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 How Do I repair my Credit?
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 Someone just called me from the hospital saying that .....?
if I don't send to them 6 months worth of monthly payments and give them my account info they will ruin my credit. Is that true? I have been sending payments every month. The account has not ...


 Do you use you Credit Card for Luxuries or Survival?

Additional Details
Funky, i hate your guts too you Slag !!...


 I have a credit score 0f 600, and need school loans. Who knows what companies will help?
need to know who will give a loan to people with not very good credit....


 What will raise my credit score faster, repaying old debts or getting a credit card and paying it on time?
my fabulous credit score is a "whopping 544" and i am trying to repair my credit quickly. any suggestions?...


 My current experian credit score is 637. If i finance a car loan will it bring my score up?
I just got approved for two department store cards and got rejected for one or two majors. I know the fact that the lenders are checking my credit affects the score but with the car loan will it ...


 I've had bad credit, is there a card I can get to start over that is not a prepaid card?
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 If i paid double the min. payment on my credit card last month...do i still have to make the minimum now?
or can i skip this month??...


 Can I press charges against someone who wrote me a bad check?
This guy asked me to cash 2 checks for him and I did and 2 weeks later I recieved a letter from my bank saying the checks bounced and I had to pay the fee now I dont know how to get my money back......


 Should I cancel my credit card?
I know older accounts look better on the credit report, and my oldest credit card account is a card with an annual fee. Now that my credit is better, I've gotten cards that have no annual fee, ...


 I just got a credit card and i want to ask to increase the credit limit,do u thing i will get it?
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 What is Full from Of The "ATM"?
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 Debt problem?
I have got about 1o k in debt/ credit card, store card overdrafts/ Anyone have idea how to resolve my ...


 What would happen if you didn't pay credit card companies?
Are there legal ramifications? What if you can't afford to pay anymore?...


 What does it mean to have a debit, credit card
what does it mean to run an amount as ...


 Question of debt collection practices.....help!?
I have a question regarding a collection company that has been calling me. I have told them a couple times not to call me at work or on my wifes cell phone number and they continue to do so. Is there ...


 So I need someone to be a co signor or co applicant on a home loan?
I was wondering if I had my sister who has a good paying job and a small car loan on her credit be a good applicant. I know that they look for credit history and all she has is the car loan but would ...


 How many credit cards should a person have?
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 Can you buy a car with no money down with a credit score of 491.?
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 How do i deal with threats fro debt collection agencies?
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Justagirl24
If I have a credit card open with zero balance is there harm to my credit keeping it open? I will never use it
I have a victoria secrets credit card. I have paid it in full and have no credit available anymore. I like to keep it open because I receive benefits each month & coupons. Does it harm my credit to keep it open if I'm not using it? What are some concerns I might have?

All suggestions welcome.
                     
 




TexasChick
Rating
Leave it open, you credit score is improved by your debt to available credit. Therefore having the available amount helps your credit.


missvickisue
Rating
It's good to have a $0 balance, but to keep your credit in good standing, you should use it occassionally and pay it off the next month. This shows you pay on time and do not abuse your good credit. However, if you retain the card and never use it, it will not increase your credit score, but if you close the account, that does not look good on your credit history at all. It is far better to use it occassionally for small purchases which can be paid off within a billing period or two than to just close it or never use it at all. Using it in this manner will definately look good on your credit report and help you maintain a good score.


tvlscat@flash.net
Actually, the more unused, available credit you have, the more it HELPS your credit score. It is called the debt-to credit ratio. It signals to likely creditors that you aren't the type to max out your credit cards. Beware of annual fees that some cards have. Also, some cards will close out your credit account if you don't use it every so often. Read your contract. The lender sends one out every year.


gfry
Rating
What do you mean you have "no" credit available? If you've paid it off in full, you should have all the available credit available to you?!
Anyway, assuming you just made a mistake in your statement, (and to answer your question), "no", there is no harm in leaving it open, but... on your credit report, you don't get any credit for using it, (and paying your monthly statements on time), if you don't use it. That's all.


Mt ~^^~~^^~
As long as you don't have to pay a monthly fee for just having the card, it should be OK. I bet when the card is inactive for a while they will send you notices and perks to get you to use it. If it were me, I'd close the account, just in case you lost the card. Call them and they will give you the correct answer for sure.


Aunt Henny Penny
Rating
Place the account on hold. That way should you ever decide to use it, it will be as simple as a phone call. This also protects you from anyone else possibly getting a hold of your number and using the card.


cork
Rating
all aval credit goes against your total credit standing..
zero balance or otherwise..

why keep a card if not being used??

cancel it......
and reduce you total outstanding credit line.....plus any chance that someone will commit fraud on that card...


revelation2us
Rating
MOST of the people on here are correct. Firstly, if you PAID off your credit card that means you HAVE ALL credit available and $0 in credit card depth, and that is GOOD for your credit.

