Why do you need so many credit cards?

[takeshi74]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

Why do some people get so many credit cards? 

Do they even use them all every month?

Is having 10 credit cards at $5k CL better than having 3 credit cards at $15K CL? 

---

This is a VERY common topic.  Please don't overlook the previous number of cards threads.

People have whatever number of cards they have for various reasons.  Why isn't necessarily relevant to you.  You need to arrive at your number of cards based on your needs/wants, what your credit profile can support and what you can reasonably manage.

FWIW it's primarly rewards on my spend that drive my credit card selection and usage.  However, I do have some other cards that are kept for other reasons such as AAoA and revolving utilization padding.  No, I don't use all my cards every month.  There's no need to.  Having a card and using a card are two entirely different things.  You don't have to use a give card every month just because you have it.

As for better, better in what regard?  Always be very specific when using the word better and don't assume that your notion of better is universal no matter what the topic.  From a scoring perspective it's not just the limit but revolving utilization and the other standard factors that matter.  However, an individiual could have specific requirements that may make one or the other better.

---

@Anonymous wrote:
well, now that all the churners answered, here's a realist approach: typically the "right" 3-4 cards will be very beneficial. 

---

Nothing unrealistic about churning or using more than 3-4 cards.  Again, it's up to each to determine.  Everyone's situation, income, credit, spend, budget, card management ability, etc is not all the same.  Some may even find less than 3-4 to be the most beneficial though the general suggestion is at least 2-3 for scoring purposes.

---

@Anonymous wrote:
that's what you all are misconceiving. being a churned isn't negative

---

It's your choice of words and not misconception IMO.  Your post came across as "churners do this but realistic people do this".  It comes across as looking down on churners IMO and I'm not a churner.  That may have not been your intent but something like "churners do this but I prefer this" would be a minimal change with a very different message.

[redpat]

---

@takeshi74 wrote:

---

@Anonymous wrote:

Why do some people get so many credit cards? 

Do they even use them all every month?

Is having 10 credit cards at $5k CL better than having 3 credit cards at $15K CL? 

---

This is a VERY common topic.  Please don't overlook the previous number of cards threads.

People have whatever number of cards they have for various reasons.  Why isn't necessarily relevant to you.  You need to arrive at your number of cards based on your needs/wants, what your credit profile can support and what you can reasonably manage.

FWIW it's primarly rewards on my spend that drive my credit card selection and usage.  However, I do have some other cards that are kept for other reasons such as AAoA and revolving utilization padding.  No, I don't use all my cards every month.  There's no need to.  Having a card and using a card are two entirely different things.  You don't have to use a give card every month just because you have it.

As for better, better in what regard?  Always be very specific when using the word better and don't assume that your notion of better is universal no matter what the topic.  From a scoring perspective it's not just the limit but revolving utilization and the other standard factors that matter.  However, an individiual could have specific requirements that may make one or the other better.

---

@Anonymous wrote:
well, now that all the churners answered, here's a realist approach: typically the "right" 3-4 cards will be very beneficial. 

---

Nothing unrealistic about churning or using more than 3-4 cards.  Again, it's up to each to determine.  Everyone's situation, income, credit, spend, budget, card management ability, etc is not all the same.  Some may even find less than 3-4 to be the most beneficial though the general suggestion is at least 2-3 for scoring purposes.

---

@Anonymous wrote:
that's what you all are misconceiving. being a churned isn't negative

---

It's your choice of words and not misconception IMO.  Your post came across as "churners do this but realistic people do this".  It comes across as looking down on churners IMO and I'm not a churner.  That may have not been your intent but something like "churners do this but I prefer this" would be a minimal change with a very different message.

---

God, I can't take it anymore.....Churners, Credit Hoarders who cares, is everyone's skin that thin...LOL!

I wish we could go back to the good old days and make fun of something without people crying about it, stick and stones, stick and stones remember.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies. Very informative.

[Anonymous]

yeah we found the sensitive ones pretty quickly didn't we ha. 

[Open123]

---

@Anonymous wrote:
yeah we found the sensitive ones pretty quickly didn't we ha. 

---

While I can't speak for others, I don't think "churners" per se set off the...er...comical posts that ensured.  What set off my amusement was the moment I saw MJ's post quoting with the portion bolded in red where you mentioned "after the churners" to only proceed to announce after "13 14 cards and half of which are never used."

This portion was just hysterically funny.  It was all in good fun, in my view.

[Anonymous]

I didn't read the middle pages. I have read thAt during times when creditors are tightening their lines, they actually will consider people who don't have that many cards as a higher risk, reasoning being their own exposure to that person is too high. If they had more cards it would be lower

[Open123]

---

@redpat wrote:

God, I can't take it anymore.....Churners, Credit Hoarders who cares, is everyone's skin that thin...LOL!

I wish we could go back to the good old days and make fun of something without people crying about it, stick and stones, stick and stones remember.

---

Right, I grew up during an age when words meant something, and we never minced them.  A drunkard was a drunkard, not inebriated, etc...and the assortment of new words being created for the sake of policitcal correctness has become the height of folly and absurdity.

Of course, given my views, my very first assignment in Corp America was being shipped off to mandatory sensitivity training, to which I wrote a memo claiming "offense" at being called insensitive.

[Anonymous]

i just have old cards i don't use because they don't offer anything. there were no sign up bonuses or spend bonuses and they are pretty useless so i just don't use them. seems pretty simple to me. if you outgrow something then why use it.

[vanillabean]

---

@takeshi74 wrote:

This is a VERY common topic.  Please don't overlook the previous number of cards threads.

---

 Agreed, lol. How can anyone forget memorable words such as the following from the recent Why SO MANY Credit Cards?

"Personally, enough for me is 3 cards, MAYBE as much as 6.  Anyone with more than 10 or 20 has some unresolved issues."

[Open123]

---

@Anonymous-own-fico wrote:

"Personally, enough for me is 3 cards, MAYBE as much as 6.  Anyone with more than 10 or 20 has some unresolved issues."

---

I have no issues with the assertion, and still don't, but found the premise for it flimsy.  

*Edited*  PS - For me, it's never about what's declared, but the rationale behind it.  If it makes sense, then it makes sense.  If not, then it doesn't.