Why So Many?

[improvingmycredit]

Hey hausfrau!!!
Welcome to the forums!
As BS stated- mostly because many on here have failed to close their rebuilder cards and this skews the number that people genuinely use.
However- When rebuilding- one should strategically plan for the cards that will maximize the growth potential for future credit prosperity.
What I mean by this: get cards that set you up for larger limits later- spreading your apps over several CRAs to minimize the damages of 1 CRA with heavy inqs- picking card that best meet your financial objectives at the time. Really do your research here and find the info you need to get the TLs that best suit you.
I recommend a good 5 TLs to ensure no dips in FICO if you find yourself needing to use some of your available credit. Having a little more than you need isn't such a bad idea as long as you are capable of not putting yourself in a debt pit. Hope this answers some of your question about having many and I know I added some you didn't ask for...

[webhopper]

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@Anonymous wrote:
I never really thought of the rewards thing until I lurked here for a while. Plan on using our shiny new nRewards quite frequently and paying it off monthly to start stacking up the rewards there.

Do you have to use the cards a certain amount just to keep them active?

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Some do, some dont.. it varies by lender.

Specificallly store cards become a problem, especially for people such as myself who do not shop a lot.  Some accounts can be closed due to inactivity, so it becomes a challenge to keep cards active if you maintain a large stable of cards

[bs6054]

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@webhopper wrote:

3-4 cards are plenty.

I have 4 credit cards, and 1 business credit card.

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But your sig lists 6 cards!

And certainly 3-4 cards are not enough for some.

[Anonymous]

@improving: I actually did check out which cards pull from where before I did a mini-app spree. Ended up with the nRewards and a VS card. I decided to go with a store card I would actually use vs a secured card to help jump start our rebuild. The nRewards offers a limit that far exceeds what we may need to dip into unless a HUGE catastrophe occurred. Planning on doing good by it for a year and then apping for another nfcu card.

[Anonymous]

Everyone has their reasons for having the number of cards (and which ones) that they do. I have been canceling a number of my own because they no longer serve a purpose and I don't feel like keeping track of them. I primarily use the first 3 in my signature because they provide the greatest return for me and align with my spending habits. I would imagine that others just want to have a card for every possible scenario in order to truly maximize their rewards and for utilization. One's wants do not have to match another's needs.

[improvingmycredit]

hausfrau
Sounds like a plan! NFCU will get you started on the path to higher CLs with other lenders as your score continues to grow. Excellent choice! I love NFCU! Keep us informed

[Anonymous]

At this second, I just want to take my new card and stroke it, and promise it that I won't ever let anything bad happen to it! My end goal is just to have a good credit score. I'm way too ADHD to keep up with a lot of cards.

[Anonymous]

I know I keep saying this, but THANK YOU to everyone who contributes here. Y'all are really making a difference in peoples lives with every bit of info you share. I'm already pointing my baby sister to this site to help her understand credit so she isn't in my shoes in 10 years. You guys rock!

[improvingmycredit]

Haha!!! Very funny! Do you watch Big Bang Theory?- sing- Good card- pretty card- little ball of plastic...while you stroke your new card. Haha! ! Anyway- I hear ya on the OCD! I just closed 6 TLs this week after opening up a Barclays card this past week. haha.

[NonSufficientFunds]

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@Anonymous wrote:
@improving: I actually did check out which cards pull from where before I did a mini-app spree. Ended up with the nRewards and a VS card. I decided to go with a store card I would actually use vs a secured card to help jump start our rebuild. The nRewards offers a limit that far exceeds what we may need to dip into unless a HUGE catastrophe occurred. Planning on doing good by it for a year and then apping for another nfcu card.

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How can you find out which cards pull from which CRAs ?

Is there a link or a list that you can point me to ?