Oh I am interested in the signup bonus as well. I don't know how eager I am to do the 'churning' game where I'm signing up for cards every quarter though.
I am on the low end of the 'excellent' rating for overall credit, a whole bunch of opening and closing of accounts will probably be enough to drop me to 'good'.
edit: Cards I have now are:
Marriott Platinum Visa - 13.24%, rewards you pretty much know, has an annual fee of like $65.
Barclay BlueGreen Mastercard - 16.24%
Earn 2 Encore Dividends for every $1 you spend at Bluegreen
Earn 1 Encore Dividend for every $1 you spend everywhere else
Use your Encore Dividends to pay your maintenance fees
Use your Encore Dividends to pay for bonus time accommodations
This card sucks, I don't use it. I should probably just cancel it? Maintenance fee this year was $600, but lets not get into that mistake. (at least its paid off)
Navy Federal Credit Union Platinum Visa - 8.99%, It has some kind of member mall thing I was told I could get cash back on, but I don't use it.
Bank of America Rewards World Mastercard - 5.49%, this was just recently changed over to a 'rewards' card. It is the only one with a balance on it due to the low APR. I have never earned any points on this card, it just ended up being a balance transfer point years ago and I'm still working on paying it off. It appears I earn 1 point per dollar. Lame. No annual fee though. I doubt I'd ever get rid of this one due to the APR and its my longest held card (banks changed hands like 6 times though, lol).
Firstly, I would recommend re-evaluating what is important and what is not - the APR is irrelevant if you pay off in full each month. If you are not paying off in full each month and still carry a balance on your card then that is a separate conversation, and you need to focus on a different strategy, which I am happy to discuss.
Secondly, your credit score is irrelevant unless you need credit - therefore if you are forecasting a mortgage or other large loan (where time value of compounded interest applies) then it doesn't matter a hoot if you go from Excellent to Good credit.
Third - don't close a card that has no annual fee. The Navy Federal Card has zero annual fee I believe, so you just leave it open, this means that your credit score increases because your total credit line is larger. You should never close a card down if has no cost to you to hold as you will improve your credit score by keeping them open, just put them in a drawer somewhere safe.
Fourth - if you hold a card that does have an annual fee and does suck, don't cancel it, downgrade it that turns it from a liability into an improvement of your available credit line, then put it in a drawer.
Fifth - some cards don't downgrade - they are quirky. Take that Marriot card, call them up, ask to downgrade it to a Chase Freedom card (WAY BETTER, plus no annual fee) if they cannot because there are certain family rules and restrictions on downgrades ask them to waive the annual fee - they probably will, or give you points. If they won't do either I would suggest applying for a new card first, then cancelling that one, as you do need to get rid of the fee on that card, and if you do so by downgrading you will dent your score, which is not ideal prior to a new application.
See this post - Credit Card Cancelling like a pro for how to downgrade the smart way:
http://saverocity.com/travel/credit-card-cancelling-like-a-pro-know-your-batna-before-you-call-part-1-american-express-cards/One thing to be aware of, say you want to get rid of that crappy barclay card - they do offer a way better card called the Arrival. If you were to swap to it your earning is going to be better, but you would lose out on the best part of that card, the signup bonus - so be careful that you don't downgrade or swap into a card and in doing so hammer your potential upside from the signup bonus. The arrival comes with a 40,000 pts bonus valued at $440 in travel expenses.