Key findings:
- Six in ten (60%) of American adults have at least one credit card, including 23% who have more than three.
- The unique benefits that cards offer are cited as the top reason for holding multiple credit cards by those who have three (48%) and four and more cards (51%).
- Rewards and cashback become more important as card counts rise, from 48% among single-card users to 67% among those with more than three cards.
How Americans use credit cards and what they value from them can vary depending on how many cards they hold, new analysis of YouGov Profiles data shows.
Six in ten American adults (60%) have at least one credit card.
Around one in eight (12%) have one card, 14% have two and 11% have three, while approaching a quarter (23%) have more than three.
Reasons for owning multiple cards differ based on number owned
Americans’ motivations for holding multiple credit cards differ as their card portfolios grow.
Among two-card users, having an emergency backup is the leading reason (39%), followed by the unique benefits offered by different cards (35%). Improving their credit score (30%) and earning maximum rewards (28%) are also notable factors.
Nearing half (48%) of three-card users cite unique benefits as being a major factor in having multiple cards, ahead of having an emergency backup (40%). Improving their credit score (34%) and earning maximum rewards (33%) are the next most common reasons.
Among Americans with four or more cards, the focus on different benefits becomes increasingly pronounced (51%). A distinct motivation among this group is wanting to get promotional offers for opening new accounts (42% compared with 27% of three-card and 18% of two-card users). Earning maximum rewards is cited by 39%, while 37% point to improving their credit score.
Access to a higher credit limit also becomes more prominent, rising from 21% among two-card users to 33% among those with more than three cards. By contrast, having an emergency backup varies little by card count, at 37-40%.
Rewards and annual fees become more important as Americans hold more credit cards
This greater focus on benefits is also reflected in what Americans consider important when choosing a credit card.
Among single-card users, interest rates and annual fees are joint top considerations (50% each), with rewards and cashback programs close behind at 48%.
But rewards and cashback become increasingly important as card portfolios grow. The proportion citing them rises to 57% among two-card users, 61% among three-card users and 67% among those with more than three cards.
Annual fees follow a similar pattern, increasing from 50% among single-card users to 57% of two-card users, 61% of three-card users and 69% of those with more than three cards.
Interest rates, meanwhile, vary little across the groups, ranging from 49% to 53%. The same is broadly true of fraud protection and customer service. Travel benefits as a feature rise from 14% among single-card users to 22% among those with more than three cards.
Methodology:
YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data through rolling surveys, rather than a single limited questionnaire. Figures are drawn from responses collected between September 2025 and September 2026, using a 52-week dataset updated weekly. Data is nationally representative of adults (18+) in the US and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race.
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