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Just because you’ve closed an account, that doesn’t mean the information will automatically disappear from your credit report. That account can continue to impact your credit score for years — in good ways and not-so-good ways.

There are a few different things you can try if you want the account removed from your credit reports, but it may take some time. And since a closed account can sometimes have a beneficial effect on your credit score, you might decide it’s best to simply leave it alone.

Read on to learn more about how an account can continue to impact your credit even after it’s closed and how to get a closed account off your credit report.

What Happens When You Close an Account?

When you close an account, your credit reports will reflect the account’s new status. But information about the closed account — including how much you borrowed and your payment history — may still be used to calculate your credit score and inform lenders about your overall creditworthiness.

Even if you’ve paid every penny you owe, the account still may be included in your reports. And if you have an outstanding balance, you can expect payments and other activity to show up on your reports every month.

The Fair Credit Report Act — the federal law that regulates how consumer credit agencies handle and report information — allows the credit bureaus to include positive and negative information about closed accounts on a credit report for several years.

Recommended: Should I Sell My House Now or Wait?

How Can Closed Accounts Affect Your Credit?

Closing an account can affect your credit in ways both good and bad. Here’s a look at what can happen in the months and years after you close an account.

An Unexpected Credit Score Dip

Something that surprises a lot of people is that closing an account can actually have a negative impact on credit scores — even if the account was in good standing. That’s because closing an account can affect certain factors that go into calculating your FICO Score. The dip may be temporary (as long as you stay on track with managing your debt), but here’s what’s behind it:

Credit Utilization Ratio

Your credit utilization ratio represents the amount of your available credit that you’re currently using. It’s part of the “amounts owed” category, which determines 30% of your FICO Score.

If you close an account and the amount of credit available to you is reduced, that can affect your ratio. And a higher credit utilization ratio can mean a lower credit score.

Length of Credit History

Closing a long-held credit card account can also affect the “length of credit history” category, which accounts for 15% of your FICO Score. FICO looks at the age of your oldest account, the age of your newest account, and the average age of all your accounts. So closing an older account after you pay it off can lower your score.

Credit Mix

FICO also looks at your “credit mix” when it’s calculating your overall score, so it can help if you have both revolving debt (with a credit card or line of credit) and some type of installment debt (such as a student loan, personal loan, car loan, or mortgage). Your credit mix is 10% of your FICO Score.

Recommended: What Credit Score Is Needed to Buy a Car?

But There May Be Good News, Too

Should you still decide to close your account, there is some happy news: If you did a good job managing that particular credit card or loan, the information can stay on your credit reports for up to a decade, continuing to boost your credit score. However, the bump from a closed account may not be as significant as from an open one.

When Should You Remove a Closed Account from Your Credit Report?

Since information about a closed account in good standing can be a positive thing for both your credit reports and credit scores, you may decide it makes sense to bask in those benefits for as long as possible.

But if your closed account is littered with negative information that could make you look like a risk to lenders and potentially lower your credit scores, you may want to attempt having it removed from your credit reports. Any negative information — if you made late payments, defaulted, or the account went to collections — will stick around, and can lower your score for up to seven years.

There are a few different strategies you can try. If, for example, the closed account contains inaccurate or fraudulent information, or if the information is dated, you have a right to pursue having it removed. If you suspect that you’re a victim of identity theft, you may want to learn the differences between a credit lock vs. a credit freeze.

But if the negative information is accurate, you may have to appeal to that creditor to help you clean up your record. Or you can decide to wait it out, and the closed account will eventually come off your report.

Recommended: How to Remove Student Loans From Your Credit Report

Steps for Removing a Closed Account from Your Credit Report

There are four basic strategies for removing a closed account from your credit report.

Dispute Errors on Your Credit Report

If you believe your credit report includes inaccurate, incomplete, or fraudulent information on an open or closed account:

Contact the Credit Bureaus

First, review the data on file with all three credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax, and Transunion. (Or request a tri-merge credit report that combines the data from all three.)

Then contact the credit bureaus and explain why you’re disputing the information and include supporting documents. All three bureaus have a page just for this purpose on their website. Or you can download a dispute form, fill it out, and mail it in. Either way, following the recommended format will help ensure you include all necessary data.

Recommended: What Is The Difference Between Transunion and Equifax

Contact the Company That Furnished the Information

Contact the bank, credit card company, or business that provided the disputed information to the credit bureaus. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) offers instructions and a sample letter to assist with this process. If you suspect the inaccurate information could be the result of identity theft, you can find help through the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov.

Wait for a Fix

The credit bureaus typically have 30 calendar days (45 in some situations) to look into your dispute. Once the investigation is complete, they have five business days to let you know, and you should receive a copy of your updated credit report.

If they don’t agree the information should be removed, you can send a letter and ask that they note the dispute on future reports. You also can send a complaint to the CFPB or contact an attorney.

Write a Goodwill Letter or Pay-for-Delete Letter

Although a creditor isn’t required to remove negative information from your credit reports, you can try writing a goodwill or pay-for-delete letter asking for their help.

Not much of a writer? You can try calling instead. Either way, be prepared to plead your case clearly and respectfully.

Goodwill Letter

A goodwill letter can give you an opportunity to explain to a creditor why you fell behind on your payments and why you’re hoping to get the negative information removed from future credit reports.

If you’ve been a long-standing customer (or can manage to write a heartstring-tugging letter), you may be able to convince the financial institution or business to help you turn over a new leaf.

