@Caught750 wrote:
Well this is getting interesting. I wouldn’t randomly get cards just to get them but if something works better for you then so be it!
Eventually everyone other than acquisition enthusiasts gets to be credit complete.
As an example, Chase vs. Amex to me is probably a rounding error but Amex just has a better redemption facility for me (Schwab account) whereas I'm trying hard and failing to find a use for the half million or more UR I have now. Earning them faster than spending them and while my thought of going on a world tour is cute it's not happening for at least six months and how many more points would I really need anyway to get reasonable flights to half a dozen countries?
End of the day it's better to set yourself up to be able to strike when the iron's hot so to speak... I do this with regards to credit, but now trying to do this with my investing too and keeping some in cash to buy on stupid news drops. It's the same principle really, but if I'd just been racking up cards I wouldn't be sitting north of 760 and heck might as well just refinance my mortgage and save myself $1000 a month, and potentially putting that to a new residence in some more tax friendly state while keeping the LA based condo which probably has at least 10 more years to run up.
That's where credit can really shine, putting oneself in a position to keep adroitly moving through financial life. New credit shineys, just aren't in the cards for me.
@Revelate wrote:Eventually everyone other than acquisition enthusiasts gets to be credit complete.
As an example, Chase vs. Amex to me is probably a rounding error but Amex just has a better redemption ... (Schwab) whereas I'm trying hard and failing to find a use for the half million or more UR points ...
End of the day it's better to set yourself up to be able to strike when the iron's hot so to speak...That's where credit can really shine, putting oneself in a position to keep adroitly moving through financial life.
Excellent comments.
I have been "credit complete" a few times in my life. But things change, not only with our lifestyle, credit scores, debts, priorities and the like but also with the credit card market as it evolves over time and our wallets become outdated. I've been in a major "refresh" the past couple of years but I see reaching a point soon where "enough-is-enough." I don't aim to have $1 Million in credit and 3 dozen cards or more, especially not multiple AF cards. I'm just trying to diverisfy with the major lenders, pump up all my limits for utilization padding and future spending flexibility, and to maximize rewards options for both cash-back or points/travel as I choose.
Your points about placing yourself in the position to strike when the iron is hot is spot-on. Managing credit scores and reports are like steering an ocean liner, not a speed boat. I've found myself several times in my life where I wanted or needed to take advantage of financing for another house, car, furniture or other situation where my score mattered. Always keeping the "big picture" in mind and keeping scores optimized is sound advice from a couple of us old-timers to My Fico Newcomers.
As for having too many UR points, that's a good problem to have. You'll use them one day. Maybe you just need to get out more? Lol 
But I'll admit that I'm also concerned about building up too many points that aren't doing me any good and can be devalued.
@longtimelurker wrote:
@Aim_High wrote: Always keeping the "big picture" in mind and keeping scores optimized is sound advice from a couple of us old-timers to My Fico Newcomers.Well, as another old-timer I would probably put modifiers on that, do it if the cost isn't great. Doing AZEO constantly, and/or denying yourself cards just to keep score high "just in case" doesn't make much sense.
... just accumulate a simple nest egg of say $100M
Moderation and balance in everything, of course, and always.
High scores don't do you any good if you never use them.
They are a tool for our financial lives, not a trophy.
As for the $100M, if I had that I wouldn't need cards.
I'd have my people with cards handling everything for me. 
Interesting thread. After having my finances go to hell in a hand basket in 2017, my view on credit has changed a lot. I burned a few lenders (Chase, Citi, BofA, US Bank, and PenFed), so it is unliklely I will ever obtain a card from any of them again. I did settle those accounts, so there's a small chance I might get back in several years down the road. While my credit has improved and I have paid off all the credit card debt I owed, I have had to re-evaluate what I want out of my credit cards and find different lenders to work with. Citi is not someone I am interested in doing business with ever again. Even when my credit was really good and I was using the card, they never let me PC my Simplicity or Premier Rewards to something else and they wouldn't ever give me a CLI.
For your average person in America with good credit, 5/24 will probably not be a major obstacle. You might apply for a Chase card without even being aware of 5/24, if, for example, you want a Southwest card. My brother is in this situation. He has good, well-established credit and hasn't opened a new account for several years.
For people on MyFICO, specifically people like me who are in a massive build or rebuild phase, I think Chase would need to have unique value to be worth avoiding going over 5/24. It is true that you don't "need" more than three cards (some would say you don't need more than one, or even zero), but when rebuilding, you will often be in a scenario of opening "bad" cards to get the gears moving, then upgrade to "decent" cards, then upgrade to "good" cards, then review and prune and try to get your "ideal" cards. This is not a 5/24-friendly scenario. Of course, you can also approach it differently, with different pros and cons.
For a while, I considered the CSR (or maybe CSP, I hadn't really decided) to be a goal card. But when they raised the AF on the CSR, I decided that I'd just get an Amex Platinum (I pay $400/year for it since I am in the CAP program). While I would still like to have a Chase card, and probably will in 18-24 months, there is no longer any particular Chase card I think is a key missing piece for me. So I guess you could say, I decided that Chase "isn't worth it" in a sense. Five years from now (assuming no major life/financial problems and things continue on a similar trajectory), none of this will matter. If I want a Chase card, I'll open a Chase card. But I am not the only MyFICOer in a similar situation and I think that's what the OP was referring to.
@KJinNC wrote:For your average person in America with good credit, 5/24 will probably not be a major obstacle. You might apply for a Chase card without even being aware of 5/24, if, for example, you want a Southwest card. My brother is in this situation. He has good, well-established credit and hasn't opened a new account for several years.
For people on MyFICO, specifically people like me who are in a massive build or rebuild phase, I think Chase would need to have unique value to be worth avoiding going over 5/24. It is true that you don't "need" more than three cards (some would say you don't need more than one, or even zero), but when rebuilding, you will often be in a scenario of opening "bad" cards to get the gears moving, then upgrade to "decent" cards, then upgrade to "good" cards, then review and prune and try to get your "ideal" cards. This is not a 5/24-friendly scenario. Of course, you can also approach it differently, with different pros and cons.
For a while, I considered the CSR (or maybe CSP, I hadn't really decided) to be a goal card. But when they raised the AF on the CSR, I decided that I'd just get an Amex Platinum (I pay $400/year for it since I am in the CAP program). While I would still like to have a Chase card, and probably will in 18-24 months, there is no longer any particular Chase card I think is a key missing piece for me. So I guess you could say, I decided that Chase "isn't worth it" in a sense. Five years from now (assuming no major life/financial problems and things continue on a similar trajectory), none of this will matter. If I want a Chase card, I'll open a Chase card. But I am not the only MyFICOer in a similar situation and I think that's what the OP was referring to.
From a pure credit scoring perspective "some" would be badly mistaken.
That said, average consumer has 4.1 credit cards on the last bureau data point that got posted here to the forums: 4.1 < 5, Chase policy is a non-issue for most as a result.
End of the day if you travel / eat at restaurants regularly you should seriously consider being in either Chase or Amex's camp and possibly one or two others from a rewards perspective.
If you're not, there isn't much reason to prioritize them TBH. Flights / general travel, Hotel of choice for loyalty rewards, something to cover restaurants and a default spender. Sounds like 4 /shrug.