How many credit cards do you have?

jennifernil

Between the 2 of us we have 7 cards, and are also additional cardholders on the other's card on all of them.

Halifax Clarity (2) for free use and cheap cash advances abroad, and the £5s for spending £300.

Nationwide Gold, which we used to use abroad before the Clarity existed, now used as a back up.

Tesco (1) used when shopping at Tesco, but now we use Clarity more to get the £5s.

M&S (1) only for shopping at M&S.

Barclaycard Goldfish (2) which we have had for a very long time and were originally our main cards when the points were worth a decent amount. Now they only get used once the Claritys have £300 on them. We have 2 as OH used one exclusively for business expenses when he was working.

We use them as a convenient way of spending, everything is,and always has been, paid in full every month by DD

BugsyBrowne

I have 1 credit card BC with a very small balance around £270 and wouldn't want another card purely the reason being I got sick of having multiple credit card statements flying through my door every month.

I did at one stage have about 4 which was just pointless IMO.

jen245

I have 3. Natwest Your Points mastercard £4500 limit ( was £5400, but i reduced it) which i use for booking holidays and flights, as it is my highest credit limit, I have a Halifax Clarity card £3350 limit for overseas spending, and a BMI Amex/Visa duo £3700 limit that i took out for the free airmiles and Quidco cashback. I was going to cancel the BMI card, but theyve just given me an offer for a balance transfer, which im going to use to pay off my hubby's credit card.
I dont carry balances on my cards, and pay in full each month (with the exception of the impending balance transfer)

GooliesOfFire

Now I've got only Barclaycard Simplicity 6.8% APR for online spending or quick cheap borrowing.

Johnmcl7

Barneysmom wrote: »

I have none.
I think once you get one you are making a conscious decision to live in debt?

Can you tell me please, is there a good reason to change my mind?

There are many uses for credit cards aside from using them for credit, my main reason for using one is the legal protection you get on purchases rather than the voluntary system Visa Debit offers which seems a bit vague as to whether you are covered or not. In addition when your credit card is charged, the money doesn't come straight out of your account whereas it does on a debit card so if there is fraudulent use or an error it's simpler to sort out as the money hasn't been taken out of your current account.

The latter is the main reason I upped my credit card limit from my student days (£350 or so to £1500) so I could buy bigger items, I thought I was safe buying from Dell but they mucked up the order and put it through multiple items and emptied my current account. That was the wake up call I needed to stop using my debit card online so since then I always used my credit card which also gives some small bonuses like cashback.

Also for hiring cars or similar it seems a lot more straightforward with a credit card over a debit card.

John

Se1Lad

Here are mine ... paid off in full each month (figures quoted are credit limits):

£21,500 - BA Amex Premium Plus
Main card that I use (earns me avios)

£7,000 - Tesco Mastercard
Used for retailers that don't take Amex (I convert clubcard points to avios)

£9,600 - Halifax Rewards Clarity
Used for overseas spend

£20,000 - Virgin Mastercard
Used to get 10% off Virgin train tickets

£10,000 - Marriott Rewards Mastercard
Only used for the 10 free hotel status nights each year

£13,250 - Barclaycard OnePulse Visa
My Oystercard, and used for contactless payments

chris-j

gjpowen wrote: »

Here are mine ... paid off in full each month (figures quoted are credit limits):

£21,500 - BA Amex Premium Plus
Main card that I use (earns me avios)

£7,000 - Tesco Mastercard
Used for retailers that don't take Amex (I convert clubcard points to avios)

£9,600 - Halifax Rewards Clarity
Used for overseas spend

£20,000 - Virgin Mastercard
Used to get 10% off Virgin train tickets

£10,000 - Marriott Rewards Mastercard
Only used for the 10 free hotel status nights each year

£13,250 - Barclaycard OnePulse Visa
My Oystercard, and used for contactless payments

I take it your on benefits :rotfl:

BobQ

smithers1981 wrote: »

.

I am really just interested in other peoples credit card portfolio/armoury thoughts welcomed......

I have two. One to use most of the time. Another in case I were to lose the other card. I use them like charge cards and pay off each month.

I dislike credit cards. They encpourage debt but I do use them for significant purchases where I can get some benefits in doing so. My pet hate is cards of any kind being used for trivial purchases. I do prefer cash.

unimaginative_user_name

I have two that I use regularly. If I can I use my Amex Platinum for the cash back and if a retailer won't accept Amex I use my Tesco clubcard credit card. When I shop in Mr T I always put the points on my clubcard (which I periodically convert to meals out or days out vouchers for the school holidays) but I actually pay on Amex so that I get the cash back too. (It's an old card with no annual fee and up to 1.5% cashback.)

I also have a Nationwide credit card which I only use as it's visa and was useful for getting tickets for the Olympics.

I tend to use cards as much as possible because it's easier to analyse my spending according to my budgeting categories and because I get the rewards. However I check my balances regularly and download transaction details into Microsoft Money so that I keep track of what I've spent and what my cash flow will be the following month when I have to pay the bills. I always settle the balance in full and can't remember the last time I paid any interest or charges.

[Deleted User]

A big fat NONE.

Don't have any Debit Cards either.