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Why do you have the cards you have?

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lindsaydruart
Established Contributor

Why do you have the cards you have?

I figured this would be a good thread to learn more about our wallets than is on the surface. For me, the purpose is to look at what I have, why I have it, if I will keep it or what I need to do for successful gardening....that I plan to start when I can kick my apping addiction. Anyway, here is my list:

 

What I Have (that reports on personal credit):

 

Matrix/Surge/Total - Rebuilder Cards, Cancelling each at 11 months to avoid more fees

Old Navy/Gap/Athleta/Banana - HUGE Gap fan for the whole family. I didn't get the CL I wanted on the Old Navy so I just apped them all. Hoping one will get to a Visa so I can cancel the others. The rewards used to be diff for each card but now they are exactly the same across the board.

Merrick Bank - Rebuilder, Doubling every 7 months makes up for what I will lose for cancelling the other rebuilders, my Netflix card

Overstock/Target/Kohls - Sock Drawer/Online only. I only use these cards with SlickDeals. Sometimes I shop in Target if I'm mad at Walmart

Walmart - Huge Sam's Club shopper but my Sam's is a Business Account and Synchrony is being mean. Plan to cancel this when I get the Sam's MC

Torrid/Hot Topic - My skater girl (though big girl) tastes. These are for my retail therapy. Immediate payoffs

Brooks Brothers/Buckle - Semi expensive gifts every now and again for the men in my life but I'll likely get rid of Buckle. Hoping for the BB Visa for an in with Citibank (burned them in the past)

Military Star Card - Gas. The 5 cent off is AWESOME for already cheap gas

Firestone - On the fence with this card, especially since my husband has one. Wiper blades for the cars and trucks? Emergencies only

Victoria Secret - Major surgery coming up and I have never been able to wear a VS bra. Soon....then I'll probably get rid of the card after a year or so

Cap1 QS1 - My everyday card. I heart this card so much. It's my oldest card and a card I rehabbed over a year ago. It started the road.

Cap 1 Spark Classic - Business recurring stuff. I'm hoping to PC to the Cash Select at 6 months

 

What's your list?

 

 

Gardening since 12/15/2019. Goal 12/15/2021
FICO 8 as of 12/16/2019 - EQ 602 EX 656 TU 628
Message 1 of 57
56 REPLIES 56
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

BoA CR- groceries

Barclay SM- gas & groceries

Barclay Ring- BTs

Chase AARP- restaurants

Citibank DC- general spend

Citibank Simplicity- BTs

Message 2 of 57
icyhot
Valued Contributor

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

Citi Forward- very first card, needed a new laptop in college and my mom said to get a credit card and she would pay the bill. It was my only CC for a long time and got me through it as a youngster

Delta Amex- heard about this on CK and MF forums. Heard it was "easy" to get and I wanted my first Amex. I've found it very useful as I fly to New York a lot and that's the airport of choice

QS- I originally had the VentureOne and liked that it was a no frills travel card. However learned from MF that the earning rates were better elsewhere so I PCd to QS and apped for a Venture

BofA cash- this one is my BABY! I got a mailer for a rebuilder card (not secured, but rebuilder) from BOFA and my mom told me they were a good bank to be with. As my credit and income got better, it grew from a $500 no rewards card to an $8000 cash rewards card in 8 months

CSP- Chase ALWAYS had attractive cards to me but they NEVER approved me for anything. Freedom, Slate, Amazon, SWRR, Marriott, all those, nothing. I had heard about the CSP from MF and loved the transfer partners but I looked away in awe. It seemed like a card for the elite. One day I just said, yanno what, why not? I been rejected for everything else. I actually got approved and was amazed. Glad I did cuz it was literally a week before 5/24 came into effect

Spark- wanted a business card cuz I have a side biz. Things like Google, mailing, business cards etc go here

Citi AA- I think this was my first "elite" card and I was souped when I got it. Didn't realize the Gold would be a waste but I think I apped just because I wasn't sure I'd get the Platinum Select. May be closing an moving some of the CL soon to Forward

NCSECU- has a low rate just in case I ever need one

PRG- my new best friend. I can't wait to get the bonus and use the travel transfers and having NPSL helps me manage my spending
Ch 7 BK discharged 12/2018
Bank Cards: NFCU Flagship Rewards $25K | NFCU Cash Rewards $20K |NFCU More Rewards Amex $17K | PenFed Power Cash $12.5K | PenFed Platinum Rewards $12.5K | PenFed Pathfinder Rewards $10K | PenFed Gold Card $7.5K | PayPal Cashback Mastercard $5K | Apple Card $3.5K
Store Cards: Bergdorf Goodman $10.5K | Neiman Marcus $7.5K | Care Credit $7K |
Scores: EX 656 | EQ 667 | TU 680


