What to do with large limit cards you barely use?

[Anonymous]

why ^^ i have had my WF card since 2012 and haven't touched it in over a year. i specifically talked to WF and they said they wouldn't close it so don't go out of your way to use cards you don't want or like. that's too much energy for crap you don't want. no need in jumping through hoops for lenders because they could care less.

[Anonymous]

If you're concerned about AA and don't want to close the accounts, you could set up an auto payment for each card. Or use them every couple of months for small purchases.Best of luck!

[Revelate]

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@Anonymous wrote:
why ^^ i have had my WF card since 2012 and haven't touched it in over a year. i specifically talked to WF and they said they wouldn't close it so don't go out of your way to use cards you don't want or like. that's too much energy for crap you don't want. no need in jumping through hoops for lenders because they could care less.

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Don't trust that .

The line bank agent has absolutely no control as to what the banks implement for their algorithm and as a point of fact I just yesterday had a BOFA banker tell me "Oh we'll never take your card away from you!"

And then we just had another AA account closure post from you guessed it, BOFA hahaha.

End of the day, if you want the card for whatever reason, put some silly recurring expense on it and go on with life, or just trot it out for lunch once every few months or something akin to that.

[Anonymous]

lol. well if it closes i will clap haha. i will update the forums also

[Anonymous]

I would set a recurring charge to the cards you don't use (i.e. Netflix, any sort of membership, etc), then set it to autopay.

[Thomas_Thumb]

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@Anonymous wrote:
why ^^ i have had my WF card since 2012 and haven't touched it in over a year. i specifically talked to WF and they said they wouldn't close it so don't go out of your way to use cards you don't want or like. that's too much energy for crap you don't want. no need in jumping through hoops for lenders because they could care less.

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A few posters in the last few months have reported Wells Fargo closing CC accounts after 7, 8 and 10 months of inactivity. She received the closure letter after the fact - no warning. Once the account was closed they would not re-open. Must apply for a new account - I guess "once closed/always closed" is standard practice for bank cards.

Mu understanding is an account can be tagged as inactive after only 3 months of non use. However, it appears that Fico looks at 6 months of non use as a threshold for inactivity based on "non use" testing conducted by a different MyFICO poster.

Side note: It is the credit card issuer that counts when it comes to AA. THe issuer knows the card is used whether or not you pre-pay and have your balance report as "0" on statements.

I was awarded a $7k CLD on an FIA Visa Signature card that I only used once in 18 months. That was a four years back and I still have the CLD.

I now use all my cards at least once every 3 to 5 months to avoid any future AA associated with inactivity. For those with a dozen or more cards cycling through each card every couple months may be a challenge. A 3 month frequency will suffice and really use in less than 6 month intervals should be sufficient.

Reference posts pasted below:

Wells Fargo closed my cc account

‎10-28-2015 06:36 PM

@SteveUrkel wrote:

Hi, wells fargo closed my cc today for inactivity. Fortunately, I didn’t owe anything on the card...Will this hurt my credit? Should I be worried?

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 -Cal- wrote: How long was your account inactive?

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@ SteveUrkel wrote:

About 10 months

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Re: Wells Fargo Closed My Credit Card

01-29-2016 08:43 AM

@Anonymous wrote:

Nothing much in my credit profile that changed over the past year except a few new accounts and inquires.. 

I never carried a balance on this card always paid in full on this account because of high apr, although carried a balance on other 0% apr cards. Total utilization around 3% on busy months..

Last time i used this card was about 7 months ago.. So maybe it was closed due to inactivity although i had years of not using it before, I'll call on my lunch today at work..

Anyone know the policy on re opening closed accounts with wells?

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@Anonymous wrote:

Sorry for the late update, so it turns out they closed it for lack of activity, i guess making a 10 dollar purchase once every 8 months just wasn’t cutting it for them lol

sucks my first account was closed by the bank, but oh well, it was my lowest limit of 2,200 anyway.

I asked the CSR on the phone if we can reopen the account and she said no, that i can apply for a new card, i thought to myself why on earth would i app for a new account with them if i haven't used the one i had at all and it got closed lol.

Do you guys think a supervisor or a manager or whoever in charge in that department would be able to reopen a closed account?

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About 99.9% sure that's a no. Once they close an account, it's closed. The good news is, it means absolutely nothing to you, your CR or scores. There seems to be this self perceived stigma associated with closed by grantor/creditor/bank etc. but it's totally overblown. That card is not even a drop in your bucket and it's one less thing to worry about putting $10 on once a year. Good riddance I say.

[CluelessCredit]

I'll echo the recurring charge suggestion. I put Netflix, Verizon, Comcast, and Google play music all on different cards.

[Anonymous]

im hoping the $0.50 e-gift cards i load every 3 mos would suffice. 

[CreditScholar]

From my experience, I wouldn't worry too much about BofA taking AA unless there is something on your CRs that really spooks them.

I haven't had any activity on my card for several years, and nothing has happened whatsoever (AA, CLD, etc.)

[Anonymous]

I have an Arrival card that i never use or carry around. But i put 2 auto monthly payments on it so that they dont CLD it. I like the high limit to pad my utilization ratio. 

Same thing with my ED card. Never use it bc the rewards arent worth putting spend on but it has no AF and has high limit due to the 3x CLI. I just give it to wife to use for 2x groceries. 

Also have a useless GM card but i got that long time ago bc i liked the cadillac design. Put my 7.99 nflx charge on it every month to keep it active. Its an extra 4k limit so why not. They mailed me an updated cadillac card and the design isnt as nice but guess i'll keep it for now. Cant justify putting any sort of meaningful spend on that card.