How many credit cards do you have?

[Kings over Queens]

2 plus an ATM card, neutered so it's only ATM...no debit feature.

Discover Card is used for everything other than Costco, where we use their membership visa card.

My wife has a Khols card too that she uses to take advantage of discounts.

Now that I think of it, there is also a Cap One Quicksilver card that is valid, but not used.

 

[N02L84ER]

I have 3. DH has 2. One of them is the same issuer and number. A second card is the same issuer with different numbers but billed on a single statement. I think of it as having 4 credit cards in total.

 

[bada bing]

I haven't opened or closed a credit card or bank account in 15 years, so what I have now are old legacy accounts. I probably should clean up and consolidate.

4 personal credit cards:
AlaskaAir Visa
Chase Freedom Visa
USAA Mastercard
AMEX Blue Cash preferred

1 Business card for my hobby business:
Chase INK

2 ATM/Debit cards:
Wells Fargo
Schwab

I put everything that accepts plastic on rewards cards, including recurring monthly bills. I haven't cashed in in a couple years and I have ~$5K in cashback and 600K Alaska Air miles I should start using. Everything is on autopay from my checking account and I'll admit to being less regular about checking account balances and payments than I should be. Maybe once/twice a month per account.

 

[W2R]

One. Second from my bank which I rarely use - use the debit card instead. The third is a commercial card used for 'the farm'.

Heh heh heh - pretty much the rewards card and the bank debit card.

Pretty much the same as what I have, except no commercial card.

I have a debit Mastercard from my bank. My other card is my Amazon Prime Visa.

 

[TB1960]

Five credit cards in total.
Two cards are for air travel.
Another two for hotel stays.
And, one for Amazon


We put most of our purchases on our Delta Amex along with about $3k a year on the Amazon card,

 

[foxcreek9]

Between the 2 of us, 34. Opened 11 in last couple of years, both with a score of 830+. Play the credit card game, just flew to Helsinki on points, staying at the F6 on points. Favorite card over the last few years has been the Sears card, some fantastic bonus plays. Also play the bank bonus game, so a dozen debit cards active at any one time. $23k in bank bonuses over last 6 years.

 

[swakyaby]

7 credit cards, 2 debit cards, 1 HSA debit card

 

[DrRoy]

5 credit cards which are all employed to maximize rewards. 1 debit card just for ATM usage.

+1

 

[Surewhitey]

I have 2, DW has 2, We have 1 (oldest) & 1 debit, 1 biz. So 7 total. Planning to close a couple to clean up a little. Also 2 HSAs debit, but rarely used.

DW likes playing the airlines, me, just 2% cash or biggest sign up rewards in cash...

 

[old medic]

10
Only carry our bank debit card. A bank Visa is set for insurance autopay, and paid off each month. Also a HSA with them. Discover and Citi cards with 0 balance in reserve should the need arise.
5 store cards being used for 0% offers for the ongoing house remodel, 2 with $0

 

[Phroig]

12. Plus 2 debit cards which are never used, except at international ATMs. We try to get the most rewards we can on all purchases, and only ever need to carry 2-3 in our wallets. Many are dedicated for certain online purchases (e.g., the Chase Prime card for Amazon), and are permanently put away in the filing cabinet. At least a couple are temporary, for the initial bonus, and will be canceled when the year’s up. I’m going to stop playing that game.
I have a spreadsheet to track everything - billing cycles, due dates, etc.

 

[EarlyandLate]

I have one credit card and one ATM(not debit) card. A few years ago I had two credit cards. My bank cancelled the card I had from them saying that I did not use it enough. They told me that starting to use it would not keep it active. I was miffed. Ironically, they now bombard me with special offers for a preapproved credit card! No way!!!

 

[PatrickA5]

We have 5 currently. According to my spreadsheet, between DW and I, we've had around 150 credit cards since 2008.


Fidelity 2% (probably 80% of spend)
Amazon 5%
Walmart 5%
Chase Sapphire and Freedom

 

[pacergal]

2 Visa cards
2 gas cc
1 store cc, rarely used anymore
1 debit that can also be used as a credit card via our main bank.

 

[Midpack]

Looks like Boomers carry the most. Couldn't tell if they counted debit cards...

A review of national credit report data shows Americans held an average of 3.84 credit card accounts in the third quarter (Q3) of 2020, according to Experian data. That figure is down 4% from 2019, and follows a pattern of U.S. consumers shedding credit card debt as the coronavirus pandemic spread financial uncertainty.

https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/average-number-of-credit-cards-a-person-has/

 

[Dash man]

We have 9 credit cards, but only carry two. One in my phone and one in my wallet along with an ATM card. I can use any of the 9 credit cards using Apple Pay.

