By Drew Kessler

Use just one card if you can.  If you need one for business, work with two—one for personal use and one for business use.  Even three cards may be fine, especially if each one has a specific purpose.  But the fewer you have, the easier it is to remember your balance and keep track of total purchases.  The more cards you have, the more likely the cumulative balance will get too large for safety.

Drew Kessler is Vice President of Marketing & Communications with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.

Views expressed are the personal views of the author, and do not represent the views of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, its employees, its members, or its clients.