Pay-for-Delete Letter

If the closed account still has a balance, you may be able to use a pay-for-delete letter as an incentive to get it removed from your credit reports. This strategy involves offering to pay the outstanding balance in exchange for getting the account off your reports.

Wait for the Account to Come Off on Its Own

It may feel like a lifetime, but negative information can be listed for only seven years. So you may decide just to wait it out.

If the information is still on your reports after the seven-year mark, you can use the dispute process to have it removed.

Establishing Healthy Credit Habits for the Future

Watching your credit score take a dip after you close an account can be frustrating. But practicing good financial habits going forward can go a long way toward bolstering your credit scores. Here are a few steps to consider:

Make Timely Payments

Payment history makes up 35% of your FICO Score, so if you want to boost your score, it’s critical to pay your bills on time.

Keep Your Credit Utilization Low

Because credit utilization is another important factor that goes into calculating your credit score, it’s a good idea to keep credit card balances low. Don’t let a high limit on a card or line of credit tempt you into spending more than you can manage.

Let Your Credit Accounts Age Gracefully

It may be tempting to cancel a credit card you’ve finally managed to pay off. But since your credit score is partially based on the age of your accounts, it may make more sense to keep open an account that’s in good standing.

Track Your Spending

If you like the convenience of using credit and debit cards to pay for purchases, but you tend to lose sight of your spending, a money tracker app like SoFi can help you see exactly where your money is going, so you aren’t just winging it month to month.

Monitor Your Credit

If you aren’t monitoring your credit, you may not have any idea what your credit score is. By using an app like SoFi, which has free credit monitoring, you can check your score regularly. You also can request a free copy of your credit report once a year from each of the three credit bureaus via AnnualCreditReport.com.

Be Vigilant Regarding Credit Report Errors and Fraud

In order to dispute problems on your credit report, you have to know what to look for. Learning how to read your credit report can help save you from more serious financial trouble.

Familiarizing yourself with the various sections might help you spot common credit report errors and potential fraud.

The Takeaway

Closed accounts aren’t automatically removed from credit reports. The credit bureaus may keep information from a closed account on your reports for years: seven years for negative information and ten years for positive info. However, you can request to have the account removed if you file a dispute and can show the information is inaccurate. Other strategies include writing a “goodwill” letter, a “pay-to-delete” letter, and contacting the creditor directly. It’ll take time, but persistence often pays off.

Take control of your finances with SoFi. With our financial insights and credit score monitoring tools, you can view all of your accounts in one convenient dashboard. From there, you can see your various balances, spending breakdowns, and credit score. Plus you can easily set up budgets and discover valuable financial insights — all at no cost.

FAQ

Can you remove a closed account from your credit report?

Unless information about a closed account is inaccurate, it may appear on your credit report for years. But there are strategies that can help you with getting the information removed or updated.

How long does it take for a closed account to be removed from a credit report?

It can take up to seven years for negative information from a closed account to come off a credit report. And it can take up to 10 years before positive information goes away.

Will paying off a closed account help a credit score?

Your credit reports will continue to include negative information about a closed account for up to seven years. But if you follow through and pay off the debt, the change in the account’s status can be noted on your reports. And if you’ve lowered the amount of debt you’re carrying by paying off the account, it can help improve your credit score.

Photo credit: iStock/fizkes

SoFi Relay offers users the ability to connect both SoFi accounts and external accounts using Plaid, Inc.’s service. When you use the service to connect an account, you authorize SoFi to obtain account information from any external accounts as set forth in SoFi’s Terms of Use. Based on your consent SoFi will also automatically provide some financial data received from the credit bureau for your visibility, without the need of you connecting additional accounts. SoFi assumes no responsibility for the timeliness, accuracy, deletion, non-delivery or failure to store any user data, loss of user data, communications, or personalization settings. You shall confirm the accuracy of Plaid data through sources independent of SoFi. The credit score is a VantageScore® based on TransUnion® (the “Processing Agent”) data.

Disclaimer: Many factors affect your credit scores and the interest rates you may receive. SoFi is not a Credit Repair Organization as defined under federal or state law, including the Credit Repair Organizations Act. SoFi does not provide “credit repair” services or advice or assistance regarding “rebuilding” or “improving” your credit record, credit history, or credit rating. For details, see the FTC’s website .

Third-Party Brand Mentions: No brands, products, or companies mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners.

Non affiliation: SoFi isn’t affiliated with any of the companies highlighted in this article.

External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

SORL-Q324-034

Employers can approach background checks in different ways. In some cases, credit reports are included. A job background check may include a credit check in certain industries, such as banking and security. The size of the company can be a factor, too: Large corporations are more likely to conduct a credit check than a small family business.

We’ll walk through the specifics of when an employment background check may include a credit check, why potential employers want this information, and what financial data they have access to.

What Are Credit Checks?

A credit check is a request to see your financial data as collected by one of the three major credit reporting bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Credit reports contain information about past and existing credit accounts, payment patterns, and how much debt you’re carrying.

According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), only certain individuals and organizations have the right to check credit histories, such as lenders, insurance agents, and landlords. Potential employers can also conduct a credit check for employment purposes, with your permission.

Sometimes credit checks are conducted to confirm a consumer’s identity — and head off identity fraud — rather than to investigate your financial history. For instance, banks may run a limited credit check on customers looking to open a checking account.

Credit Check vs Background Check

A background check contains identification verification information along with data from criminal records, educational and employment backgrounds, civil records, driving history, and more. In some instances, a background check may also contain a credit check.

