General Credit Card Usage Question

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Hi,

Question: Is it recommended to use every CC I have every month or can I skip a month for a CC? Appreciate any replies.

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None of us are obligated to use "every" CC we have every month and I haven't read anywhere that it's recommended. Though some CCC's have been known to lower your CL or even worse close an account due to severe inactivity (I gather there must be correspondence sent if no reply is received it's bye-bye which makes total sense).

On the ones that I sock drawered for me, I swipe at least once a year and have had no issues.

[HeavenOhio]

We've seen Wells Fargo close cards at six months.

There's a recent thread in General Credit that compiles data on card closures. Some people report cards staying open for a long time, while others have reported fairly quick closures. Obviously, it's best to err on the side of caution. The latest recommendation coming out of that thread is four months for major cards.

I manage to use my cards each month just because I can. Five of them are going to be used anyway. The sixth happens to have a gas reward that matches my gas rewards on other cards. So I take it out to get a tank of gas each month, and I pay it off when the charge posts.

[Anonymous]

I think CC companies are cracking down on non-usage of a CC for X amount of months, almost like every CC is monitored in some fashion. In the near future, I think many things are going to be monitored in such a way. I hope 2019 is going to be a good year, where things are not going to be hard to purchase. And BofA seems to be thinking they're a top dog of them all, from the lady told me that my BofA card is only being reported to Experian which is a lie.

[Anonymous]

I'm wondering if the card has an AF may it a major one or Subprime, the AF would count as usage. My guess would be yes?

[Anonymous]

What do you mean?

[CreditInspired]

Hi OP
Like others have said, you don’t need to put something on your card every month. I’ve gone many months not putting anything on my NFCU Plat, CitiCostco or CitiDC.

Just recently in the last year, I thought hmmmm that may not be a good idea. So I start putting my recurring Internet bill on one, HULU/Netflix on the other, and NYTsubscription on one.

Yep, if you’re worried and don’t want to forget about activity on a card, throw a recurring bill on it. But make sure you setup autopay because you don’t want to forget to pay the CC.

[Anonymous]

Ok. Thanks for all the replies, appreciate it.