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Next step in my credit journey?

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Physh1
Frequent Contributor

Next step in my credit journey?

Long post ahead...thanks for your patience & input...

 

After years of battling bad credit I started making positive progress in 5/15 with a Cap1 secured card (Fico was 550ish). In early 16, I ended up with a Discover IT (unsecured) & Amazon store card...today my Fico 9 is in the 790's and I've got ~$310,000 in open credit. I makes 85k-90k a year, I have 1 installment loan, 1 time share morgage, & no auto loans. I've been gardening for the last 6 months or so & manage my portfolio well. I can safely & properly manage my cards...however, I am looking to consolidate a few cards into one or possibly just close a few lines. While I can handle them I sometimes think I just have too many.

 

I pay for everything on credit, including my rent, & pay most items off before the statement cuts BUT I do let 1 or 2 cards post balances regularly. I have 3 'groups' of cards I cycle through every 2-3 months so they all get used.

 

Major Cards...

Amex Plat - NPSL

Amex PRG - NPSL

Amex EDP (daily driver) - $24,000

Amex SPG - $10,000

PenFed Power Cash - $27,600

PenFed Promise - $22,400

BofA Alaska - $27,200

BofA CashRewards - $14,800

Cap1 QS - $28,750

Citi AA - $11,500

Citi Simp - $10,300 (don't use this anymore since the 0% intro is done)

Citi Costco - $9,000

Comm DSW - $15,000 (buy all my shoes...lol)

Discover IT - $16,000 (mainly use this for %5 categories)

Chase Amazon - $13,000 (use this for nearly all Amazon purchases)

Barclays Hawaiian - $12,000

Barclays UBER - $5,900 (pay rent on this card & getting the %5 back the way it's coded)

Barclays Aviator Red - $6,000

Blispay - $6,500

US Bank REI - $1,500

 

Store Cards...

Sync Amazon - $10,000

Sync Lowes - $35,000

Target MC - $5,000

 

I'm considering moving the Promise line to the PCR . I'm considering moving the BofA Cash to the Alaska card. I'm considering taking the HP to reallocate the Citi Simplicity line over to the AA & Coscto cards. My Sync Amazon card doesn't see anything but a small purchase once in a while...it's my oldest open account.

 

I'm open to suggestions...shall I trim down or just keep cycling cards occasionally? I have everything I want...more than enough open credit. Maybe I'm just bored & looking for something to do...lol...I'm not sure.

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2 REPLIES 2
CH-7-Mission-Accomplished
Valued Contributor

Re: Next step in my credit journey?

What an amazing journey you have made.   Congratulations.

 

I don't have any advice because you seem to have this all well thought out.  I do have a question, though.   Your income is about the same as mine and I've been working to not let my limits go over 200K or so.   The reason is I'm afraid if I see a card I really want, I will get declined for having too much credit or "pyramiding debt" as they sometimes call lots of credit limits (even if all zero balances).

 

Have you run into any problems with any creditors due to this issue?   No problems with Barclay's?    Would love to hear about your experience(s).

Message 2 of 3
Physh1
Frequent Contributor

Re: Next step in my credit journey?

I haven't had any hangups. PenFed just gave me the quarterly soft pull cli for 10.2k and that put me at 50k exposure with them. Barclays was a slow one...I started with the CashForward card in 6/16 @ $1000 and it never grew...when I got the Hawaiian card @ 11k I closed the CF and rolled the limit over. The only card I've been rejected (rejected twice actually) for was the Ritz Card which I don't want anymore....no loss. Discover & Target also auto-cli'd me a couple months back...Cap1 has been a slow & steady consistent card that I plan on using as an emergency backup.

 

 

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