Goal Card: Amex Platinum (Amex IIB, waiting for 5 year mark)
Message 3 of 57
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

Current cards:
Barclaycard Rewards Opened as Arrival+ $400 signup bonus, now SD
BofA BBR #1 Opened as 3/2/1 with $200 signup bonus, plus 6% on g/g/d for six months, converted to BBR for free $30 per quarter
Barclay AA Aviator Opened as USAirways for 50k points, now SD
Kohl's 15%/20%/30% off deals
Discover 5882 Signup bonus IIRC, and quarterly categories
BofA BBR #2 0% APR for a year, converted to BBR for free $30 per quarter
USBank Travel Rewards Signup bonus of 37.4k ($748 of airfare), and effectively 6% on charity, 4% on airfare, 2% on everything else
Amazon.com Visa Signup bonus $100 IIRC, then 3% on Amazon, now SD
Discover it #1 Lifetime 0% APR on balance transfer, now 5% quarterly categories
Chase Ink M/C Signup bonus $30, 3% on office stores/restuarants/home improvement, now SD
Sallie Mae M/C Originally 2% on everything plus a $100 signup bonus, program morphed to 5.5% on gas/grocery/bookstores (including Amazon)
NFL Extra Points Signup bonus $400, now SD
Marriott Rewards Signup bonus 70k points, 5pp$ on Marriott purchases
Chase Sapphire CSP signup bonus $500, now converted to plain Sapphire and SD
Capital One Venture Signup bonus $400, now SD
Barclay AA Aviator Opened as USAirways 50k points, now SD
Citi ThankYou M/C Opened as Citi Drivers Edge card, first year 12% on g/g/d, then 6% g/g/d, 2% everything else, program nerfed and converted to useless Citi TY card, now SD
Lowe's Visa Signup bonus of $200 and 10% off first Lowe's purchase, now SD
CCU Visa Cash Rebate 12 transactions monthly means up to 5.09% on $20k in my checking account, SD as of 2/1/16
Capital One Platinum Signup offer of no-fee B/T 0% APR for 12 months, now SD
Chase Sapphire Ann Signup offer 20k URP ($200)
Chase Flex Visa Opened as Providian Visa rebuilder, converted to WaMu Visa, then Chase Flex, now SD
USBank Cash+ Visa Signup offer $200, now 5% on Electronics, Department Stores
Discover it #2 Discover Open Road card 5% on gas, now 5% on quarterly categories
Chase Ink M/C Signup bonus of $250 and 0% APR for a year, 5% CB on office stores, telecommunications
Barclaycard Arrival Opened as Arrival+ with $400 signup bonus, now SD
Fidelity AmEx Signup bonus of $50, 2% CB on everything, now mostly used at Costco
Costco/AmEx Personal Signup bonus of $25, 3%/2%/1% on gas&dining/travel/everything else, now SD
AmEx Simply Cash Signup bonus of $300, now SD
Discover it Miles 1.5 mile per $, doubled first year
Chase Freedom Visa #1 Opened as Chase Cash Rewards with signup bonus of $250 and 5% CB on g/g/d, converted to Freedom 4% on 3 categories, now 5% on quarterly categories
BofA BBR #3 Schwab Visa 2% on everything, got nerfed to BofA 3/2/1 card, converted to BofA BBR for free $30 per quarter
LaQuinta (FNBO) Signup bonus of 20k LQ points, plus another 20k points for spending $10k in first year, 5 points per $ spent at LQ
CostCo/AmEx Business Signup bonus of $50, 0% APR for 12 months, 5%/3%/2%/1% on gas, restaurant, travel, other, now SD
BofA BBR #4 PetRewards card, $10 signup bonus, 4% on pet supplies, 2% everything else, nerfed to 3/2/1 card, converted to BBR for free $30 per quarter
Chase Freedom Visa #2 Signup bonus of $250, 4% on 3 categories per month, now 5% on quarterly categories
PenFed AmEx Signup bonus of $200, 5ppd on airfare, 3ppd on restaurants for first six months, now just 5ppd on airfare
Chase Ink Visa Signup bonus of $600, now SD
Citi Dividend M/C Citi Driver Rewards card, first year 12% on g/g/d, then 6% g/g/d, 2% everything else, program nerfed and converted to useless Citi TY card, I converted to Citi Dividend, 5% on quarterly categories

