Minimum usage to avoid limit decrease

[Dennis885]

I currently have 4 credit cards, although one is an old secured card with a low limit.   The other 3 have limits of 15k, 7k and 4k.

I typically will use one card heavily for a month then switch to another the next month, etc.   Always pay in full.  When I say heavy I usually do not exceed $1500 in a period.

I see people on here with 10 even 20 open credit cards.   My question is how do you spread your spending over 20 cards?  Or how long can you leave one dormant before they close it or reduce your CL?

I'd like to open 2-3 more cards and close my old secured card, but I'm concerned I won't spend enough and some or all cards will reduce my limit.

[M_Smart007]

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@Dennis885 wrote:

I currently have 4 credit cards, although one is an old secured card with a low limit.   The other 3 have limits of 15k, 7k and 4k.

I typically will use one card heavily for a month then switch to another the next month, etc.   Always pay in full.  When I say heavy I usually do not exceed $1500 in a period.

I see people on here with 10 even 20 open credit cards.   My question is how do you spread your spending over 20 90 cards?  Or how long can you leave one dormant before they close it or reduce your CL?

I'd like to open 2-3 more cards and close my old secured card, but I'm concerned I won't spend enough and some or all cards will reduce my limit.

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I am @ 90 open credit cards.

Some I do not need to use but once a year, some every 6 months. Some are daily drivers.

Can you list the three card lenders names that are the non-secured,

we could probably tell you the likelihood of a future CLD.

We would need to know the lenders.

[Dennis885]

Thank you.  

Amex 15k

Capital One $7k

Citi $4k

Recently got increases on Amex (12 to 15) and Cap One (6 to 7)

Also if you have any suggestions on cards that are stable even with little use I'm all ears.

[M_Smart007]

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@Dennis885 wrote:

Thank you.  

Amex 15k

Capital One $7k

Citi $4k

Recently got increases on Amex (12 to 15) and Cap One (6 to 7)

Also if you have any suggestions on cards that are stable even with little use I'm all ears.

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Thanks @Dennis885 , for your reply.

A little use every 6 months, and I'd say you have nothing to worry about with those lenders.

The most stable cards come from Credit Unions.

Having said that, I have had no CLD's on my current cards.

About three years ago, I had Synchrony close a few (They are odd ducks)

I have a Lowe's card with them now at $35K CL (It is my only non-major CC)

I did have one Aspiration card close, only because they discontinued the card/program.

The best rule of thumb, a pack of gum or Amazon reload every six months keeps them all happy

ETA: You will get some good input from other forum members

[Anonymous]

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@M_Smart007 wrote:

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@Dennis885 wrote:

Thank you.  

Amex 15k

Capital One $7k

Citi $4k

Recently got increases on Amex (12 to 15) and Cap One (6 to 7)

Also if you have any suggestions on cards that are stable even with little use I'm all ears.

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Thanks @Dennis885 , for your reply.

A little use every 6 months, and I'd say you have nothing to worry about with those lenders.

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While that is almost certainly true a tiny caveat with Cap One.    A while back, several forum members, including me, got CLDs from Cap One despite some real use.   I think everyone impacted had a CL above $30K and it was a some time ago, so hopefully isn't a real risk for you.   But at that time, they seemed to want "proper" use, i.e. a packet of gum every three months doesn't justify the line.   I can't quite remember but I think I had spent $200-300 the year I got the CLD, which for most cards would be plenty!

[Doodlebug30]

@M_Smart007 90 cards?! 😱 And here I thought my 14 cards was too much lol 

[SouthJamaica]

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@Dennis885 wrote:

I currently have 4 credit cards, although one is an old secured card with a low limit.   The other 3 have limits of 15k, 7k and 4k.

I typically will use one card heavily for a month then switch to another the next month, etc.   Always pay in full.  When I say heavy I usually do not exceed $1500 in a period.

I see people on here with 10 even 20 open credit cards.   My question is how do you spread your spending over 20 cards?  Or how long can you leave one dormant before they close it or reduce your CL?

I'd like to open 2-3 more cards and close my old secured card, but I'm concerned I won't spend enough and some or all cards will reduce my limit.

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I have more than 20 cards. I use each card every month. I spread the usage around. I am not a big spender, and on those cards which I use for spending, I rarely use more than a miniscule percentage of my limit, typically not more than 1 or 2 percent, and often less than that.  Not once, in the 7 years or so that I have been operating this way, has any lender decreased my limit.

If I'm not going to use a card at all, I close it.  I don't consider it safe to have an open account to which I don't pay attention.

[NoMoreE46]

With Amex (and BofA),  DW has more than 7 years of inactivity without any AA.

Of course this is also profile dependent.  Her scores are > 800 with < 10 % utilization.

[Catbird_Seat]

I have 31 active cards, I do a quarterly rotation using them.

I use 3-4 cards each quarter, with their statement dates spread across each month, tracking on a spreadsheet. 

So, card cuts on 1st of the month, along with a card that cuts on the 15th & another that cuts on the 24th.

Some cards I'll carry a balance, others I pay off after the statement cuts, others I pay before so it doesn't report to the CRAs. 

Some creditors want you to use the card & for the balance to post to monitor your usage; no balance reporting doesn't count in their internal algorithms for usage. 

[NoMoreE46]

@Catbird_Seat

Excellent commitment there with your cards.

Would you be able to list which creditors prefer to have a balance report vs ones you think don't?