If you’re always chasing the latest credit card deal, you might think you have a lot of credit cards.
But if you compare your tally to that of Walter Cavanagh’s, you wouldn’t even come close.
The Guinness record holder reportedly has 1,497 “valid” credit cards in his wallet (just kidding, they’re not all in his wallet, I think), per ABC News.
Oh wait, most of them are in his wallet because he holds the record for world’s longest wallet too, at a staggering 250 feet.
Apparently the massive credit card holder weighs 38 pounds and can accommodate 800 credit cards.
But most of the cards are kept in safe deposit boxes at the bank, probably to ensure they don’t fall into the wrong hands.
Applying Since the 1960s
If you’re wondering how long it takes to accrue about 1,500 credit cards, think lifetime. Cavanagh has been doing it since the 1960s, or for more than fifty years now.
He told ABC News that it started out as a friendly wager between him and a friend, and somehow the guy was able to get 143 cards in just the first year alone.
His pal could only muster 138, which is still pretty admirable in my book.
It’s unclear if you can get that many cards today, though I’d venture to say no based on the recent crackdown on credit card churning.
What’s kind of lame about this guy’s story is that it doesn’t appear to have helped him earn cash back or free worldwide travel.
Instead, he seems to only be in the game to win obscure world records, as he only uses one of the 1,500 credit cards in his possession. I wonder which one by the way…
He has roughly $1.7 million in available credit at his disposal and credit cards from just about anywhere you can think of.
One is from an ice cream store in Texas, which is certainly one of the most peculiar credit cards I’ve never heard of.
Others are made of paper, some aluminum, and one sterling silver. Some are even collector’s items.
His lowest limit is $50 on one card, which makes the card pretty much worthless unless it’s used for very small purchases.
I also kind of wonder why the banks and credit card issuers haven’t shut down his cards for inactivity, but I digress.
Only Denied Once
If you’re wondering how many times he’s been denied, according to him, just once. A company called J.J. Newberry Co. supposedly told him he had too much outstanding credit back in the 1970s.
Of course, he only had about 100 credit cards at that time. Now if a credit card issuer rejects him he appeals by explaining his world record. And I guess they oblige.
If you were wondering how many credit cards you should have at any given time, I’d say a lot less than 1,500. And a lot less than 150 for that matter.
In fact, 15 or less might be just fine, especially if you need to keep track of them all and avoid any missed payments.
For the record, this guy says he has perfect credit, despite all the cards, so having too many may not be an issue.
Just keep in mind that this guy doesn’t actually use them all (and he stores most in a safe place), so he doesn’t have to worry about making on-time payments or having his precious credit card information stolen. Or maxing out the cards…