The Importance of Good Credit

A good credit history primarily makes it easier to get approved for a loan and to qualify for better interest rates and loan terms. The higher the score, the less someone will pay in interest over their lifetime, potentially saving them money in the long run.

Good credit can also help renters qualify for an apartment. In some cities, renters routinely provide a credit reference with their rental application. While there’s no minimum credit score needed to rent an apartment, a strong credit history shows landlords that you’re someone who pays their bills on time.

Employers may also check your credit if you’ve applied for a job. Having good credit without any red flags can make the hiring process go more smoothly. However, some cities and many states have banned this protocol or put limits on it.

Recommended: Should I Sell My House Now or Wait?

Why Employers Look at Your Credit Score

An employer may run a credit check on a job applicant whom they’re seriously considering hiring. Employer credit checks are more common in industries where employees handle money or have access to customers’ financial data.

By conducting credit checks, businesses hope to confirm that an applicant demonstrates financial responsibility and doesn’t pose a security risk to the company, other employees, or customers.

Responsibility

A credit report shows how responsibly an applicant has handled their own money. If there are any red flags, the employer may not want to hire that person to handle company funds or take on other important responsibilities.

Security

A credit report can be used to verify your identity along with other pieces of background information. If there are discrepancies that can’t be easily cleared up, that’s a red flag.

What a Credit Report May Tell an Employer

The information in a credit report can include employment history as well as red flags such as late payments, debts sent to collections, foreclosures, liens, lawsuits, and judgments.

Employment History

Your complete employment history is not included in a credit report. Past and current employers may appear on your credit report, but only if you listed them on a loan or credit card application. Typically, if a lender wants your employment history, they will ask you for it directly.

Late Payments

Credit reports contain information about current and historical credit accounts, including installment loans (mortgages, car loans, personal loans) and revolving credit (credit cards and lines of credit). The reports typically contain information from the past seven to ten years, including a person’s payment history and whether credit accounts are paid up to date or are past due.

Debt Collection

Once someone is behind on payments — at least 120 days — the lender may send the account to a collections agency. These agencies attempt to collect on the bill. This can have a significant impact on your credit score, since making payments on time is the biggest factor in the algorithm that determines your credit score.

Debt Charge-Off

If a company you owe money decides they can’t collect the funds, they can “charge off” the amount as uncollectible. This may stay on your credit report for seven years, starting with the delinquency date that ultimately led to the charge-off. A debt charge-off typically lowers the person’s credit score even more than going to collections.

Foreclosures

When a homeowner misses multiple mortgage payments, the lender may take possession of the home, or “foreclose” upon it. This remains on a credit report for seven years, starting with the first missed payment that ultimately led to the foreclosure. This can significantly reduce someone’s credit score — although the impact may diminish over time — and can be a red flag for employers.

Recommended: Does Net Worth Include Home Equity?

Liens

A tax lien is a claim that you owe money for taxes, usually federal, state, or property tax. Tax liens no longer appear on credit reports by the three major credit bureaus, and they can’t affect your credit. They are, however, available on public records. If an employer conducts a full background check, they can still receive this information.

Lawsuits and Judgments

Just like tax liens, judgments from lawsuits are not included in credit reports or factored into a credit score. An employer that conducts a background check, though, will likely receive this information because it’s part of public records.

How to Prepare for an Employer Credit Check

Every consumer should be aware of what information is available on their credit report. You can request your credit report and find out your credit score for free at AnnualCreditReport.com.

Review your report for errors. Even small typos — like misspelling your name — could present problems down the line. Report inaccuracies to the relevant credit bureaus via their online dispute process to have them corrected or removed.

You may also consider signing up for a credit monitoring service. What qualifies as credit monitoring varies from company to company. Look for a service or a money tracker app that sends customers alerts whenever their credit score changes, accounts are opened or closed, and red flags appear on their credit history.

If you’ve had financial problems in the past but have turned things around, be prepared to explain to your potential employer how you’ve accomplished that.

Recommended: What Is a Tri-Merge Credit Report?

Credit Check Limitations

Credit reports contain a lot of private financial information. However, you can feel secure knowing that there are strict limits to what can be included. The following information cannot appear on your credit report:

•   Account balances for checking, savings, and investments

•   Records of purchases made

•   Income information

•   Judgments and tax liens

•   Medical information (physical and mental), although money owed to a doctor or hospital can appear

•   Marital status

•   Disabilities

•   Race and ethnicity

•   Religious affiliations

•   Political affiliations

Does an Employer Credit Check Hurt Your Credit Score?

No. Employers conduct what is known as a “soft credit inquiry” or soft pull. Because the credit check isn’t the result of applying for a new loan or credit card, the request probably won’t appear on your credit report and it won’t affect your score.

What Are Your Legal Rights as a Job Applicant?

According to federal law, job applicants have the right to:

•   know what is in their file

•   ask for a credit score

•   dispute incorrect or incomplete information

•   be told if information in the file is used against them

An employer or potential employer must get written consent before they can request credit report information (the trucking industry is an exception). Some cities and many states have banned or put limits on an employer’s ability to check your credit report.

The Takeaway

Employers may run credit checks on applicants as part of the hiring process. By conducting credit checks, businesses hope to confirm that an applicant demonstrates financial responsibility and doesn’t pose a security risk to the company, other employees, and customers. Credit checks are more common at large corporations and in industries where employees handle money or have access to customers’ financial data. You can prepare for an employer credit check by requesting your report and correcting any errors. You may also want to use a credit score monitoring service to keep tabs on any changes.

