In general, it's best to keep unused credit cards open so that you benefit from a longer average credit history and a larger amount of available credit. Credit scoring models reward you for having long-standing credit accounts, and for using only a small portion of your credit limit.
A credit card can be canceled without harming your credit score—paying off your balances first is key. Closing a credit card will not impact your credit history, which factors into your score.
Once your balance is $0, you can instruct the issuer to close your account. The issuer may offer you a bonus to keep your card, but if you don't want the card, stand firm. Dispose of the card. After you confirm that the account is closed, get out your scissors and cut up the card, or put it in a shredder.
If you've ever canceled a credit card and then later decided that you wanted the card after all, take heart: You can apply for the same card again. If you used the card responsibly in the past — you didn't miss payments, for example, or repeatedly max out the card — the issuer will be more likely to welcome you back.
“Having a zero balance helps to lower your overall utilization rate; however, if you leave a card with a zero balance for too long, the issuer may close your account, which would negatively affect your score by reducing your average age of accounts.”
If you don't use your credit card, the card issuer may close your account., You are also more susceptible to fraud if you aren't vigilant about checking up on the inactive card, and fraudulent charges can affect your credit rating and finances.
Close no more than one credit card every six months, McClary says. "You want to be very careful about how you do it," he says. "Understand that even if you don't close them all at once – you just take them one at a time – it's still going to have a negative impact on your credit score," he says. Updated on Oct.
To prepare, you might want to have at least three cards: two that you carry with you and one that you store in a safe place at home. This way, you should always have at least one card that you can use. Because of possibilities like these, it's a good idea to have at least two or three credit cards.
If you don't use a credit card for a year or more, the issuer may decide to close the account. In fact, inactivity is one of the most common reasons for account cancellations. When your account is idle, the card issuer makes no money from transaction fees paid by merchants or from interest if you carry a balance.
To make sure closing one card doesn't impact your score, pay off balances on all other cards. If you have zero balances, your credit utilization rate is zero, and won't be impacted by the loss of a balance. However, experts say this step may be unnecessary for most people.
If your credit card has an annual fee you'd prefer not to pay, call in and ask to cancel your card. Remember, your account won't be closed until you give final approval. When you ask to cancel the card, you'll likely be transferred to the retention department.
Closing it will have no effect on THAT part of the FICO model, but COULD affect your credit utilization ratio. The rule of thumb is if there is no annual fee, keep it open and use it for something very small every couple months to make sure it is not closed for inactivity.
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