Do credit cards that i don't use ruin my credit history or my credit score?

Question

i have 2 credit cards that i got when i refinanced my car. my credit history is pretty new. only 11 months. i accepted those 2 credit cards because by that time i was in the middle of some finantial issues and basically i got them as a "in case of emergency" cards. i only used one and i paid it off recently. Both have ZERO balance. I have another 4 credit cards which i use frequently and i take good care of the payments: always on time and not using more than the 40% of the credit limit

Answer 1

The first poster is correct as far as he goes.

You should use your cards at least twice a year to show activity and pay them off in full, also never exceed 30% of your credit limit in any given month or your score takes a hit.

Just so you will know, how many credit cards you have is not important and will not hurt your score at all, what is important is how you manage the ones you have.

People who say having too many credit cards hurts your score are simply incorrect.

Answer 2

No, they do NOT effect your credit score negatively in your situation. Because they are all zero balances. Actually the balances should be keep below 30%...of course under the perfect financial situation, those balances should be ZERO also. I hope you focus on paying those debt off soon, that would boost your credit score a lot more than having balances on them.

Answer 3

Mixed answer. The unused credit line gets you points by lowering your debt to line ratio. The cards lose you points by having too many credit cards.

To lower your number of cards without hurting your ratio, call the issuers of the cards you use and ask for a line increase. The best credit score is two cards and 1-9% of the total credit lines in use.

Answer 4

No, zero balance open accounts are good because they lower your total debt to available debt ratio.