How Many Credit Cards Should I Have?

While there’s no definitive answer to the question of how many credit cards you “should” have, the rule of thumb is to have no more than you can handle responsibly while paying all your bills on time and carrying little to no debt.

For some people, this may mean one credit card is too many!

Stay Organized

It all hinges on how much time you’re willing to put into staying organized.

• The more cards you have, the more organized you need to be to manage them responsibly.
• With more cards, not only is it easier to fall behind on payments, but it can be harder to profit from rewards.

Start Small

With that said, if you know you’re the kind of person who will keep up with your payments and maximize your rewards, you may want to consider having two cards.

Two Cards for Convenience

Why two cards? You never know when a card could be lost, stolen, or compromised — and some cards are simply not accepted everywhere. Having two puts you in the “safe” zone of always being able to grab a tank of gas, a meal, or a plane ticket home, should an emergency arise.

Two Cards for Different Uses

There’s also an argument for having two credit cards where:

• One card has a low interest rate and is the one you use if you need to carry a balance and pay off a purchase over time.
• The other card— which you pay off monthly — gives you some sort of rewards, travel points, or cash back for usage.

Your Credit Cards and Your Credit Score

Credit cards are a method of payment but also a vehicle for maintaining and building your credit score. When it comes to your score, the more cards you can manage responsibly, the better.

The More Good History The Better

A credit card is essentially a loan, and the more loans you have and pay back on time, the more creditworthy you appear to be to lenders. Having a good credit score is all about having positive information in your credit history.

Credit Card Diminishing Returns

Two open cards in good standing are better than one. Three open cards in good standing are better than two. But at a certain point, you begin experiencing diminishing returns. 20 cards are not better than 10. Beyond five or six cards, there’s little added benefit for your credit score.

Timing is Important

Also, too many new cards opened at once can damage your credit. If you open multiple cards in a short period of time, that may be seen as an indication of financial distress to a potential lender.

Adding a New Card

Perhaps you’re now spending more in a category you didn’t use to, and you want to capture potential rewards.

How to Choose Your Rewards Cards

Say your family’s grown in size, and now you’re buying more groceries. It may be time for a card that will give you cash back, specifically for grocery purchases. In other words, it’s always good to seek out cards that are more in line with your spending.

Think of Credit Cards as Tools

When maximizing your rewards, having multiple credit cards is like having multiple tools. Each is for a different type of purchase. And there are many tools to choose from. If you’re using a credit card that you’ve had for seven or eight years, it’s kind of like using a phone you’ve had for a long time. You’re not going to see the same features and benefits that you would on a card that’s come out more recently.

Canceling a Card

Keep in mind that it’s always best to cancel a card if you have more cards than you can handle responsibly.

• You need to budget for each credit card you have.
• If you can’t stay within that, you need to spend less or get rid of a card.
• If annual fees on a card aren’t offset by the benefits you’re getting from it, that’s another reason you might cancel.

Cancel Cards Cautiously

Note that if you cancel a card, it could ding your credit score by increasing the percentage of your available credit that you’re using. But the less debt you have, and the more cards you have, the smaller the dent.

The Bottom Line

Ultimately, when it comes to the number of credit cards that are right for you, you have to know what you can manage and get strategic with everything from rewards strategies to paying all your bills on time, every month.

With Molly Povich