AAoA and CC with good credit

[Anonymous]

Hello all:

I know there are several posts about when to consider canceling a CC, and I understand that my UTIL percentage will change if I decide to close a CC, but none of the posts seem to explain what will happen to the AAoA if I cancel a CC.  Here is my predicament.

When I was in college, I went crazy with my one CC and other types of credit, and I blew it.  So, all I could get was a secured CC.  I used that to build my credit score.  That was over ten years ago.  I have never missed a payment on that card, have since been able to get a CapOne Platinum card and an AMEX Blue cash card, both with very high credit limits.  All three of my scores are over 800.

But now, the secured card started to charge $4 a month (if you can believe THAT), and I want to cancel it.  I have had that card for close to 11 years, and the other two CC's for three and one years, respectively.  Since the credit limits on my other cards are crazy high, and the limit on the secured card is small ($1,850), then my UTIL percentage won't be impacted very much, especially since I haven't carried a balance on any of them in over two years (average UTIL percentage less than 4%, depending on when in the month you pull my CR).

So, I have three questions that I can't seem to find an answer to on these boards:

1) If I cancel that card, does it stop counting towards my AAoA, and if not, when does it stop counting?

2) Do the three bureaus count a closed CC account age differently, and if so, are any of them relevant here?

3) Is there anything else I should ask before closing this account?

Thank you very much. 

[llecs]

So as long as the CC continues to report (CRTP is 10 yrs from date of closure for good TLs), then it will continue to factor into AAoA. AAoA factos ALL OC accounts, good or bad, open or closed.

Before you close it, make sure the balance is $0.

AAoA will only be impacted about 10 yrs from now, as mentioned. The only immediate concern would be your mix of credit. Once it reads closed and $0, it will be removed from your mix. Ideally, you'd want at least 3 CCs, with one being a charge card. I really don't know how much of an impact, if any, this card would have. I can't imagine more than a single-digit loss, if that. You can certainly have a score peaking into the 800s with the 2 CCs you have now.