还清信用卡后，我应该关闭信用卡吗?

是取消没用过的信用卡好，还是保留信用卡好?

让一张旧信用卡开着, 同时负责任地使用它, 你可以最大化它对你的信用记录的积极影响.

你终于还清了讨厌的信用卡欠款. 恭喜! Maybe that debt feels like it's been weighing you down since college. Or, maybe a spontaneous retail store card that scored you 20% off of a new summer wardrobe got a little out of hand (so worth it…at the time). 但现在，这种平衡得到了回报. Huge sigh of relief; no more APR anxiety. 现在?

“那么，我应该关闭我的已付信用卡吗??" 你问. 好吧，先考虑这个. 当你从旧的信用习惯中走出来, 你可能会倾向于完全停止使用信用额度, 或者干脆把卡全部注销. 别着急. That plastic can positively impact your credit score in the long run, by helping you to climb higher on the credit ladder and top your high-score, 即使你不经常使用它 but only if you're able to avoid the temptation of over-spending .

拥有一张从不使用的信用卡是不是很糟糕?

一个开放的, active card (with a low-to-no balance) can help your credit score two ways by positively impacting:

• 你的时间长度 信用记录
• Your credit utilization ratio (a fancy way of saying how much credit is available to you compared to how much of it you're using)

留下一张开着的卡片, 而且从不或很少使用它, 你正在最大化它对你信用记录的积极影响.

它对我的信用评分有什么帮助?

Think of your credit score as a good salad: it's made up of five ingredients (35% payment history, 30%利用率, 15%的信用记录长度/年龄, 10%的信贷组合, 10% number of inquiries); any one spoiled ingredient can ruin the whole thing.

An active credit card used occasionally can help you maintain and 提高你的信用评分 by positively impacting a couple key aspects of your 信用记录. BUT (t在这里's always a but) remember; you want to strive for balancing all aspects of your score. That's why using credit strategically and responsibly is so important. These good credit use habits will help you save money and pay less interest in the long run, and your good score results will benefit you in the future when the bigger buys (car, 首页, (创业)来找你.

If you're someone who wants to maintain or 提高你的信用评分 (read: everyone), 在这里's some ways you can continue to use that line of credit to your advantage to keep your credit score climbing.

有哪些信用提示?

• 只在小额消费时使用信用卡, 重复发生的费用(如健身房会员卡或手机账单), 没有别的了. This way you'll keep the credit card active and in good standing, 同时继续建立良好的信用记录. Added bonus: paying the card off in-full, on time each month shows your ability to pay. 只要记住, if you're tempted to overspend when you've got plastic in your pocket, you might want to do this in combination with the next two bullets.
• 冰敷你的名片. 是的，你真的可以用冰卡. Freeze an old (but still open/active) card in ice so you'll have to wait for (or work for) it to thaw in order to use it for an impulse purchase. That'll give you some time to think about if you really need that sweet pair of ($$) kicks on a flash sale, or if you'd rather invite friends over to grill out on your deck instead of going out for a spontaneously spendy dinner on the town.
• Remove your card info from any websites w在这里 it's saved to your account. The harder it is to go on an online shopping spree (the sales are good, we get it), the better. You may be less likely to cave to an impulse purchase if you have to go find the card, remember your account username/password and manually type all the card info in.

现在?

Your credit score is three little digits that have a big impact on your future — mortgage rates, 汽车贷款 and other responsibilities — so think twice before you close it forever. 记住，优先级是1. 1: keep your spending in check and use that credit access strategically and responsibly.