Closing a credit card with zero balance is not a good idea if that card has no annual fee. Any credit card you manage responsibly, even an unused one, reflects positively on your credit history. So closing such a card will have a negative impact on your credit standing.

Should you keep your credit card balance at zero?

The standard recommendation is to keep unused accounts with zero balances open. A zero balance on a credit card reflects positively on your credit report and means you have a zero balance-to-limit ratio, also known as the utilization rate. Generally, the lower your utilization rate, the better for your credit scores.

Is it bad to cancel a credit card you never used?

An unused card with a high annual fee that you can’t afford is also generally safe to close, as is a newly opened account that you don’t use. Cancelling it will have less of a negative impact on your credit score than closing an older account.

When to close credit cards with zero balance?

Dear ABF, The standard advice is to keep unused accounts with zero balances open. The reason is that closing the accounts reduces your available credit, which makes it appear that your utilization rate, or balance-to-limit ratio, has suddenly increased.

How does closing a credit card affect your credit?

Closing a card with a remaining balance won’t have an initial effect on your credit score. However, you could expect some negative impact in the future, when the balance is paid off, especially if you carry a high balance on your other cards.

What happens if you have no credit card balance?

If you have a $0 balance for several months because you’re not using your credit cards at all, your credit score could take a hit. When a credit card is inactive for several months or longer, your credit card issuer may stop sending account updates to the credit bureaus.

How to compare credit cards with zero balance?

To compare credit card companies fully and accurately, visit multi-lender marketplace Credible. One area where credit scores are particularly vexing for consumers is when zero balances on credit cards come into play. Here’s everything you need to know about how a zero balance impacts credit.