Depending on how many and what kind of credit cards you have, you could be thinking about closing unused credit cards. After all, if you’re not using them, you might think it’s better to simplify your life and your finances. However, there are some good reasons to keep your credit card accounts open, even if you’re not actively using the card.

There are a few ways that credit cards affect your credit score, and closing an unused credit card might actually lower your credit score. So before you cancel an unused credit card, make sure you understand how that can impact your credit score. That will allow you to make an informed decision that is best for your specific financial situation.

Here, you’ll learn:

• Should I cancel unused credit cards?
• Do unused credit cards hurt your credit score?
• When is it better to cancel a credit card?

How Do Unused Credit Cards Affect Your Credit Score?

There are a few factors that make up your credit score. Two of the components of your credit score are your utilization ratio (how much of your available credit you’re using) and your average age of accounts. Closing an unused credit card can impact both of these:

Increase Available Credit

Your credit card utilization is defined as the amount of your available credit that you are currently using. So if you have a card with a $10,000 limit and you have an average balance of $1,000, your utilization is 10% ($1,000 divided by $10,000). A low utilization is a positive indicator for your credit score. So closing any credit card account will lower the total amount of available credit you have. This will raise your utilization percentage and possibly lower your credit score.

Increase Credit History Length

Another factor that makes up your credit score is the average age of your accounts. Having credit accounts that have been open for a long time is generally considered more positive for your credit score than having only recent accounts. So if you close an unused credit card, especially one that you’ve had open for a long time, it can lower your average age of accounts and possibly also hurt your credit score. The account may stay on your report for a while, but when it eventually drops off, your score could decrease.

Are There Risks to Keeping Unused Credit Cards?

So while it can make sense to keep your unused credit cards open, there are a few risks of keeping unused credit cards. If you no longer are monitoring your account, there is a higher risk that someone might commit credit card fraud with your account. So you’ll want to make sure that you are regularly looking at your accounts, and maybe even make an occasional purchase on each credit card that you have.

When Is It Better to Cancel a Credit Card?

There are also some situations where it’s better to just cancel a credit card. One reason to cancel a credit card is if it comes with an annual fee.

• If you’re not using a credit card and not getting any value from its benefits, it usually won’t make sense to pay the annual fee, especially when there are so many credit cards that offer good rewards with no annual fee.
• Another situation where it might make sense to cancel a credit card is if you’re having trouble controlling your spending. If having a credit card is causing you to go into debt or spend more than you earn, it might make sense to do a bit of a financial reset.

Using a debit card or moving to paying with cash might help you get to a better spot, financially speaking.

Can You Cancel a Credit Card Without Hurting Your Credit Score?

If you’re thinking about canceling a credit card without impacting your credit score, there are a few things that you can do to help mitigate the hit to your credit score.

• One thing is to make sure to pay down any balance on the card before you close it.
• Another possible option is to call your credit card company and see if you can move some of your available credit to another credit card. That might help keep your credit utilization ratio high.

The Takeaway

If you have a credit card hidden away in your sock drawer that you no longer use, you might wonder, “Should I close unused credit cards?” You might be tempted to just cancel the card so you don’t have to think about it anymore. However, there may be some reasons where it can make more sense to keep the card open, even if you never or rarely use it. Keeping it open may help build your credit score, and if you close a card you’ve had for a long time, it can impact your credit score.

This article originally appeared on SoFi.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

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