Amex usage question

[Anonymous]

I currently have two Amex credit cards with $15,000 limits on each. Question: what happens if I choose to let these balances continue to report zero for 4-6 months or until I need to use them? Would Amex reduce my cl or close the accounts?

[austinguy907]

You will be fine.  Utilization from my experience recently is more important if you want to go for a huge CL. 

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Card-Applications/AMEX-Quest-to-150K-CLI-single-card/td-p/489...

[CribDuchess]

I've gone over a year without using one or even two of my Amex cards and Amex didn't do a thing. There are some who do close the account though, Citi being one of them. Citi closed my DH's Simplicity card for inactivity after 18 months.  And I've read here that Barclays is even quicker in shutting down accounts for non-use.

[Anonymous]

That's good to know. I worked hard for those cl's and choose to carry zero balance on each. The limit is there only if I need it. Thank you

[NRB525]

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@Anonymous wrote:
That's good to know. I worked hard for those cl's and choose to carry zero balance on each. The limit is there only if I need it. Thank you

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That may work, but is there absolutely no small spend you can put through the cards? While it is possible to let a card sit idle for months, the advantage of taking it out every other month to buy a coffee is that you know it still works, and AMEX still knows you are alive.

They don't have to approve any charge you make, and if you go a year without any charges, then run into a situation where you want to charge $10,000 for some reason, it may not be accepted. That's an extreme example, but intended to make a point: they don't have to accept a charge you want to make.