Take control of your finances with SoFi. With our financial insights and credit score monitoring tools, you can view all of your accounts in one convenient dashboard. From there, you can see your various balances, spending breakdowns, and credit score. Plus you can easily set up budgets and discover valuable financial insights — all at no cost.

FAQ

Why do background checks include credit reports?

Information found in a credit report can give the employer a sense of the job applicant’s financial stability. This may be especially important if the job involves handling money, financial data, or pharmaceuticals. Some industries that routinely pull credit checks on applicants include banking, retail, insurance, public safety, and security.

Does a background check include a hard credit check?

No. A background check with a credit check involves a soft inquiry, so it won’t affect your credit score.

What causes a red flag on a background check?

Criminal records, suspicious credit histories, inconsistencies in information provided, and gaps in employment history can be considered red flags in a background check.

Photo credit: iStock/serggn

SoFi Relay offers users the ability to connect both SoFi accounts and external accounts using Plaid, Inc.’s service. When you use the service to connect an account, you authorize SoFi to obtain account information from any external accounts as set forth in SoFi’s Terms of Use. Based on your consent SoFi will also automatically provide some financial data received from the credit bureau for your visibility, without the need of you connecting additional accounts. SoFi assumes no responsibility for the timeliness, accuracy, deletion, non-delivery or failure to store any user data, loss of user data, communications, or personalization settings. You shall confirm the accuracy of Plaid data through sources independent of SoFi. The credit score is a VantageScore® based on TransUnion® (the “Processing Agent”) data.

Disclaimer: Many factors affect your credit scores and the interest rates you may receive. SoFi is not a Credit Repair Organization as defined under federal or state law, including the Credit Repair Organizations Act. SoFi does not provide “credit repair” services or advice or assistance regarding “rebuilding” or “improving” your credit record, credit history, or credit rating. For details, see the FTC’s website .

Third-Party Brand Mentions: No brands, products, or companies mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

SORL-Q324-035

Although Experian is the largest credit bureau in the U.S., TransUnion and Equifax are widely considered to be just as accurate and important. When it comes to credit scoring models, however, there is a clear winner: FICO® Score is used in roughly 90% of lending decisions.

It’s crucial that consumers understand at least the basics of how credit reports work and credit scores are calculated. After all, a high credit score can get borrowers the best deals on loans and credit cards, potentially saving them many thousands of dollars over a lifetime. Read on to learn how you can build a credit history that lenders will swoon over.

Will My Credit Score Be the Same Across the Board?

In a word, no. Credit scores vary depending on the company providing the score, the data on which the score is based, and the method used to calculate the score.

In an ideal world, all credit bureaus would have the same information. But lenders don’t always report information to every bureau, so there will be variations in your credit file — usually minor — from bureau to bureau.

How Are Credit Scores Calculated?

Regardless of the scoring model used, most credit scores are calculated with a similar set of information. This includes information like how many and what types of accounts you have, the length of your credit history, your payment history, and your credit utilization ratio.

Lenders like to see evidence that you have successfully managed a variety of accounts in the past. This can include credit cards, student loans, personal loans, and mortgages, in addition to other types of debts. As a result, scoring models sometimes include the number of accounts you have and will also note the different types of accounts.

The length of your credit history shows lenders that you have a record of repaying your debts responsibly over time. Scoring models will factor in how recently your accounts have been opened.

Your payment history allows lenders to see how you’ve repaid your debts in the past. It will show details on late or missed payments and any bankruptcies. Scoring models typically look at how late your payments were, the amount you owed, and how often you missed payments.

Each scoring model will place a different weight of importance on each factor. As an example, here are the weighting figures for your base FICO Score:

Recommended: Can You Get a First-Time Personal Loan With No Credit History?

Which Credit Score Matters the Most?

As noted earlier, the credit score that matters the most is generally your FICO Score, since it’s used in the vast majority of lending decisions. There’s really no way to determine which credit score is most accurate, though, because they all use slightly different scoring models to calculate those precious three digits.

Even within your FICO Score, there’s variation. The most widely used FICO Score is FICO 8 (though the company has released a FICO 9 and FICO 10). This differs from previous versions in key ways:

•   Credit utilization is given greater weight.

•   Isolated late payments are given less weight than multiple late payments.

•   Accounts gone to collections for amounts less than $100 are ignored.

In addition, FICO can tweak their algorithm depending on the type of loan you’re applying for. If you’re looking to get an auto loan, your industry-specific FICO Score may emphasize your payment history with auto loans and deemphasize your credit card history.

As you can see, slight differences in method can result in different credit scores even given the same source data.

What Are the Largest Three Credit Bureaus?

The three major credit bureaus are Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. These bureaus collect and maintain consumer credit information and then resell it to other businesses in the form of a credit report. While the credit bureaus operate outside of the federal government, the Fair Credit Reporting Act allows the government to oversee and regulate the industry.

It’s worth noting that not all lenders report to the credit bureaus. You may have seen advertisements for loans with no credit check. Lenders that offer this type of loan won’t check your credit, and typically don’t report your new loan or your loan payments to the credit bureaus. Because these loans are riskier for the lender, they can justify high interest rates (possibly as much as 1000%) and faster repayment schedules. Consumers should beware of predatory lenders, especially risky payday loans and other fast-cash loans.

