@M_Smart007 wrote:
@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
@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)
Capital One starter card to open,Jacks or better.Visa Siggy Max raise.
And if ya bet a Synchrony card I will know you're bluffing @M_Smart007
You allways make me laugh buddy :-)
Cheers
@KLEXH25 wrote:
@KLEXH25 wrote:@CaliCreditNoob ... 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).
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.
+1 For me, it's never been about the NUMBER of cards. I've had credit for over 35 years. If I had added a potentially reasonable average of 4 cards every year over all that time, I would have over 140 cards!! 
But so what?? The one with the most cards doesn't win! I didn't want numbers. But that is one major answer: TIME is what it takes to build a huge number or cards.
And what is the point of more and more cards? More cards won't raise my credit score after I get above just a few. Credit limits are not money in my pocket; they are actually potential DEBTS and liabilities. Some people can't handle having the temptation to run up large bills that they can't pay. They aren't going to impress anybody; nobody sees my entire credit history in a snapshot, save for an occassional lender's manual review or a signature on My Fico. They can be a hassle; each account needs some attention to make sure cards are used, transactions are accurate, bills are paid, no fraud is commited. In some cases, as pointed out in the thread, too much credit may keep you from getting new cards that you really want more and can use.
For me, it's about the QUALITY, not the QUANTITY. And it's about having cards that I can benefit from based on my financial situation.
I currently have 18 cards in my signature. Over all my years with credit, I've closed many more cards than you see here. A few years ago, I culled my card list down to simplify and get rid of cards that served no good purpose. I made lists of my cards, scored them, and kept the cards that were oldest (4 over 20 years), had the best rewards for my spending, had the best benefits, had the highest credit limits, or had the lowest APRs. After that, I believe I only had 8 cards about three years ago and much lower limits. Since then, I've added some great cards that give me much better rewards than I had previously, better benefits, lower APRs and higher limits. Plus, many had SUBs as well. Win-win. But there was a purpose to my app'ing. I study the lenders, the cards, their competitors, and read all the fine print before I pick a target card. I avoid applying in the heat of the moment. I usually plan for months before I act on a new card.
My philosophy is what @KLEXH25 said, but I'll paraphase and add to it a bit. My goal is to build a selected portfolio of higher credit-limit cards from a diverse group of quality lenders with industry-leading rewards and benefits that fit my spending and lifestyle.
I'm fortunate to be in that group that @KLEXH25 referred to, with a thick file and high income which has allowed me to maintain an 800+ score while adding new cards. I usually suggest no more than one new card every six months for most profiles, and that will usually keep your progress stable while preventing denials due to excessive credit-seeking, even from conservative lenders like Chase or US Bank.
And if you move too fast, even seasoned profiles like mine can get a denial for too many new accounts, because it's happened to me recently! Slow and steady wins the race. And the race is a marathon, not a sprint. Pace yourself.
28 active accounts and 1 closure so far this year. I expect more closures for lack of use. Like many have said in this thread, you have position yourself for the cards that make sense for you. The total number doesn't matter. I've axed about 10 cards since I've actually started posting on the boards and that is because they served no purpose. For example, I have 2 cap1 cards that are maxed out at 3.3K each and have not grown over 3 years. I keep them for international travel because they will never fail and you never know when an emergency will arise. There are about 8-10 more cards I will close because as the cards I really want/have grow, then I won't have any use for them. I think I'm half way done with my rebuild from BK7 from 2014. my scores are all low 700s and my July of 2021 I expect them to be closer to 800 which is my goal. I intend on getting their with CLI growth, gardening and lower my Utility (should be 0 by Dec 2020)... Now, if Amex opens up and let my slide in I will have to change my approach because this is the only thing missing from my arsenal.
Just take your time, Identify what your goals are, come up with a plan and execute the best you can because life happens 
.
my .02 cents
PS: I need a siggy lol
@Aim_High wrote:
@KLEXH25 wrote:
@KLEXH25 wrote:@CaliCreditNoob ... 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).
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.
+1 For me, it's never been about the NUMBER of cards. I've had credit for over 35 years. If I had added a potentially reasonable average of 4 cards every year over all that time, I would have over 140 cards!!
And what is the point of more and more cards? More cards won't raise my credit score after I get above just a few. Credit limits are not money in my pocket; they are actually potential DEBTS and liabilities. Some people can't handle having the temptation to run up large bills that they can't pay. They aren't going to impress anybody; nobody sees my entire credit history in a snapshot, save for an occassional lender's manual review or a signature on My Fico. They can be a hassle; each account needs some attention to make sure cards are used, transactions are accurate, bills are paid, no fraud is commited. In some cases, as pointed out in the thread, too much credit may keep you from getting new cards that you really want more and can use.
For me, it's about the QUALITY, not the QUANTITY. And it's about having cards that I can benefit from based on my financial situation.
I currently have 18 cards in my signature. Over all my years with credit, I've closed many more cards than you see here. A few years ago, I culled my card list down to simplify and get rid of cards that served no good purpose. I made lists of my cards, scored them, and kept the cards that were oldest (4 over 20 years), had the best rewards for my spending, had the best benefits, had the highest credit limits, or had the lowest APRs. After that, I believe I only had 8 cards about three years ago and much lower limits. Since then, I've added some great cards that give me much better rewards than I had previously, better benefits, lower APRs and higher limits. Plus, many had SUBs as well. Win-win. But there was a purpose to my app'ing. I study the lenders, the cards, their competitors, and read all the fine print before I pick a target card. I avoid applying in the heat of the moment. I usually plan for months before I act on a new card.
My philosophy is what @KLEXH25 said, but I'll paraphase and add to it a bit. My goal is to build a selected portfolio of higher credit-limit cards from a diverse group of quality lenders with industry-leading rewards and benefits that fit my spending and lifestyle.
I'm fortunate to be in that group that @KLEXH25 referred to, with a thick file and high income which has allowed me to maintain an 800+ score while adding new cards. I usually suggest no more than one new card every six months for most profiles, and that will usually keep your progress stable while preventing denials due to excessive credit-seeking, even from conservative lenders like Chase or US Bank.
And if you move too fast, even seasoned profiles like mine can get a denial for too many new accounts, because it's happened to me recently! Slow and steady wins the race. And the race is a marathon, not a sprint. Pace yourself.
Can always count on Aim High to educate the masses!
@longtimelurker wrote:
@gingerflower wrote:@longtimelurker Honestly I have 50 but its years of managing my Cc's and maintaining Good credit Lol!
Look, anyone can come on here and claim that have lots of cards. Just PM me the numbers, exp dates, codes and billing address, and I will verify (or otherwise) for the forum by making some purchases. OK?
It's a little outdated now, but does this also work?
