How many credit cards do you have? Count the obvious ones, such as Visa and MasterCard, and the less obvious ones, such as store cards, charge cards and any other piece of plastic that lets you spend money, your own or someone else's.

As in so much of financial planning and thinking, there is no absolutely right answer. You could argue that no credit cards at all is the right number to hold, or that a dozen might be. In both those cases, you would be wrong.

The correct number of credit cards you should have is ? two. Just two. One to use, and a second, in case you can't use the first for some reason.

The logic is simplicity itself. Almost all credit cards charge annual fees, so having more than a couple is an unnecessary expense, as well as providing the opportunity to over-spend. The most basic rule of getting rich slowly is that you should not waste money. If you have more than two credit cards, you are wasting money.

Today, you can't get by without a credit card. You need one, even if you don't plan to use it (in which case, buy the cheapest one), for identification, or just to gain admission to places such as hotels, even if you pay cash (which is almost always your best bet). You need a second card in case the first one fails to work. Logic ends.

Which two cards should you have? Well, there, I'm not going to advise you, because that's not my job. That said, here are some thoughts.

The card you use all the time should be a widely-accepted card of the sort issued by your bank. It should be the sort of card that people accept in the places you are likely to go. That's not advice, it's common sense.

The other card is, more or less, up to you. What I do (which is only one of many possibilities) is to make my second credit card one of those universal charge cards good just about everywhere in the world. It is solely a back-up card. I've had it for 30 years. I hardly ever use it, and certainly haven't used it in the past 15 years.

It's expensive, so why do I have it? My argument is that I need a card that, no matter where I may be or what the circumstances might be, will get me home safe without delay. If I am trapped in some hell-hole and my regular credit card doesn't work (and you'd be surprised how often that is the case), I want to be able to produce a card that will be accompanied by the sound of trumpets and cheering, and which will cause whoever I am dealing with to say "Yes, !" as he or she goes about satisfying my every whim. Sixty bucks a year doesn't sound like too much for that kind of insurance, now does it?

That's all I have to say on card two. The balance of my comments relate to the first card, the workhorse.

How high should you set the credit limit on the basic card? The answer is up to you, and the bank or other issuer might have something to say about it. If you have a limit above $5,000, your card may be subject to fraudulent activities when you use it in fancy hotels or other places. Criminals don't bother much with stealing $50 when a sucker comes along with a card with a $20,000 balance on it, and they can quickly carve out $19,000 for themselves.

So, set your credit limit lower than $5,000, but high enough to let you do whatever it is you want to do with a credit card. Your credit card issuer will have some thoughts on the size of your limit, based on your financial worthiness.

Next, you might ask, what sort of unpaid balance should I carry on my card? Opinions vary here, but only one of them is right. Mine. If you think I'm turning into a little Hitler, that may be so, but the reason I have the right answer is entirely logical and has nothing to do with my irritating tendency to know everything.

The correct amount to carry as a balance on your credit card is zero. Credit card interest routinely runs as high as 20 percent, or higher. If you're going to carry a balance, which is like having a permanent loan, go and get a loan instead. The bank will only charge you about nine percent for a loan.

I very rarely have a zero balance. I put my own money into the card before I spend it, thereby carrying a less-than-zero balance. That way, when I spend money, I am spending my own money. Man, do the banks hate me.

They actually don't hate me that much. My card costs $95 a year, because I get free air miles whenever I use it. I won't bore you with the math, but I did the calculations, and it turns out that what I spend on a credit card in a year produces air miles that save me more than $60 a year, the cost difference between the miles card and the regular card. It's actually the airlines that hate me, and I can live with that. With one or two exceptions, I hate the airlines, so we're even.

Here's the logic. If I leave a couple of grand in my savings account, it will earn three percent. If I put it into my credit card from time to time, it will stop me paying 18 percent. Common sense, plus the warm feeling that comes from knowing, when the credit card statement arrives, that I'm not going to faint.

Here are some other tips that may help.

If you have a whole bunch of cards, with a whole bunch of balances that never seem to get any smaller, take them all along to your bank and ask them to consolidate all the outstanding balances into one single debt. Then chop the cards up with scissors. Then pay the debt off. Then send me an expensive gift. Then pay that off.

Write down the numbers of your two cards and their emergency contact numbers somewhere safe, not where you keep your cards, in case you should lose them. If you lose a card, report it stolen immediately. You may be on the hook until you advise the card issuer.

Never ask an Internet website to hold on to your credit card details. Apart from the obvious fraud problem, you'll do better to have to look for the damn thing every time you want to use it. It will give you time to think twice.

Affiliation cards are often a waste of money. All credit cards are subject to the same rules. Buy the cheapest one compatible with your dreams, and if you want to give money to the Find Elvis Presley Fund, do so separately.

So, to recap: two cards; use one; stash the numbers somewhere; be careful; and I'm a little Hitler. See how much fun getting rich slowly can be?