How To Find Your Credit Score

Your credit history and score play a large role in your personal finances. They can impact everything from taking out a mortgage or renting an apartment to buying a car and refinancing your student loans. Having an idea of what your credit score is can help you determine what your loan may look like and how much you can afford to borrow.

You can request a free copy of your credit report from each of the major credit bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com. Typically, your credit reports will not contain your credit scores. However, you may be able to access your FICO Score for free through your bank or credit card company (it may be on your statement or you may be able to see it by logging into your account online). You can also purchase credit scores from one of the three major credit bureaus or FICO. Some credit score services offer free scores to any user, while others only offer sores to customers who pay for credit monitoring services.

Be careful when you pull your free credit reports not to accidentally opt in to an add-on service that will charge you for special tools or credit monitoring.

Building Strong Credit

Credit scores aren’t set in stone. They evolve constantly as new financial information comes in, both positive and negative. Here are some strategic steps to consider for those trying to build a positive credit history:

Make Payments on Time

This includes credit card payments, rent, loans, utilities, and any other monthly bills or payments. Lenders often consider past behavior to be a predictor of future behavior and want to avoid lending money to individuals with a history of missed payments.

Pay Down Revolving Credit

Revolving credit refers to credit cards and credit lines, such as home equity lines of credit (HELOCs). Lenders generally like to see that you use no more than 30% of the total revolving credit available to you. It’s an indicator that you are able to effectively manage your credit.

One popular way to pay down high-interest revolving debt, is to use a debt consolidation loan. These are unsecured personal loans that typically offer lower fixed interest rates compared to credit cards. Getting approved for a personal loan is fairly straightforward, and you can usually shop around for the best personal loan interest rates without it affecting your credit score.

Be Selective About New Accounts

Opening a new credit card or applying for a loan generally involves a hard credit inquiry. Too many hard credit inquiries can have a negative impact on the applicant’s score. So while having a diverse mix of credit is a good thing in the eyes of lenders, opening a number of new accounts at once may be counter-productive.

The Takeaway

All three major credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion — are more alike than they are different, and any variations in their data are usually minor. Equifax is the largest credit bureau in the U.S., but TransUnion and Equifax are thought to be just as important. When it comes to credit scores, however, lenders prefer FICO Score by a wide margin.

SoFi Personal Loans

Think twice before turning to high-interest credit cards. Consider a SoFi personal loan instead. SoFi offers competitive fixed rates and same-day funding. Checking your rate takes just a minute.

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SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A., NMLS #696891 (Member FDIC). For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal. Equal Housing Lender.

Non affiliation: SoFi isn’t affiliated with any of the companies highlighted in this article.

Disclaimer: Many factors affect your credit scores and the interest rates you may receive. SoFi is not a Credit Repair Organization as defined under federal or state law, including the Credit Repair Organizations Act. SoFi does not provide “credit repair” services or advice or assistance regarding “rebuilding” or “improving” your credit record, credit history, or credit rating. For details, see the FTC’s website .

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

Third-Party Brand Mentions: No brands, products, or companies mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners.

SOPL-Q324-024

In general, there’s no “right” number of credit cards to have. Some might suggest having at least two credit cards, preferably from different networks — say, a Visa and an American Express, or a Mastercard and a Discover card — and strategically choosing them for the best combination of rewards. Others will recommend making this determination based on how many credit cards you can effectively handle, or how many is optimal for your credit score.

At the end of the day, the ideal number of credit cards depends on your personal financial situation. Learn more about how many credit cards you should have, and whether it will be good for you to have multiple credit cards.

How Many Credit Cards Does the Average Person Have?

Cardholders in the U.S. have an average of 3.9 credit card accounts, according to a review of national credit card data by the credit bureau Experian®.

The data also found that the number of credit cards someone has tends to increase the older they get. For instance, Baby Boomers (ages 59-77 currently) and Gen Xers (currently ages 43-58) held an average of 4.3 credit cards, whereas Millennials (ages 27-42 currently) had just 3.5 credit cards on average.

How Many Credit Cards Are Too Many?

There isn’t a set number of credit cards that tips you over into the territory of having “too many.” As long as you can stay on top of all of your accounts and manage them responsibly, having a number of credit cards won’t negatively affect your credit.

That being said, even just two credit cards could be too many if it becomes challenging for you to remember to make on-time payments on both accounts or you’re overspending. The more credit cards you have, the more credit card terms you’ll have to keep track of, which can get complicated. You may also run into paying multiple annual fees, and costs can add up quickly there — especially if you’re not using a credit card enough to justify the cost.

Even if you do think you can manage having multiple credit cards, you’ll want to watch out for applying for too many new cards within a short window of time. Doing so can lower your credit score temporarily, and that in turn could raise a red flag for lenders. Issuers have even begun to introduce rules to prevent cardholders from attempting credit card churning, which is when you repeatedly open and close credit cards to earn welcome bonuses.

Does Having Too Many Credit Cards Affect Your Credit Score?

Having multiple credit cards can either help build or hurt your credit score, depending on how responsibly you use your cards and how well you understand how credit cards work. However, if you’re in a situation where you’re starting to feel like you have too many credit cards, this could lead to negative effects on your credit score.

Multiple credit cards mean multiple due dates to juggle, which can make it easier to miss payments or make them late. Because payment history accounts for 35% of your FICO® score, this can have big implications for your credit.

Secondly, opening a number of new accounts can lower the average age of your credit, which matters since credit history length accounts for 15% of your score. Applying for a credit card also requires a hard inquiry, which can temporarily ding your score.

