Question about the bragging about having multiple cards open

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Every situation is truly different.  I have maintained good credit since college (graduated in 1978).  I have three or 4 credit cards with high limits that had grown over the years.  I found this forum as well as Flyer Talk and realized I could leverage my credit for free travel/rewards.  If there is a decent sign up bonus I'm in!  On occassion I will get a card like Diners or NASA just for the hell of it and take the $30,000, $40,000 limit but for the most part it's for the freebee's.  In May we are going to Paris.  5 nights at the Marriott ($600 per night) free with Ritz and Marriott sign up bonuses.  2 business class tickets compliments of the multiple Citi AA Exec cards I got last summer.  Last year was London and the year before was Tahiti/Bora Bora.  Trips we could afford but even better free.  We are already working on 2016 vacation.

I never would have known this world existed without these forums.  Yes when asked I do post credit limits but not to brag but to help others.  My FICO has ranged from 800 to 670 (right after a long app spree).  I post successes when my FICO is lower to let people know it is possible.  I keep about 12 core cards and dump cards every year and start over.  I no longer care what a card looks like, don't care what the cashier thinks when I put it down, just care what the credit card companies are paying ME for using their card.  Just my story for what it's worth

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Ah, my dream vacation.  How was it?  What cards did you for that one.  Need to get it/them 😃

[Ragelog]

I share my successes in the credit world to let people know with some effort and time even if your credit is in the dumps it is possible to turn it around in a relatively short time frame if you pay timely. About a year ago I was sitting at $400 with Wal-Mart and $300 with Capital One on a secured card. Then I applied on my own for a couple other secured cards and stumbled upon this place. My EQ FICO was a 604 when I signed up last March it is now a 689. Not perfect or even great but with research I was able to get quality approvals on credit cards as well as a Refinance a vehicle and a vehicle purchase with 1.49% APR. 

Prior to this I feel like every loan was at least in the low double digits and higher. This meant for the same or less money I could afford a much nicer car and pay off principal at a much higher rate. 

Now that I have experienced this I will guard my credit  like I would my children as it is providing a better and less stressful life for me. Which in turn provides a better life for them. I will educate my children on the importance of credit so they don't go through the same mistakes I did from 18 to my mid twenties.

So the short of it is I save money on interest and will earn more in rewards on my assortment of cards then I will pay in interest on my vehicle during that time. Getting paid to spend the same I would before is a win win. I have gotten a few sign up bonuses so far and as things improve really plan to maximize those.

[Anonymous]

It's also a pride thing with me, too, like many.  When I was divorced in 2006, my credit was so bad that I couldn't even get a checking account (thanks, ChexSystems!).  I didn't have this board to help me through the rough patches, either - I had to "feel" my own way through the nightmare, and let me tell you, that was some scary ish.  I NEVER thought I'd recover.

My scores are now what they are, as you see.  It is VERY possible to regain your credit  through financial literacy and hard work.  I learned what credit was for, and what it wasn't for.  I learned that credit is a PRIVILEGE, not a right. 

I have high limits on some cards, yes, and they're comforting to me in case I have such a severe emergency that I NEED that much.  That's a good thing.  But I don't lord it over anyone else, nor would I dream of doing so.  There are plenty of people with better CLs than I, and I remember when I had MUCH, much worse.

So... bragging?  Not in my case, no.  I can see where it might strike someone as offensive, but that's just not true in my sitch.  I'm proud of the work that I had to do to get where I am.  If anything, I'm trying to cut DOWN trade lines right now because everything's unwieldy (I still have lines open from my "beginning" days).

[Legen_dary]

Yea, it's like a little trophy case lol. This is a community about credit and I think if anyone cared it would be here. Less than three years ago I had scores in the 500s, baddies and no credit cards at all, so I am a little proud of the progress I've made!

