Great topic! I think over time, I will end up culling the herd down to 5 cards anyway.
1. Discover it. My first ever card (opened 2001). Current CL: $16,200. They've always been good to me. They have the best customer service out there, and the 5% cash back categories ensure that the card actually gets some use pretty much every month. It has a permanent home in my wallet.
2. Amex PRG. Backdated to 2006. NPSL. I have booked many free vacations over the years thanks to MR points. They also have great customer service. As my travel needs increase in the coming years, I'm thinking about upgrading this to a Platinum.
3. CSP. My newest card, just a month old. Current CL: $26,000. Pretty excited to be earning Chase UR points. Depending on how much travel I end up doing, I may upgrade this to a CSR if the numbers make sense.
4. Amex Everyday. Backdated to 2006. Current CL: $30,000. When I'm not chasing sign-up bonuses, this will probably be the card to catch all my non-bonus category spending, plus 2x MR points at supermarkets. I might upgrade to the Preferred if I start hitting 30 swipes a month.
...and that's really it. Between those four, I've got all my networks covered, all my bonus categories covered, and over $70,000 in CL; that's everything I need. On the chopping block:
1. Amex ZYNC. Backdated to 2006. NPSL. This card hasn't gotten a swipe in years, and it doesn't even earn 1x MR points any more. I only keep it because a) it's cool to have a white Amex charge card that no one's ever seen before, and b) it's a sentimental relic of my rebuilding days; I was SO EXCITED to get back in with Amex, and I was like a kid on Christmas when I got my approval and when the card came in the mail.
2. Citi ThankYou Preferred. 2014. ~$9,000 CL. I've never gotten much use out of this card. The ThankYou points are non-transferrable unless you upgrade to the premier or prestige, and I don't really have room to add another card with a big annual fee to my wallet.
3. Citi Double Cash. 2012. ~$6,000 CL. For my non-bonus category spending, I'd rather get 1.2 MR points per dollar than 2% cash back.
4. BoA Cash Rewards. 2013. ~$8,000 CL. The bonus categories all overlap with cards where I'm earning more valuable points (although the 3% cash back on gas and groceries is not bad).