On the flipside, having multiple credit cards does offer you more access to credit. If you don’t increase your current outstanding balances, this could positively impact your credit utilization rate, which compares your outstanding balances to your total credit limit. Further, a new credit card could benefit your credit mix, which comprises 10% of your FICO score.

Recommended: When Are Credit Card Payments Due?

Potential Reasons to Apply for Another Credit Card

Trying to figure out what is a good amount of credit cards to have? Here are some potential reasons you might consider applying for an additional card.

Potentially Raise Your Credit Score

Getting an additional card can help build your credit. This might be the case if your newly opened card increases your overall credit limit. If you keep your total credit card balances the same, your higher limit will lower your credit utilization rate, which is one of the factors that affect your credit score.

Other ways that getting another credit card can have a positive impact on your credit is if the new card adds to your existing credit mix and if you consistently make on-time payments.

Maximize Rewards

Perhaps the top reason that people open multiple credit cards is to maximize the rewards they can earn. For instance, another card might be worth adding to your arsenal if it optimizes rewards in a category in which you don’t currently earn much. Or, for example, you might pair a basic cash-back rewards credit card for your everyday spending with a travel rewards card that can help you cover the cost of flights and enjoy perks while traveling.

Ensure You Can Pay If One Card Is Lost or Stolen

Having more than one credit card in your wallet can also act as an insurance policy of sorts. Say one of your cards gets stolen or is unexpectedly frozen due to fraudulent activity. That can leave you in a lurch at checkout if you don’t have any cash on you. By applying for an additional credit card, you’ll ensure that you always have a backup in case anything were to happen.

Pay Off a High-Interest Card with a Balance Transfer

You also might opt for an additional credit card if you have debt to pay off and qualify for a 0% APR introductory offer. These promotional offers allow you to move over a balance and pay it off interest-free within a certain period of time.

Just keep in mind that you’ll usually need solid credit to qualify for these offers, and a balance transfer fee will apply. Other pros and cons of no-interest credit cards include the fact that you’ll likely want to ensure you can pay off your debt before the promo offer ends — and a higher interest rate kicks in.

Secure a Higher Overall Credit Limit

Another possible benefit of opening an additional credit card account is that doing so can increase your available credit limit. Even if this card’s credit limit isn’t that different from those of your other cards, adding another card can help you keep your credit utilization rate from getting too high, as your overall credit limit will go up.

Recommended: What Is the Average Credit Card Limit?

Potential Drawbacks of Getting Another Credit Card

As mentioned, opening multiple credit cards within a short period of time can lower your credit score. But even if you don’t do that, there are possible issues that can arise when you have multiple cards — in other words, it isn’t always better to have more credit cards.

Potential to Lower Credit Score

Perhaps the biggest potential issue of having multiple credit cards is the possibility of harming your credit score. If you’re missing payments because you’re finding it hard to juggle multiple due dates, or are overspending and driving up your credit utilization ratio, your credit score will likely suffer.

Plus, even if you’ve paid off your accounts, having a large number of credit cards open can make you look risky to lenders, possibly lowering your score.

Fees

Another possible downside to having a number of credit cards is the fees you could face. Depending on the credit cards you have, you could end up paying multiple annual fees. These could become harder to manage. You might have a harder time keeping track of which cards charge which fees. This can make it more challenging to dodge unnecessary fees.

Harder To Keep Track Of

It’s likely that all of your credit cards could start off with a different due date, which can make it that much easier for a payment to slip through the cracks. Plus, you’ll have multiple different websites or mobile apps to check in on and visit in order to make your payment.

To make it easier on yourself, consider automating your payments or changing your due dates so they all fall on the same day. This can make it easier to adhere to one of the cardinal credit card rules of always making on-time payments.

Could Get Into a Cycle of Debt

When you have an array of credit cards in your wallet to choose from, it can feel easy to keep swiping. Plus, by using a number of different cards, you’ll be spreading your charges out, which can make it more challenging to track how much you’re actually spending in total.

To keep your spending in check, don’t spend more on your credit cards than you can actually afford to pay off in cash. Ideally, you’ll be able to pay off all of your credit card balances in full each month. Otherwise, interest charges can add up quickly, which is one of the reasons why credit card debt is hard to pay off.

More Difficult to Spot Fraudulent Activity

When you have just one credit card, checking your credit card balance regularly is pretty easy to do. But once you start growing your number of cards, it will take more legwork and effort to stay on top of your statements and check for any suspicious charges. This can make it harder to spot any potentially fraudulent activity and report it in a timely manner.

Determining How Many Credit Cards to Have

Now that you know the potential upsides and drawbacks to having multiple credit cards, you’re left with the question: How many credit accounts should I have? As mentioned before, the ideal number of credit cards varies from person to person. Here’s what to consider as you make this determination for yourself:

•   Do you have a history of responsible spending? If you think that applying for another credit card will lead to spending beyond your means, you might be better off skipping an additional card.

•   What’s your reason for getting another card? Opening up another card can help you maximize rewards, increase your purchasing power, or even assist in building credit. However, if you’re seeking another card because you’re low on funds and want to be able to fund more purchases, that could lead to a cycle of debt.

•   Are you confident you’ll be able to pay off your balances in full each month? Credit card interest can add up quickly if you’re not paying off your balances in full on a monthly basis (just check out our credit card interest calculator for proof). Before taking on an additional credit card, ensure you’re in a good financial position to pay off your balances regularly and in full.