 

Dear departed:
AmEx Premier Gold Signup bonus of 75k points ($750 of g/c)
Citi AA Platinum #1 Signup bonus of 75k miles
La Quinta (Chase) Signup bonus of 25k LQ points, 5ppd on LQ purchases
BankOfAmerica Business Signup bonus of $250, 0% APR for 12 months
Chase Premier Visa 8501 0% APR for 12 months
United Explorer Card #1 Signup bonus of 50k miles
United Explorer Card #2 Signup bonus of 50k miles
Citi AA Platinum #2 Signup bonus of 50k miles
AmEx Premier Gold Signup bonus of 50k points ($500 of g/c)
Chase Sapphire Pref Signup bonus of 50k URP ($500)
Citi AA Platinum #3 Signup bonus of 75k miles

 

Message 4 of 57
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

Barclay Rewards World Mastercard- This is my main card and I love it. I just recentluy got a CLI on it and I use it for recurring payments, daily spend.

Capital One Quicksilver 1- I use this for restauraunts since I dont go that often and am trying to just spend less money in general.

Logix FCU Platinum-No rewards on this one so I have it just to have a 3rd major for now.

Pottery Barn-0% on large purchases is amazing to have so I usually buy something. Make 3 or 4 payments to pay it off and do it again.

Amazon-I use it for free shipping, movies,tv and kindle books. 

Message 5 of 57
zerbherb
Established Contributor

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

PRG- had a trip coming up knew i would reach the 50k spend bonus in one purchase. First true travel card

Discover- Daily driver and my best card

Everyday- My in with amex and 2x points grocery. 

;
Discover it 13300 cl nov 2014/ Everyday 26700 k march 2015/CSP 7.5k Feb 2016/ Freedom Unlimited 7k july 207
Message 6 of 57
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

Discover: Main card at the moment due to double cash promo. Otherwise, using for 5% rotating categories.

Chase Freedom: Really not using it much anymore, but using on 5% rotating categories if it's the best option (and it doesn't overlap with Discover).

Sallie Mae: Gas, grocery, and amazon go on here if it's not already covered by a 5% rotating card.

Chase Sapphire Preferred: Use this on basically everything else.

 

Message 7 of 57
lindsaydruart
Established Contributor

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?


@Anonymous wrote:

Current cards:
Barclaycard Rewards Opened as Arrival+ $400 signup bonus, now SD
BofA BBR #1 Opened as 3/2/1 with $200 signup bonus, plus 6% on g/g/d for six months, converted to BBR for free $30 per quarter
Barclay AA Aviator Opened as USAirways for 50k points, now SD
Kohl's 15%/20%/30% off deals
Discover 5882 Signup bonus IIRC, and quarterly categories
BofA BBR #2 0% APR for a year, converted to BBR for free $30 per quarter
USBank Travel Rewards Signup bonus of 37.4k ($748 of airfare), and effectively 6% on charity, 4% on airfare, 2% on everything else
Amazon.com Visa Signup bonus $100 IIRC, then 3% on Amazon, now SD
Discover it #1 Lifetime 0% APR on balance transfer, now 5% quarterly categories
Chase Ink M/C Signup bonus $30, 3% on office stores/restuarants/home improvement, now SD
Sallie Mae M/C Originally 2% on everything plus a $100 signup bonus, program morphed to 5.5% on gas/grocery/bookstores (including Amazon)
NFL Extra Points Signup bonus $400, now SD
Marriott Rewards Signup bonus 70k points, 5pp$ on Marriott purchases
Chase Sapphire CSP signup bonus $500, now converted to plain Sapphire and SD
Capital One Venture Signup bonus $400, now SD
Barclay AA Aviator Opened as USAirways 50k points, now SD
Citi ThankYou M/C Opened as Citi Drivers Edge card, first year 12% on g/g/d, then 6% g/g/d, 2% everything else, program nerfed and converted to useless Citi TY card, now SD
Lowe's Visa Signup bonus of $200 and 10% off first Lowe's purchase, now SD
CCU Visa Cash Rebate 12 transactions monthly means up to 5.09% on $20k in my checking account, SD as of 2/1/16
Capital One Platinum Signup offer of no-fee B/T 0% APR for 12 months, now SD
Chase Sapphire Ann Signup offer 20k URP ($200)
Chase Flex Visa Opened as Providian Visa rebuilder, converted to WaMu Visa, then Chase Flex, now SD
USBank Cash+ Visa Signup offer $200, now 5% on Electronics, Department Stores
Discover it #2 Discover Open Road card 5% on gas, now 5% on quarterly categories
Chase Ink M/C Signup bonus of $250 and 0% APR for a year, 5% CB on office stores, telecommunications
Barclaycard Arrival Opened as Arrival+ with $400 signup bonus, now SD
Fidelity AmEx Signup bonus of $50, 2% CB on everything, now mostly used at Costco
Costco/AmEx Personal Signup bonus of $25, 3%/2%/1% on gas&dining/travel/everything else, now SD
AmEx Simply Cash Signup bonus of $300, now SD
Discover it Miles 1.5 mile per $, doubled first year
Chase Freedom Visa #1 Opened as Chase Cash Rewards with signup bonus of $250 and 5% CB on g/g/d, converted to Freedom 4% on 3 categories, now 5% on quarterly categories
BofA BBR #3 Schwab Visa 2% on everything, got nerfed to BofA 3/2/1 card, converted to BofA BBR for free $30 per quarter
LaQuinta (FNBO) Signup bonus of 20k LQ points, plus another 20k points for spending $10k in first year, 5 points per $ spent at LQ
CostCo/AmEx Business Signup bonus of $50, 0% APR for 12 months, 5%/3%/2%/1% on gas, restaurant, travel, other, now SD
BofA BBR #4 PetRewards card, $10 signup bonus, 4% on pet supplies, 2% everything else, nerfed to 3/2/1 card, converted to BBR for free $30 per quarter
Chase Freedom Visa #2 Signup bonus of $250, 4% on 3 categories per month, now 5% on quarterly categories
PenFed AmEx Signup bonus of $200, 5ppd on airfare, 3ppd on restaurants for first six months, now just 5ppd on airfare
Chase Ink Visa Signup bonus of $600, now SD
Citi Dividend M/C Citi Driver Rewards card, first year 12% on g/g/d, then 6% g/g/d, 2% everything else, program nerfed and converted to useless Citi TY card, I converted to Citi Dividend, 5% on quarterly categories

 

Dear departed:
AmEx Premier Gold Signup bonus of 75k points ($750 of g/c)
Citi AA Platinum #1 Signup bonus of 75k miles
La Quinta (Chase) Signup bonus of 25k LQ points, 5ppd on LQ purchases
BankOfAmerica Business Signup bonus of $250, 0% APR for 12 months
Chase Premier Visa 8501 0% APR for 12 months
United Explorer Card #1 Signup bonus of 50k miles
United Explorer Card #2 Signup bonus of 50k miles
Citi AA Platinum #2 Signup bonus of 50k miles
AmEx Premier Gold Signup bonus of 50k points ($500 of g/c)
Chase Sapphire Pref Signup bonus of 50k URP ($500)
Citi AA Platinum #3 Signup bonus of 75k miles

 


Good lord, how do you keep up with that? I have this huge spreadsheet I use. Using the sign up bonuses to your advantage is awesome!

Gardening since 12/15/2019. Goal 12/15/2021
FICO 8 as of 12/16/2019 - EQ 602 EX 656 TU 628
Message 8 of 57
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

FNBO unsecured - It was my first credit card. Started out as secured and unsecured about a year ago. Small limit and no rewards, but I use it every once in a blue moon to keep it active and probably will keep it around for a good long while. It's been good to me.

 

Discover IT - Rotating categories, double cash back, great customer service, best CL. My favorite card.

 

Chase Freedom - Probably my least favorite right now, but I want to keep it around still. Like the rotating categories when they DON'T match up with Discover. $200 sign up bonus was nice as well. Now it gets very little use except for Visa checkout.

 

Cap One QS - My most used every day card (too impatient to wait for the extra 0.5% from Discover after a year on little things. Just a good card to put every day purchases on.. instant rewards. They've been great to me with extending credit and combining accounts.

 

Amex BCE - Groceries and gas when not covered by 5% rotating category by Discover or Chase. That's it, but it's worth it as we do a LOT of spending on those two things.

 

Old Navy - I shop there a lot for clothing. Nice little rewards system!

Message 9 of 57
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Why do you have the cards you have?

I have a total of 26 cards. Accumulated 20 past 12 months. I am a credit card hoarder Smiley Sad

Message 10 of 57
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