No hard limit, and more available credit can actually help your score, since unused lines lower your overall utilization. Carrying seven or eight cards, most sitting at zero balance while you actively use two, is completely normal. What hurts is sudden moves right before a mortgage application: - Opening a batch of new cards in the run-up dings the file. - Closing a bunch of existing cards can shorten your history and spike your utilization. Either swing can knock the score down at the worst possible moment. Before you change anything, talk to a mortgage professional. A good one can run credit simulations that show how a specific change would move your score before you actually make it. Jeb's caution is worth adding: steer clear of credit-repair firms that charge ongoing fees and underdeliver. A legitimate one can genuinely help, often moving a high-500s or low-600s score into the 640 to 680 range within a few months, which can be the difference between FHA and conventional or a smoother automated approval. We cannot promise a number, and those thresholds change, so confirm current guidelines. The safe rule: keep your cards steady, and consult before you open or close anything close to applying.