•   Have you built your credit score since you last applied? A better credit score generally translates to better rates and rewards and higher credit limits. To make applying for a new card worth your while, it generally helps if you’ve done work to positively impact your credit since you last applied.

•   Do you have any other upcoming loan applications? If you know you’ll need to apply for a loan — whether that’s a car loan, a personal loan, or a mortgage — consider whether a credit card application is necessary right now. Applying triggers in a hard inquiry, which temporarily dings your score, making you a potentially less competitive applicant for the loan you need.

Recommended: Tips for Using a Credit Card Responsibly

The Takeaway

How many credit cards you should have largely depends on your personal financial situation and how many credit cards you feel you can responsibly manage. In the big scheme of things, how you use your credit cards may be more important than how many you have. To determine the ideal number of credit cards for you, you’ll want to weigh the pros and cons of adding another card to your wallet.

Whether you're looking to build credit, apply for a new credit card, or save money with the cards you have, it's important to understand the options that are best for you. Learn more about credit cards by exploring this credit card guide.

FAQ

Is 5 credit cards too many?

The answer is: It depends. Five credit cards is not too many if you are managing your debt responsibly, paying on time, and not being overwhelmed by interest charges. If, however, you are having trouble handling the debt and the various balances and due dates, those could be signs that five cards are too many for you.

How many cards should I have for good credit?

There is no specific number of cards you need to have for good credit. What can be most important is to manage your cards wisely and not have your debt go too high nor your credit score too low while using them. Some financial experts recommended having several cards ideally so that your credit file isn’t too thin. 

Does canceling a credit card help or harm your credit?

Canceling a credit card could harm your credit score. It could reduce the length of your credit history, which is a negative, as well as lower your overall credit limit and therefore potentially decrease your score. If you have a card you don’t use often, you might keep it open and use it occasionally, once every few months, to avoid these potential issues.

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Disclaimer: Many factors affect your credit scores and the interest rates you may receive. SoFi is not a Credit Repair Organization as defined under federal or state law, including the Credit Repair Organizations Act. SoFi does not provide “credit repair” services or advice or assistance regarding “rebuilding” or “improving” your credit record, credit history, or credit rating. For details, see the FTC’s website .

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Paying interest can be a fact of life for many credit cardholders. In most cases, carrying a balance month to month on a credit card will trigger interest charges, which is essentially the cost of borrowing money from a credit card company. Compared to other types of debt, such as mortgages and car loans, credit cards tend to have higher rates of interest, which can make them an expensive way to borrow money.

For example, while credit card APRs can range from 15% to 25% or higher, the average car loan interest rate is often much lower, providing a more cost-effective borrowing option for those making large purchases like vehicles.

One thing that people who use credit cards to their advantage have in common? They know how to avoid paying interest on credit cards. You can learn how, too. Here are some ways you might avoid interest on credit cards.

What’s an APR?

To understand how to avoid paying interest on credit cards, it helps to start by learning about credit card APR, or annual percentage rate. Basically, the APR is the rate of interest you’ll pay if you carry a credit card balance. Unlike the APR for other loan products, the APR for a credit card does not include any fees you may owe for using the card — it’s simply your interest rate.

Your APR on a credit card will depend on your creditworthiness as well as the current prime rate. Generally, borrowers with better credit will have better credit card APRs, meaning they may fall below the average credit card interest rate.

Recommended: Does Applying For a Credit Card Hurt Your Credit Score?

When Is Interest Charged?

Credit card interest is charged if you don’t pay off your balance in full each month. If cardholders pay their entire statement balance by their due date, interest charges are typically waived.

When you carry a balance, interest accrues on a daily basis. Your daily interest charge is determined by dividing your APR by 365, the number of days in the year. Then, at the end of each day, the interest is calculated based on your average daily balance. Because this continues throughout the billing cycle, the interest you’re charged yesterday then becomes part of the balance on which interest is charged today.

Your lender will then tally up all of your daily interest charges at the end of the month and put that amount onto your card as a finance charge.

Recommended: When Are Credit Card Payments Due?

How to Avoid Interest on a Credit Card

There are several strategies you can use to help avoid credit card interest.

Pay Off Your Balance in Full

If you’re wondering how to avoid credit card interest, one of the easiest methods is simply paying off your credit card balance in full each month. So long as you don’t carry a balance from month to month, you should never face purchase interest charges on credit cards.

To make paying off your full balance easier to do, you might consider making multiple payments throughout the month. That way, you don’t have to fork over one lump sum on your statement due date. One technique to consider is what’s known as the 15/3 credit card payment method.

Or, you could plan to check in on your balance regularly to ensure you’re going to be able to pay it off in full. The other benefit of paying off your full balance each month is that it can help you to build credit over time.

Take Advantage of Your Grace Period

Paying off a credit card in full each month creates an additional opportunity to avoid interest on a credit card. To help avoid paying interest, you can take advantage of your card’s grace period, the stretch of time between the end of your billing cycle and when a payment is due. During this time, no interest is charged on new purchases.

Here’s a hypothetical example:

•   A cardholder’s billing cycle for the month ends on January 15.

•   Say the cardholder pays their credit card bill on February 10. On February 10, they are only required to pay the “statement amount,” which includes only the purchases made from December 15 to January 15.

•   However, the grace period applies to any purchases that are made after January 15, but that won’t technically require payment until March 10. 

