How many credit cards can you hold in the UK?

My wife was recently targetted for the Priority Club Black Visa card.  This was for the offer that I highlight on the ‘Credit Cards Update‘ page – 40,000 Priority Club points (good for 8,000 Avios or about £150 of free hotel stays) and no fee for the first year, plus another free hotel night (worth say £200 if used wisely) if we spend £10,000 on the card within the year.

Slightly to my surprise, she was accepted.

This means that my wife now holds:

• Priority Club Black Visa (Barclays issued)
• House of Fraser Mastercard (Santander issued, 1% cashback paid in House of Fraser vouchers)
• NatWest Mastercard (NatWest issued, no idea why we still have this!)
• BA Premium Plus Amex  (Amex issued)
• SPG Amex (Amex issued)
• Lloyds TSB Premier Duo Avios Amex & Mastercard (Lloyds TSB issued)

Now this seems like quite an aggressive list to me.  Yes, she has a good job and her combined credit limits are still not huge, but I am surprised that Barclays was happy to give her the Priority Club card on top of all of the other cards.

Her credit report also, presumably, has a link to me and shows that I currently hold an American Express Platinum, a BA Premium Plus Amex and a BMI Mastercard.  The report would also show that I cancelled an SPG Amex, Hilton Visa and Amex Gold card within the last 12 months.

I imagine the fact that the six cards are from five different issuers is part of the reason why we keep getting them.  However, it is time to cull the list somewhat.

We can say goodbye to the SPG Amex now that we have banked the 20,000 point sign-up bonus, and I really would like to talk her into killing the NatWest card.  She never uses it, but it still shows on her credit report and the existence of that credit line should in theory count against getting more credit elsewhere.

Can anyone top six credit cards?

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – December 2021 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit or charge card, here are our November 2021 recommendations based on the current sign-up bonus. 

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the top current deals:

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers.

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and free for a year Read our full review

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points sign-up bonus and a long list of travel benefits Read our full review

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending:

Barclaycard Select Cashback Credit Card

1% cashback and no annual fee Read our full review