How many credit cards do you own?

boysrus

Wed, Jan 21 2015, 10:30 pm

I have 10 credit cards in my own name adn am an authorized user on about 5 of my husbands.
One of them is a target card which gives me 5% off everything I buy their apart from gift cards I think. And free shipping from target. com . As I shop there a lot, it is really worth it for me.

Most of my other credit cards are for airmiles with different airlines. We travel to Europe every few years to visit my parents and family, and my aim is to always fly on miles which is quite a feat considering our large family size (large in my opinion, it s all relative as we saw in a recent thread!) Last time we flew, we fly all of us on airmiles. That is the sole reason why I have so many cards.

FWIW, I am the one who does all the credit card stuff, I keep a close eye on it and also on my dh's cards to watch out for fraudulent use and to make sure we pay all the bills on time. It really isnt that difficult to be on top of it, there are five websites to go to , that's it, becasue a few of our cards are with the same bank so all the accounts are listed there on the same webpage when I type in my username and passcode.

And btw, it certainly is possible to use credit cards responsibly. In all my 15 or so years of marriage, we have never once paid a credit card bill late and we always pay it off in full. I would not use them otherwise, I am terrified at the thought of being in debt. A mortgage is enough debt for me!

amother

Wed, Jan 21 2015, 11:03 pm

I have 20 or so, but I use 3-4. This is because I wanted to build my credit but I use 3-4 because I get different cash back levels on different categories with different cards.

suzyq

Thu, Jan 22 2015, 11:28 am

We have 2. One is for the majority of our purchases and is paid off every month. We use it instead of cash or checks so that we get the points. The other is a Target card because of the 5% off all purchases. Also paid off each month.

notshanarishona

Fri, Jan 23 2015, 3:00 am

Generally I sign up for cards if the rewards are substansial. For ex: to sign up for Delta to be able to get x bonus miles, get a free ticket and then cancel the card after a year (before there is an annual fee).
I also like signing for cards that offer lets $100 after you spend $500 in 3 months.
I generally use one main one and occasionally sign up for others to get benefits.

OOTBubby

Fri, Jan 23 2015, 6:23 am

I voted 10+, but in reality, between DH and I it is probably over 50 plus more in the names of some of our kids who don't use them and we do (and pay the bills). All are paid in full monthly. Most are mileage cards for which there were very substantial mileage awards given at sign up or after a certain amount purchased. DH and one DS are experts in gaining mileage with CCs (if you want more info on this, see the website dansdeals.com). We travel to Israel 1-2x a year; always on mileage, often in business class as well as many domestic trips annually on mileage. I'd never be able to keep track of it, but DH does and we've had tremendous benefit from it. We charge anything possible (and pay off that month).

rachel91

Fri, Jan 23 2015, 6:56 am

We have 2 debet cards( mostly pay with them in stores). And 1 Visa, which is great international, or for online purchases. No actual credit cards, that go into minus.

bracha84

Fri, Jan 23 2015, 7:18 am

We have around 4. My DH says its good for credit score if you keep it all under control

Chloe22

Sat, Jan 24 2015, 7:29 pm

I get points on one card which I use towards Macy's gift cards. I pay my balances each month