Understanding FICO® Scoring

[ifinet]

Hey fellas, just wanna know if I'd be dinged if I didnt use my Amex charge card for over 6 months. I do see a score drop if i keep one of my revolvers inactive for 6 months though. Thanks in advance!

[ifinet]

This thread is awefully deserted...Talk about darth vader super bowl ad then?

[stan_the_man]

Many people here on the boards report that if they have no revolving trade lines (credit and card cards) reporting a balance at the end of the month that they see a small score decline. The common advice that others offer is to maintain a reported utilization between 1% and 9%.

I hope that helps.

[ifinet]

I was more like referring to the ding that you get if any of your revolver hits 6 months of continuous inactivity. I wanna know if the same thing applies to amex charge cards too. I hope i made myself clear this time...

[DD60]

I recently used an AmEx card that I had not used for several months - possibly six.  I had been told by friends to use a card at least once a year to keep it active.  That $27 charge caused a 10-point drop in my FICO score.  Apparently one must use cards much more frequently.

[MarineVietVet]

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DD60 wrote:

I recently used an AmEx card that I had not used for several months - possibly six.  I had been told by friends to use a card at least once a year to keep it active.  That $27 charge caused a 10-point drop in my FICO score.  Apparently one must use cards much more frequently.

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You don't have to let a charge report in order to show activity. Buy something small and then PIF as soon as the charges hits the account and before the statement posts.

From a BK years ago to:
EX - 9/09 pulled by lender 802, EQ - 10/10-813, TU - 10/10-774

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem".

[ifinet]

@DD60 & @MARINE

Finally, the kind of answer I wanted to hear. Thanks guys!