How did that moderator guy here and others get 24 to 32 to 40+ credit cards? any tips please?

[K-in-Boston]

I am not sure if I am the mod referenced, but since I think I am the only one with cards in my signature I'll answer.

My cards were obtained over a few decades, not overnight.  I've taken years off between new accounts in the past.  Around 20 or so of them all factor into travel with Delta (along with their SkyTeam partners and Virgin Atlantic) and Marriott, and all of them either serve a current purpose or did when they were opened.

I don't find anything wrong with having 100 cards if they're serving some kind of purpose for the cardholder, just as I don't find fault in the average consumer who has 2 or 3 credit cards that work for them.  If you want to have a ton of cards, just be aware of why you want that many and of course use caution when it comes to things like AAoA.

[Guyatthebeach]

CaliCreditNoob,

You mean those mod's and community leaders had secret codes to get all those cards? Man, I had to work hard for mine. bahahahahaha!!!!

For me it's a fun challenge. Now being 8.5 years post chapter 7 bankruptcy, I have 45 personal and 1 business cards. Every card has a purpose and gets used for that purchase. For example, the Barnes & Noble card gets used a lot at Barnes & Noble. I have a couple of toy limit store cards, for Victoria Secret and Bed Bath Beyond, because the better half like to shop there. It's no issue for me, because I pay in full every month.  I only carry a balance when we take advantage of the 0 interest finance offers. Another reason I have so many cards and keep them locked in my safe is I have to think do I really want to make a purchase. Everthing gets PIF not because I make a lot of money, it's because I'm on a budget. I keep a spreadsheet on what has a balance and when a card was last used so a card doesn't close to inactivity.

Tips on how to get approved :

1. If you are going to do the mini-app spree approach, only do it once a quarter. Only app for 2 or 3 cards. If you get declined, stop and call for recon. If it gets approved, great. Then wait 6 months before trying this approach again.

2. Check out your local banks and credit unions for preapproval offers. For example, BB&T is still offering three cards through their preapproval app. I have three and never got a HP. I got my Flagship through Navy Federal via a preapproval, because the teller asked me while I was making a deposit. I also got a PNC card via a preapproval when I was in the branch. There was no HP either. 

3. There is always the online shopping cart trick.

4. Check the flavor of the month on here. I've gotten quite a few this way. The Rural King Visa was a fun card to get. Redstone FCU is the Navy Federal of Alabama!

These are the things that work for me. This is a fun hobby but right now I'm not apping for any new cards because my last decline was with AOD due to having too much credit. I do love the rates and being able to walk in a bank or credit union to get the lowest car rate. Also I was able to get these cards through managing my credit, not off income. I firmly believe in sticking to a budget.

So anybody have a working preapproval code for the BBV/Compass metal Reserve card? I will trade the Redstone underwriting number for it? lol!

Guyatthebeach

[core]

I hear Wells Fargo employees are good at opening a lot of accounts in a short amount of time.  Maybe you could ask them for some tips?

[KLEXH25]

@CaliCreditNoob When I first came to the forums in September 2018, I had a $300 Capital One Platinum card, and I was trying to figure out how I could get approved for an auto loan on my own. I had NO CLUE about the credit world and how it worked. I remember seeing so many signatures with 10, 20, 30 cards and being shocked and impressed with app sprees. My first thought was that I wanted to be just like that and so I started to read as much as I could to learn how to do it. But knowledge is a funny thing, because the more that I read and learned, the more that I realized it wasn't going to fit into my lifestyle or spending personality. I also HATE rejection 🤣

Once I established what my true credit goals were, @Anonymous set me straight and helped me realize that spacing out applications and gardening were how to achieve what I wanted (high scores and high limits with fewer cards). At the moment I have 5 cards, but the majority of my spend goes on 2-3 of them. I've learned that I like cashback the most and that there are still cards that I want and will apply for. You'll make mistakes along the way and will hopefully learn from them, but you have to be a willing student to get there. 

[KLEXH25]

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@KLEXH25 wrote:

@CaliCreditNoob When I first came to the forums in September 2018, I had a $300 Capital One Platinum card, and I was trying to figure out how I could get approved for an auto loan on my own. I had NO CLUE about the credit world and how it worked. I remember seeing so many signatures with 10, 20, 30 cards and being shocked and impressed with app sprees. My first thought was that I wanted to be just like that and so I started to read as much as I could to learn how to do it. But knowledge is a funny thing, because the more that I read and learned, the more that I realized it wasn't going to fit into my lifestyle or spending personality. I also HATE rejection 🤣

Once I established what my true credit goals were, @Anonymous set me straight and helped me realize that spacing out applications and gardening were how to achieve what I wanted (high scores and high limits with fewer cards). At the moment I have 5 cards, but the majority of my spend goes on 2-3 of them. I've learned that I like cashback the most and that there are still cards that I want and will apply for. You'll make mistakes along the way and will hopefully learn from them, but you have to be a willing student to get there. 

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I should also clarify that you can still apply for and have LOTS of cards and still get high limits and maintain high scores, however those people usually have a LONG credit history and THICK profile. When you're new in the game (like me), slow and steady is how you get there.

It's also important to know your lender and plan applications with their rules in mind. If you have a few applications in mind, ALWAYS apply for the card you want the most FIRST. That way you have a better chance of getting it than if it's the 3rd or 4th card in your spree. 

[dsotm76]

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@Anonymous wrote:

They have cheat codes 

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One of the best comments I've ever seen on here! 

[UH_HUH]

I had to look on my Experian report to see how many I had.

62 open 14 closed. 25 opened in the last calendar year. 

54 HP's on Ex :-) Last two credit cards opened 6 weeks ago

Lowes and Ebay. 5K each. Over 570K in tradelines. Went down some since

Synchrony went bat shi* crazy :-) I only started seriously collecting them a few

years ago. 

 To answer your question,you get that many by apping alot ;-)

Cheers

[M_Smart007]

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@UH_HUH wrote:

I had to look on my Experian report to see how many I had.

62 open 14 closed. 25 opened in the last calendar year. 

54 HP's on Ex :-) Last two credit cards opened 6 weeks ago

Lowes and Ebay. 5K each. Over 570K in tradelines. Went down some since

Synchrony went bat shi* crazy :-) I only started seriously collecting them a few

years ago. 

 To answer your question,you get that many by apping alot ;-)

Cheers

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@UH_HUH, Well you got me beat by far on the Inqs

You have a few more open TL's than Me, and thanks to SinkChrony, I have a few more closed than you

Take care my friend, see you at the poker game

(Don't forget the two bowls)

[CaliCreditNoob]

@KLEXH25 How did you get a 10,000 Paypal Mastercard? Anyways that credit limit on that card seems common around here.

[KLEXH25]

@CaliCreditNoob I answered your question in another thread. 

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/General-Credit-Topics/Vantage-score-100-pts-higher-than-FICO/m-p/60...