A person can never have too many when it comes to credit card. How many credit cards do you have? Would you prefer a Visa or Mastercard?

A person can never have too many when it comes to credit card.

I'm afraid that's misleading at best and patently false at worst. Even with zero balances, it is more than possible to have too many credit cards and having too many can affect your credit rating and the amount you pay for insurance.

I think the idea of requiring multiple credit cards is suggestive of a debt problem already.

I have a single credit card, but I don't use it for credit - I use it because in the UK it gives me some really great consumer protections not available with a debit card.

The only time I think I would genuinely need multiple credit cards is for multiple bank accounts - but if required for multiple sources of credit, then I have a problem.

That's terrible, Brian. I had been under the impression that the EMV standard in the UK was much more even about applying protections to credit and debit cards than the set up we have in the US. Of course, that may be what 'they' want us to think so we'll sign onto EMV.

UK consumer protections via credit cards are actually pretty good - buy with a debit card, and you're screwed if there's a problem.

However, if you pay for goods on a credit card and something goes wrong - product/services aren't delivered, are broken, or not what was ordered - then the credit card company will chase it up for you, because at the end of the day it's their money.

I had real problems with Comet about two years ago - a big UK electrical goods supplier:
Brian’s Business Blog » Don’t buy from Comet

Since then, I only buy groceries with a debit card - everything else on the credit card.

Now that my girlfriend has started using the internet and shopping online, I'm pushing her to get a credit card for the same reason - any internet sale goes wrong, the credit card company will ensure she doesn't lose out.

2c.

Thanks for clarifying that. I've had to do a lot of research on smart cards and everything we have in the US implies that cc/dc offer identical protections anywhere on EMV. I'll make sure my next batch of smart card articles differentiates.

Credit cards are much safer when purchasing on line.

We have a card for personal purchases (it gets reward points per dollar spent)

And one for each of our businesses.

This helps us keep up with the financial info for the tax man each year.

If it's just for personal use, I can't see any reason a person would need more than one.

I want to have just one eventually. I have paid off a couple so far.

I have an American Express and a Visa. Both have rewards programs that I take full advantage of.

I think 3 is the recommended amount...I'm sure that's what I saw from an article on Msn...I can't find the link now...it was either 3 or 4 credit cards...make sure you repay the balance though!!!