Is it worth resurrecting old unused, but still open store cards?

[Anonymous]

Hi all, I am currently trying to raise my score... I have 3 store cards (Macys, Mervyns, Men's Warehouse) that are all in good order with 0 balance, and haven't been used in over 5 years. Will it be helpful to my score to charge a small purchase on each and carry a small balance (and of course pay on time...)?

In case it matters, these cards report "OK" for EXP and TU and "No Data" for EQ.

TIA,

Jason

[Anonymous]

I think it's worth it.  This is what I'm doing with my Target card that hasn't been used in 4 years.  Because of inactivity, my limit was decreased from 500 to 250, then to 200.  Hopefully after treating it right, my limit will go up.

[Anonymous]

I think that Fico does not count the cl's on cards that have not been used in a long time, like 1 yr or more. I could be wrong though.

[Anonymous]

Hi Jason, and welcome.

Yes you should use all your cc's periodically. Just enough to have them report positively. Some ccc's are known to close the credit card after extended periods of non-use.

[Anonymous]

It's about when it was last reported- not about when it was used.

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cowpaddi wrote:

I think that Fico does not count the cl's on cards that have not been used in a long time, like 1 yr or more. I could be wrong though.

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[KingAdrock]

But don't companies generally stop reporting for accounts they deem inactive?

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@Anonymous wrote:

It's about when it was last reported- not about when it was used.

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@Anonymous wrote:

I think that Fico does not count the cl's on cards that have not been used in a long time, like 1 yr or more. I could be wrong though.

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[Anonymous]

It all depends-

DW has 4 accounts we closed last year - they are still reporting every month.

1 of them has been closed for over a year-

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KingAdrock wrote:
But don't companies generally stop reporting for accounts they deem inactive?

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Timothy wrote:

It's about when it was last reported- not about when it was used.

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cowpaddi wrote:

I think that Fico does not count the cl's on cards that have not been used in a long time, like 1 yr or more. I could be wrong though.

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[KingAdrock]

Do they still have balances owed or have you paid them off?

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@Anonymous wrote:

It all depends-

DW has 4 accounts we closed last year - they are still reporting every month.

1 of them has been closed for over a year-

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[Anonymous]

Paid in full-

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KingAdrock wrote:
Do they still have balances owed or have you paid them off?

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Timothy wrote:

It all depends-

DW has 4 accounts we closed last year - they are still reporting every month.

1 of them has been closed for over a year-

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[Anonymous]

Are store cards more apt to stay open after extended periods of inactivity, than bank cc's?