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21-Year-Old With 20 Credit Cards Wonders If He Should Pump The Brakes

MarketDash Editorial Team
14 days ago
A young Redditor's casual credit card collecting habit has spiraled into a 20-card portfolio, sparking a heated debate about whether he's gaming the rewards system or setting himself up for trouble. The internet has thoughts.

Here's a question you don't hear every day: Can you have too many credit cards? A 21-year-old on Reddit thinks he might have found the answer after realizing he's somehow accumulated 20 of them in just two years.

"I didn't set out to 'collect' them, it just kind of happened," he wrote in a post that quickly went viral. "Started at 19 with a Quicksilver card then discovered rewards, sign-up bonuses, travel perks, and yea the designs are pretty cool too."

The kicker? His simple question—"I'm 21 and somehow ended up with 20 credit cards... is this normal or should I chill?"—unleashed hundreds of responses from amused to alarmed.

The Great Credit Card Debate

The original poster wanted guidance on some practical questions: Should he close old cards? Is this portfolio helping or destroying his long-term credit? Should he stop before hitting 30 cards?

The responses were all over the map. "Chill," one commenter offered tersely. Others got more tactical, suggesting he keep older cards with no annual fees while pruning newer, redundant ones. "If you are serious about SUBs, close the accounts you do not use anymore," one user advised. "You might be able to receive it again in a couple years, depending on the card."

The annual fee issue became a focal point. Multiple commenters noted that while no-fee cards are harmless to stockpile, carrying several premium American Express cards is a different story. "You're paying over $100 a month in Amex Card yearly fees. Is that really worth it?" one person asked.

The poster defended himself: "I do travel and dine out a lot as well as use all the perks... I'd say it's somewhat worth it."

When More Cards Mean More Problems

Credit card veterans in the thread raised some serious concerns. The biggest issue? Opening too many cards in a short window tanks your average age of credit, which is a significant factor in credit scoring models.

"Once you get the max points for number of bankcards... there's not a lot of scoring benefit to having more cards," one experienced user explained.

Others painted darker scenarios. "If you are forced into a difficult position like losing your job... it's easy to max out that many cards," one commenter warned. Twenty open credit lines during a financial emergency could turn into a nightmare quickly.

There were also some lighthearted security concerns. Apparently, the poster had accidentally revealed his full name and several card designs in his photo. "You don't need to dox yourself just to flex your cards lol," someone pointed out.

Perspective From The Veteran Set

Plenty of people shared their own credit card strategies for comparison. "I'm 30 and I have six cards," one commenter noted. Another added some serious flex: "I'm 50, have four cards, and an 847 credit score. More does not equal better."

Perhaps the best advice came wrapped in pop culture: "They're lines of credit, not Pokémon. Chill."

The consensus seems to be that while there's no magic number of credit cards that's universally "too many," 20 cards at age 21 suggests it might be time to slow down, evaluate what's actually adding value, and remember that managing credit is about building long-term financial health—not collecting wallet trophies.

Back to News

21-Year-Old With 20 Credit Cards Wonders If He Should Pump The Brakes

MarketDash Editorial Team
14 days ago
A young Redditor's casual credit card collecting habit has spiraled into a 20-card portfolio, sparking a heated debate about whether he's gaming the rewards system or setting himself up for trouble. The internet has thoughts.

Here's a question you don't hear every day: Can you have too many credit cards? A 21-year-old on Reddit thinks he might have found the answer after realizing he's somehow accumulated 20 of them in just two years.

"I didn't set out to 'collect' them, it just kind of happened," he wrote in a post that quickly went viral. "Started at 19 with a Quicksilver card then discovered rewards, sign-up bonuses, travel perks, and yea the designs are pretty cool too."

The kicker? His simple question—"I'm 21 and somehow ended up with 20 credit cards... is this normal or should I chill?"—unleashed hundreds of responses from amused to alarmed.

The Great Credit Card Debate

The original poster wanted guidance on some practical questions: Should he close old cards? Is this portfolio helping or destroying his long-term credit? Should he stop before hitting 30 cards?

The responses were all over the map. "Chill," one commenter offered tersely. Others got more tactical, suggesting he keep older cards with no annual fees while pruning newer, redundant ones. "If you are serious about SUBs, close the accounts you do not use anymore," one user advised. "You might be able to receive it again in a couple years, depending on the card."

The annual fee issue became a focal point. Multiple commenters noted that while no-fee cards are harmless to stockpile, carrying several premium American Express cards is a different story. "You're paying over $100 a month in Amex Card yearly fees. Is that really worth it?" one person asked.

The poster defended himself: "I do travel and dine out a lot as well as use all the perks... I'd say it's somewhat worth it."

When More Cards Mean More Problems

Credit card veterans in the thread raised some serious concerns. The biggest issue? Opening too many cards in a short window tanks your average age of credit, which is a significant factor in credit scoring models.

"Once you get the max points for number of bankcards... there's not a lot of scoring benefit to having more cards," one experienced user explained.

Others painted darker scenarios. "If you are forced into a difficult position like losing your job... it's easy to max out that many cards," one commenter warned. Twenty open credit lines during a financial emergency could turn into a nightmare quickly.

There were also some lighthearted security concerns. Apparently, the poster had accidentally revealed his full name and several card designs in his photo. "You don't need to dox yourself just to flex your cards lol," someone pointed out.

Perspective From The Veteran Set

Plenty of people shared their own credit card strategies for comparison. "I'm 30 and I have six cards," one commenter noted. Another added some serious flex: "I'm 50, have four cards, and an 847 credit score. More does not equal better."

Perhaps the best advice came wrapped in pop culture: "They're lines of credit, not Pokémon. Chill."

The consensus seems to be that while there's no magic number of credit cards that's universally "too many," 20 cards at age 21 suggests it might be time to slow down, evaluate what's actually adding value, and remember that managing credit is about building long-term financial health—not collecting wallet trophies.