Why?

Your Debt to Credit ratio.

If you got $1000 in total credit and $1000 used on the card, that's 100% depth to credit which is BAD and hurts your credit score.
However if you have $1000 in total credit and $100 used on the card you have a 10% ratio. The lower this ratio the better your credit will be.
If you have 2 Credit cards with $1000 each with a total available CREDIT LINE of $2000 and if the total depth of both cards was $100 then the ratio is only 5%.

The Math:
(TOTAL OF ALL DEPTH / TOTAL OF AVAILABLE CREDIT) *100



The MORE credit you have available the better, but that doesn't mean you should go get 5 to 20 credit cards, cause too much is also bad.On average one should have no more than 2 or 3 credit cards.
If the credit card you have is a long time credit card and you've had it for years, then KEEP IT OPEN, because it's a record of your long credit history and this HELPS your credit score. If this is a recently opened credit card and you don't want to use it, then close it off ONLY if you have other credit cards you are using. If not then you are just starting to build your credit and should use the card occasionally but keep paying it off in FULL each month keeping the balance below the 25% available credit limit for that card.


m3kamikaze
Rating
If you close an account, you suddenly have less available credit with the same debt load, which increases the percentage of available credit you're using.
--------------------------------------...

In years past, credit counselors told consumers to close accounts that they weren't using, especially if they were getting ready to apply for a mortgage or car loan. The reason was that it was believed that lenders were leery of people who could go out at any time and max out their credit, adding a large pile of debt to their obligations.

But the typical FICO score doesn't penalize you if you have large amounts of credit available.

Credit-scoring models will compare how much credit you have available versus how much you're actually using. If your percentage ventures too high, your score will take a hit. And if you close an account, you suddenly have less available credit with the same debt load, which increases the percentage of available credit you're using.

How you use credit and what you buy with it can be a big indicator of your creditworthiness. People with great scores know that credit is for certain purchases, such as for a home or a car. And credit cards are for expenses such as auto repairs or home appliances, which are necessary immediately but are difficult to pay for all at once, or for emergencies. But too many people are using their credit cards to buy things that are insubstantial. And that's just not a smart way to use credit. Before you use credit, decide whether it's good or bad debt that you're taking on.


surgicalvenom
Rating
Your credit report has what's called "Trade Lines." Trade Lines are the accounts of credit that you have. By keeping your account open you have a trade line. This actually helps your credit. as far as your credit score, having a zero balance neither helps nor hurts, but keeping a small balance that you pay on time will help your credit score. Theo only downside to your plan is that Victorias Secret could request to close the account do to inactivity, but this is a long shot.


Marko
Rating
There are two opposing factors:

1) if you have too much available credit or have opened too many accounts recently, then the account will work against you.

2) the longer your overall credit history, the better - so if you've had it a while, it'll probably benefit your credit score.

Generally, if you've had the card a while and you haven't opened up too many other accounts recently, then keeping the card won't hurt you. If you've had it a really long time, then it'll probably help your credit even if you don't use it. But if this is just one of many cards you've opened recently, you probably want to close the account and make sure your credit report reflects that it was closed at your request.


roger v
Keep it open


Mariposa
I would leave the card open. Part of your credit score is the total number of accounts in good standing. (Your balance is paid and you're not planning on charging more, so your account will be good.) Another part of your score is the average length of time the card is open. (The longer you keep this card open, the more your average account age will increase.) Also, since you don't have a balance on the card, the total credit you are using will be lower. (It's better to keep it under 30%. This will help since you are using 0% of what you can charge.)


Caitlin G
It's good to show that you can have a credit card with a substantial amount of credit available to you but at the same time if you have alot of open credit accounts it can start to count against you. I think it's ok but you know your financial standing better than me.


Robert S
A lot of good answers, and one bad one.

If it is your only line of credit, then keep it open, and use it every once in a while so it reports.

If you have a lot of credit, such as credit cards, then close it. Even if it is not being used, it counts against your total available debt, and can bring your credit score down.

It is best to get to a point of not using credit, but if you do, do so wisely and control the credit, don't let it control you.


Grantcliff_cosep
Rating
That may expire if you will not use it.


La-z Ike
I had the same thing in a credit card i opened but didn't use. I went for a bank loan to redo my morgage and it counted as a debt up to the potentual of the card even tho i had never used it and had no urge to do so. Also some cards have a yearly fee. If you paid it off why don't you have credit available?


meljrw
call the credit bureau and ask them they will know


BOBBIE
You must be bored.


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