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?

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Want to earn more points from credit cards? – April 2024 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current sign-up bonuses.

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.

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:

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

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.