How Often Should I Use My Credit Card to Keep It Active? (2024)

FAQs

How Often Should I Use My Credit Card to Keep It Active? ›

How often should I use my card to keep it active? While it depends on the issuer, you should use your card at least once every few months to keep it active. Even a small purchase is enough to show your card company that you're still interested in the card.

Generally, using your credit card at least once a month can be a good way to help maintain your credit utilization ratio.

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.

Credit card inactivity will eventually result in your account being closed. A closed account can have a negative impact on your credit score, so consider keeping your cards open and active whenever possible.

Use your card regularly

While you'll want to avoid spending more on your new account than you can afford to pay off, you should make regular purchases on your credit card. That's because issuers like to see that you're using your credit card and not leaving it dormant.

Most experts recommend keeping your overall credit card utilization below 30%.

In general, keep unused credit cards open so you benefit from longer average credit history and lower credit utilization. Consider putting one small regular purchase on the card and paying it off automatically to keep the card active. At Experian, one of our priorities is consumer credit and finance education.

In general, even if you aren't actively using your credit card and you have a zero balance, it's still a good idea to keep the account open. That's because the credit limit on each card you have counts toward your overall credit utilization ratio.

If you don't use your card, your credit card issuer may lower your credit limit or close your account due to inactivity. Closing a credit card account can affect your credit scores by decreasing your available credit and increasing your credit utilization ratio.

To keep a credit card active, you may want to consider using it – responsibly – every few months, if only for small purchases. You might also consider putting a small recurring charge on the card to keep it active, or making it your primary card for a frequent purchase -- say, for gasoline purchases.

Why is my credit score going down when I pay on time? ›

Using more of your credit card balance than usual — even if you pay on time — can reduce your score until a new, lower balance is reported the following month. Closed accounts and lower credit limits can also result in lower scores even if your payment behavior has not changed.

If you pay off all your credit card accounts (not just the one you're canceling) to $0 before canceling your card, you can avoid a decrease in your credit score. Typically, leaving your credit card accounts open is the best option, even if you're not using them.

There's no need to carry a balance. Paying off the balance each month means you'll avoid paying interest fees on your purchases. If you do have an emergency and aren't able to repay the entire debt right away, plan to stay on track with payments and put as much as you can towards the debt each month.

If you take out a loan to consolidate debt, you could see a temporary drop because of the hard inquiry for the new loan. Your credit score can take 30 to 60 days to improve after paying off revolving debt. Your score could also drop because of changes to your credit mix and the age of accounts you leave open.

Bottom line. If you have a credit card balance, it's typically best to pay it off in full if you can. Carrying a balance can lead to expensive interest charges and growing debt.

While it depends on the issuer, you should use your card at least once every few months to keep it active. Even a small purchase is enough to show your card company that you're still interested in the card.

Keeping Your Open Credit Cards Active

While having a zero balance on your accounts is great for your utilization rate, it's also important to keep them open and active. That means you may have to use them for more than just emergencies.

To keep a credit card active, you may want to consider using it – responsibly – every few months, if only for small purchases. You might also consider putting a small recurring charge on the card to keep it active, or making it your primary card for a frequent purchase -- say, for gasoline purchases.