• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Ask Liz Weston

Get smart with your money

  • About
  • Liz’s Books
  • Speaking
  • Disclosure
  • