5500 opened Sept 2010 - pretty much my go to card, all my online purchases, and most daily needs (gas/grocery etc).

Nationwide Platinum Visa $7500 opened Sept 2010 - Use it anywhere Discover isn't accepted, and have a regular reoccuring charge that ends up being between $200-$250/mo. A lot of times that's the only thing on it.

US Bank Platinum Visa $8500 opened Jan 2012

Macys Store Card opened Aug 2010 - currently use is maybe once/quarter

Kohls Store Card opened Dec 2011 - used only once so far

I was strongly considering getting a Chase or Citi before my new mortgage reports and to just get everything done so I can sit and garden, but I just don't think I can run enough through a 4th major CC without someone getting finicky on me ( I don't know how everyone with 10+ cards does it!).  I am pretty happy with my CL's and I want them to stay where they are. Can anyone with past experience give me an idea how much usage these guys need to see in order to leave me alone? CLI's would be great, but really I just want to make sure I don't get any CLD's.

Thanks!

[Gollum]

My opinion is that a bank that issues a prime credit card with no annual fee needs to receive an annual amount equal to or greater than the average annual fee for similar credit cards.

I think that annual amount is currently $35 minimum, but $50 would definitely do it.

I would choose which creditlines I want to keep, then ensure each card gets paid at least $35 annually to its issuing bank.  That could be done through either transaction fees (I'm guessing 1%) or annual interest.