Should I close my credit card after paying it off?
Keeping an old credit card open can improve your credit score, but only if you can avoid the temptation to spend.
Is it better to cancel unused credit cards or keep them?
By leaving an old credit card open, while using it responsibly, you can maximize its positive effect on your credit history.
You finally paid off that pesky credit card balance. Congrats! 也许你觉得从大学开始，债务就一直在拖累你. Or, 也许，一张让你在夏季新买的衣服上打八折的零售商店卡有点失控了(所以在当时是值得的)。. But now that balance is paid off. Huge sigh of relief; no more APR anxiety. Now what?
"So, should I close my paid-off credit card?" you ask. Well, consider this first. As you move on from old credit habits, you might be inclined to totally stop using a line of credit, or to cancel the card all together. Not so fast. 从长远来看，塑料会对你的信用评分产生积极影响, 通过帮助你在信用阶梯上爬得更高，达到你的高分, even if you're not using it regularly — 但前提是你能避免过度消费的诱惑 .
Is it bad to have a credit card you never use?
An open, 活跃卡(低到没有余额)可以通过两种积极的方式帮助你的信用评分:
- The length of your credit history
- 你的信用利用率(一种奇特的说法，表示你可以获得多少信贷，与你使用了多少信贷相比)
By leaving a card open, and never or rarely using it, you're maximizing its positive effect on your credit history.
How does it help my credit score?
把你的信用评分想象成一份美味的沙拉:它由五种成分组成(35%的付款历史), 30% utilization ratio, 15% length/age of credit history, 10% credit mix, 10% number of inquiries); any one spoiled ingredient can ruin the whole thing.
偶尔使用一张活跃的信用卡可以帮助你保持健康 improve your credit score 通过积极地影响你信用记录的几个关键方面. BUT (there's always a but) remember; you want to strive for balancing all aspects of your score. 这就是为什么有策略地、负责任地使用信贷是如此重要. 这些良好的信用使用习惯将帮助你省钱，从长远来看支付更少的利息, 你的好成绩会使你在将来更大的购买(汽车)时受益, home, starting a business) come your way.
如果你想保持或提高你的信用评分(阅读:每个人), 这里有一些方法可以让你继续利用你的信用额度来保持你的信用评分攀升.
What are some credit tips?
- Use your card only to pay for small, re-occurring charges (like a gym membership or cellphone bill), but nothing else. 这样你就可以保持信用卡的活跃和良好的信誉, while continuing to build positive credit history. 额外的好处:每月按时足额还清信用卡显示你的支付能力. Just remember, 如果你口袋里有信用卡，想要超支, 您可能希望将此与接下来的两个要点结合使用.
- Ice your card. Yes, you can literally ice your card. 把一张旧的(但仍然开放/有效的)卡冻结在冰里，这样你就不得不等待(或工作)它解冻，以便使用它进行冲动消费. 这将给你一些时间来考虑你是否真的需要在限时抢购中买一双可爱的($$)鞋子, 或者你更愿意邀请朋友到你的露台上烧烤，而不是去城里吃一顿自发的晚餐.
- 删除您的卡信息从任何网站，它保存到您的帐户. 在网上疯狂购物越难(我们知道，销售很好)，就越好. 如果你不得不去找信用卡，你可能不太可能屈服于冲动消费, 记住您的帐户用户名/密码，并手动输入所有卡片信息.
What now?
你的信用评分是三个小数字，对你的未来有很大的影响——抵押贷款利率， car loans 还有其他责任——所以在你永远关闭它之前要三思而后行. Just remember, priority No. 1:控制你的支出，有策略地、负责任地使用信贷.
