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Close Store Card? (Kay's)

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Tons_of_Debt
Established Contributor

Close Store Card? (Kay's)

In the process of rebuilding my credit I opened a Kay Jewelers store card (5k limit). Recently I heard Clark Howard say a store card can actually HURT credit score. Should I close it?

08/01/2008 - 472 EQ; 523 TU; 454 EX
03/01/2009 - 574 EQ
08/08/2009 - 648 EQ
01/27/2010 - 671 EQ
07/04/2010 - 713 EQ
01/05/2011 - 730 EQ
05/14/16 - 762 EX
Message 1 of 3
2 REPLIES 2
Tons_of_Debt
Established Contributor

Re: Close Store Card? (Kay's)

 
08/01/2008 - 472 EQ; 523 TU; 454 EX
03/01/2009 - 574 EQ
08/08/2009 - 648 EQ
01/27/2010 - 671 EQ
07/04/2010 - 713 EQ
01/05/2011 - 730 EQ
05/14/16 - 762 EX
Message 2 of 3
valley_man0505
Established Contributor

Re: Close Store Card? (Kay's)

No, definitely don't close it.  Part of your score is based on credit MIX, meaning it is good to have a variety of types of credit.  More importantly, have the $5k CL must be having a huge positive effect on your utilization (unless you have 10's of thousands of dollars of available credit from other cards, which I highly doubt is the case based your scores).

 

Kay will eventually "close" the card due to inactivity, meaning that you won't be able to use it anymore.  HOWEVER, it seems that Kay continues to report "closed" accounts as open on your credit reports so that you still get the benefit of having your original CL factored into your utilization percentage.  That is a rebuilder's dream--a card that you can't use to get yourself into trouble but one that still reports as open to the credit bureaus!!

Message 3 of 3
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