 

[Yipper]

4 credit cards and 1 debit... two are travel rewards cards (one is free of fees and is a backup when traveling) and two are regular 'all things' rewards cards which we use for specific reasons. The only one a pay for is the Chase travel card.

 

[lem1955]

AAdvantage Aviator MC - will cancel before renewal
Amazon Store Card - don't carry it around
American Express - gas, groceries, streaming
Apple Card - for Apple purchases, Apple One, Apple Savings
Capital One REI MC - for REI purchases
Chase Sapphire Preferred - International, dining out, travel
Chase Unlimited Freedom - everyday needs (the only card DW carries)
JC Penney Storecard - dormant, no annual fee
Jet Blue MC - for flying Jet Blue
LL Bean MC - LL Bean
TJ Rewards MC - TJ
Verizon Visa Signature Card - Verizon
Wells Fargo Autograph Card
1 debit card for Credit Union

All cards are on automatic payment and paid off monthly. Credit score 824. Will probably cancel one or two more in the next year and look for the next great deal for points or rewards.

 

[Car-Guy]

3 "general purpose" but I only use 2... One gas card.

 

[scrabbler1]

I would advise that everyone have at least two cards. My main card was compromised last month, so the bank had to cancel it and send me a new one, which took about a week. I have almost all my regular expenses on autopay through that card, and there were several payment dates coming up in the week I was without it, so I had to quickly switch them to one of my alternates. It could have been a real problem if I had no other card.

I agree with the advice although I had a somewhat different situation arise which made me glad I had my backup card available.

My LF was using my main CC at a supermarket I had dropped her off at one Saturday morning a few months ago because she left her wallet at her office the day before (and could not get in until Monday). My card was declined for some strange reason, despite multiple attempts. I was on my way to pick her up and had put my back-up card in my wallet before I left, even though I didn't yet know about her problem.

She and the cashier told me about the problem and I got the back-up card out and quickly paid for her groceries without issue. When I got back home, I went on line and saw there were some "possible fraud" alerts from the rejected card usage. I was able to quickly straighten that out, as there was no actual fraud.

Having the back-up card with me sped up the process of buying her groceries. Without it, I would have used my debit card as a back-up for the purchase, a less preferred option. (I did lose out on the cashback points, though.)

It took two fluky events to force me to use the back-up card: my LF not able to use my CC for some unknown reason (probably the card reader, as the card itself worked at other stores earlier that day and a few days later) and my LF leaving her wallet at her office (she has multiple CCs and a DC). But it is usually one or more fluky events which occur together and cause the need for using a back-up card.

 

[brett]

We often do extended travel. We ensure that we each have multiple paths to access funds.

We carry different cards just in case on or more of ours gets compromised or stolen.

 

[erkevin]

I have four but use one exclusively; Chase Sapphire Reserve. The other three are airline cards (Delta, Alaska, American) that I use for the free bags, companion tickets.

 

[Doribe]

6 credit cards (paid off monthly or locked)
1. autopay exclusively
2. gas reward
3. museum entry benefits (2)
4. cash reward (2)
2 debit cards

I feel I always need a backup, especially when I travel out of the country.

 

[Walt34]

Ah Sears. My mother had a Sears store card. I was named after my mother. When DH and I applied for a mortgage a dispute with Sears came up on my credit report which I had to rectify. After a bit of back and forth (can't remember which service) I queried the rep, and how old would i have been when you claim I incurred that charge? The charge was removed.

The reason I applied for a Sears card was that at the time I worked for Sears and I knew they liked me at work so I figured when they called for a reference there wouldn't be any hesitation. My older sister, much wiser than me, suggested that a credit card would be good to have to establish a credit rating. So once every few months I'd buy a shirt or pair of jeans or something and pay the bill in full when it showed up. That little bit of credit allowed me to get my first apartment. At the time I had no idea how useful that cc would be!

 

[MarieIG]

The reason I applied for a Sears card was that at the time I worked for Sears and I knew they liked me at work so I figured when they called for a reference there wouldn't be any hesitation. My older sister, much wiser than me, suggested that a credit card would be good to have to establish a credit rating. So once every few months I'd buy a shirt or pair of jeans or something and pay the bill in full when it showed up. That little bit of credit allowed me to get my first apartment. At the time I had no idea how useful that cc would be!

DF loved Sears and his Craftsman tools. I did feel sad when they closed.