•   In this way, a purchase could remain interest-free for longer than just one billing cycle.

Credit card issuers aren’t required to offer a grace period, but plenty do. However, many require the balance to be paid off in full during the previous one or two billing cycles to qualify. If you lose your grace period because you haven’t paid your balance in full, you’ll be charged interest on any unpaid portion of the balance. In addition, you’ll lose your grace period, and all new purchases will accrue interest beginning from the date the purchase is made.

Utilizing the grace period to its full extent is one way to avoid paying interest on a purchase for longer than just one month (or whatever the billing cycle happens to be). Before going this route, just make sure your card has a grace period, and second, that you qualify. If you have questions, never hesitate to call your credit card issuer to ask how and when you’re billed.

Recommended: Tips for Using a Credit Card Responsibly

Use a Balance Transfer Offer or 0% Interest Credit Card

A balance transfer credit card, or a credit card that temporarily offers a 0% APR (or a very low rate), could be an enticing option for those who want to make major headway toward paying down a credit card balance. Keep in mind, however, that good credit (meaning a score of 670+) is typically needed to qualify for these offers.

If this is an approach you’re interested in, calculate how much you’d need to pay off each month in order to eradicate your balance. For example, if you have $6,000 you want to pay off during a 12-month 0% offer, you’d need to pay $500 each month. You’ll want to make sure you can realistically pay off the full balance before the promotion ends and the standard higher APR kicks in.

Also note that many balance transfers carry a balance transfer fee, which is usually around 3% to 5%of the amount transferred. Using our example from above, a $6,000 balance transfer with a 3% balance transfer fee would cost $180. Generally, this amount is added to the card’s total outstanding balance. Before pulling the trigger and transferring a balance, analyze how much you’d save in interest compared to the cost of the balance transfer fee.

There are a couple other potential pitfalls to balance transfers to keep in mind as well. For one, a balance transfer won’t get to the bottom of why you’ve racked up credit card debt in the first place. Some might find it too tempting to keep spending, and if more spending were to occur on top of the balance transfer, it could lead to unwanted interest charges. This could make it even harder to escape high-interest credit card debt.

Avoid Overspending

This may sound obvious, but it’s worth mentioning: To put yourself in a position where you can pay off your credit card balances every month, make sure your monthly spending doesn’t exceed your income.

This is easier said than done sometimes, but once you start racking up credit card interest, it can become even harder to pay off your full balance. You might consider making a budget and then vowing to stick to it to ensure you stay on track with your spending each month.

Plan Out Major Purchases

On a similar note to budgeting, another method for how to avoid paying interest on credit cards is by planning ahead for big purchases. If you know you have a pricey purchase coming up that you may need to spread out in smaller payments across a period of time, be strategic about how you’ll do it.

This could mean simply saving up ahead of time until you have enough stashed up to promptly pay off your balance. Or, you might time opening a credit card with a 0% promotional APR with completing your major purchase.

Tips for Reducing Interest

Sometimes you can’t avoid interest entirely. Even in those instances, you shouldn’t give up entirely and give into interest. Here are some tips for reducing the amount of interest you pay.

Taking Out a Personal Loan

Though not an interest-free option, there are other ways to potentially lower how much you’re paying in interest on your credit card debt. One such option is taking out a debt consolidation loan that has a lower rate of interest.

A debt consolidation loan allows you to roll your debts into one monthly payment that’s a set amount and stretched over a predetermined amount of time. This can make budgeting easier. Plus, if you manage to secure a lower interest rate, you might be able to pay off your debt faster, thanks to saving money on interest.

Making Multiple Payments Each Month

Another tactic to reduce the amount of interest you pay is to make payments on your credit card balance throughout the month, instead of waiting until the due date, as mentioned above. This helps because credit card interest is calculated on a daily basis, based on your average daily account balance. If you lower your balance with more frequent payments throughout the month, your average daily balance will be lower, thus reducing the amount of interest you’re charged.

Trying the Debt Avalanche Method

If you find yourself staring down a mountain of debt, you might consider trying a popular debt payoff strategy: the debt avalanche. With this approach, you focus on paying off your debt with the highest interest rate first. Over the long run, this can save you on interest.

The debt avalanche method instructs that you apply any extra funds to your highest-interest debt, while maintaining minimum monthly payments on your other debts. Then, once that debt is paid off, you’ll move your focus to paying down your debt with the second-highest interest rate.

The Takeaway

There are several ways to not pay interest on a credit card. These range from paying your balance off in full each month to taking advantage of a 0% APR offer. And even if you can’t avoid interest entirely, there are ways to reduce the amount of interest you pay on a balance you’ve accrued.

Whether you're looking to build credit, apply for a new credit card, or save money with the cards you have, it's important to understand the options that are best for you. Learn more about credit cards by exploring this credit card guide.

FAQ

What is the best strategy to avoid paying interest on your credit card?

There are several different ways you can avoid paying interest on your credit card, but among the most common are paying your credit card bill in full every month, consolidating debt with a balance transfer card, and being strategic about major purchases.

When should I pay my credit card to avoid interest?

You should pay your credit card as soon as you get it to avoid interest. There can be interest charged on the previous month’s balance between when the bill is issued and the due date. By making a prompt payment, you could avoid paying that.

How can I get my credit card company to waive interest?

You can call your credit card company’s customer service and request that interest be waived. You will likely have to explain the situation that led to this request. You might get a one-time waiver on some or all interest charges, depending on the situation and the issuer’s policies.

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