[Anonymous]

First time poster, long time lurker. This isn't an attempt to troll or a flame. This is my honest to goodness impression of the forum re the OP's question: 

I suspect that a fair amount of people on these boards have some sort of obsessive compulsive disorder that they're trying to channel in a positive way. It's not normal to have 20 credit cards. It's not normal to charge something and then run home to pay it off before it posts. It's not normal to want a collection of every card AMEX and Chase issues. It's not normal to think that every card issuer has a set of secret unwritten rules regarding how they *really* want you to use their cards (e.g., AMEX will ruin your life if you ever let a balance post). A lot of what people write on this board is flat out crazy and as others have noted, their approach to credit defeats the entire purpose of having a credit card--which is to make like SIMPLER and more ENJOYABLE. 

As for the signatures, they help me weed out the crazies when I read threads. 

[ecxpa]

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@longtimelurker wrote:

Bragging or otherwise, one good reason for not having a detailed signature: to avoid a lender identifying you (if you are a little paranoid).   With many cards listed, and in some cases open dates, you are probably identifiable if they chose to bother!

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Now you got me paranoid......I'm removing mine too.  Seems far fetched but possible.  I am almost sure though  some of the CCC have spying eyes on these boards.

[ecxpa]

This thread should be pinned or made a sticky note

[Involver]

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@Anonymous wrote:

First time poster, long time lurker. This isn't an attempt to troll or a flame. This is my honest to goodness impression of the forum re the OP's question: 

I suspect that a fair amount of people on these boards have some sort of obsessive compulsive disorder that they're trying to channel in a positive way. It's not normal to have 20 credit cards. It's not normal to charge something and then run home to pay it off before it posts. It's not normal to want a collection of every card AMEX and Chase issues. It's not normal to think that every card issuer has a set of secret unwritten rules regarding how they *really* want you to use their cards (e.g., AMEX will ruin your life if you ever let a balance post). A lot of what people write on this board is flat out crazy and as others have noted, their approach to credit defeats the entire purpose of having a credit card--which is to make like SIMPLER and more ENJOYABLE. 

As for the signatures, they help me weed out the crazies when I read threads. 

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It's not normal to you.

It is possible to manage 20+ revolving credit lines that all, in some way, make your life simpler and more enjoyable.

Me personally?  I like free money, free business class flights, and hotel upgrades.

[Anonymous]

There are few places in the world I haven't visited but can tell you Tahiti and Bora were among the best.  Booked business class tickets on Air France through Delta.  I was short a few miles from my skymiles account so transfered membership rewards points.  Used one free night at the InterContinental trough Chase IHG credit card and used points from IHG and transfer from Chase UR for the balance.  A friend had gifted me Royal Ambassador status though Intercontinental so we were upgraded to an overwater bungelow.  If we had paid airfare would have been $7,000 and hotel would have been $3,000.

5 nights in Paris is 180,000 Marriott Rewards points.  I could have found the 140,000 mile Ritz offer on my own.  But these forums taught me that if you belong to the Ritz program you can apply for the Ritz card with the 140,000 point bonus and then can apply for the Marriott card for 70,000 mile bonus, BUT if you join Marriott program you can only have one card or the other.  That alone meant $3000 in free hotel stays this summer.  Granted paying my bills and having good credit goes a long way but it is the tricks of the trade that make all the difference.

[Anonymous]

I don't have ANY cards in my siggy but I have quite a few cards.

It's not about the bragging, it's about the moolah.  

• My Southwest card gave me 10+ free flights.  
• My Overstock card saved me like $200 over what I would have paid for the same TV on Amazon thru rewards and 0% financing.  
• I saved $150 using my Kohl's card with 30% discount and free shipping.  
• Costco AMEX has given me like $200 cashback.  
• My Shell gas is 20 cents cheaper than ARCO because I use my Shell card at a Shell station with 5 cents rewards per gallon.
• When Chevron had 50 cents back per gallon, I only used Chevron gas which gave me crazy cheap gas.

Having alot of cards lets me use the right card at the right time.  Cards that I use monthly are set on auto-pay with my single bank.  I never have to worry about missed payments. 

And it's for stuff I would normally spend my money on anyways... why turn down free money?