How Long Should I Keep A Credit Account Open?

What is the minimal amount of time to keep a credit card account open for it to positively affect your score?
How Long Should I Keep A Credit Account Open?
Ive had a discover opened for at least 6 years.


Never used it.


As long as your credit reports are immaculate they will keep them open.





You need to make payments in full for 6 months in order for it to change your rating.


/
Reply:Get rid of the card. You really don't need to worship at the alter of the FICO (credit card) score. You really don't need a credit score if you pay cash for everything. You say you need it to buy a house or a car. Well my response is not to buy a car on credit. Pay cach for a used cae instead. And the house, if you have a large enough downpayment, there are easy enough ways to get around that hurdle when buying a house. Please read a book called the Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. You will be amazed at the difference in the way you look at personal finance. www.daveramsey.com/ is also the website. You will learn invaluable things there that will change your financial lif forever.
Reply:6 months minimum, but really you should keep it forever. Credit is a "the longer the better" type of thing. Canceling cards negatively impacts your score.