How many credit cards do you actually use?

[tornadoguy]

Hmm a very good question. I think realistically I use 3-4/5 with the new additions:

AMEX Everyday Preferred - Any purchase less than $20 (have to hit that 30), Groceries (4.5x), Gas (3x) when non-category.

Barclays Arrival - Non-Category Spending, foreign travel, Utils or anything else I can put on there at the moment to earn the signup. This includes gas for the moment.

Freedom - 5x Categories only pretty much - meaning restaurants and home improvement this quarter, gas in others.

Intermittent - PRG - Airfares/work charges that are inconvenient to appear elsewhere.

SD - BCE, has been replaced and is basically a free history extension that I use for something small every month.

[plasectomy]

Great thread! I have 20+ cards and am currently using only my Amex SPG to meet the spending requirements for the sign-up bonus. When not meeting spending requirements, I try to play the category game, but honestly, sometimes the game gets more to be more tedious than saving 20 cents is worth. My go-to card is the Barclaycard Arrival until I downgrade to the non-AF version, at which point I expect to use my Fidelity Amex.

The only with an AF that I see myself using a year from now is the Marriott card.

Managing my Google spreadsheet is fun, but since I pay off the balances by statement close date (for reporting puroses), I really need to be on top of it if I play the category game.

[red259]

BCP for grocery store spend

Freedom for any bonus categories (restaurants this quarter)

CSP for restaurants when not Freedom quarter, also for travel expenses. CSP tends to get most of the misc non-cat spend.

Amex PRG I usually throw some expenses on this card each month so it sees some use. It will probably get ditched when AF is due.

Citi AA Executive - did a massive amount of spend over the last two months on this card to meet initial spend bonus, but doubtful it will get much use going forward

Cap 1 Venture- Doesn't see any use anymore and will probably get PCed when AF comes due next month. 

Total 4 out of 6. 

[xgac12x]

I use my AMEX Fidelity for regular spending. 

Chase Freedom for restaurants

Sallie Mae MC for gas

And Quicksilver for everything else (once I recieve it in the mail of course)

[Josh2942]

I'm using about 4 out of 20. I run my insurance auto pay thru my Barclays reward. I am using the 0% 18 months Barclay financing on a MacBook Pro. I use the Chase freedom for my simple expenses like gas, food, and local entertainment. Finally I use my Amex Blue for larger purchases and travel.

[Stralem]

Out of 7, only three get regular use.

Freedom, CSP, and PRG.

I'll be trimming the fat this year, so to speak.

[maiden_girl]

I only use one and that's Chase Freedom

[Gatortrout]

I have 6 cards now.

I use 3. AMEX BCP, BoA MLB, and Discover IT.

My Chase Marriott and Sapphire Preferred seem to get very little useage now, as well as my Venture. I just upgraded venture to Quicksilver and am awaiting that.

[MrCollector]

1. CSP: Min spend
2. Freedom (restaurants right now)
3. Amex BCE: everything else

[celluloid17]

I currently have 9 TLs, but I mostly use:

Sallie Mae WMC: gas & groceries  (most used card by far!)

US Bank Cash + Visa Sig.: fast food & cell phone bill for 5% and drug stores 2% (when this quarter ends, I'm going to select restaurants instead of cell phone)

Chase Freedom Visa Sig.: miscellaneous bills and restaurants this quarter

Amex TrueEarnings: Costco membership and purchases that I want extra protection for

In August, I plan to app for Fidelity Amex and hopefully will be approved.  When that happens, I will probably tweak my line-up a bit  and make Fidelity Amex more of a catch-all daily use card and for bill pay when Amex is accepted (Freedom if not).  I also plan to close a few cards that I'm not using (Citi, Discover, etc).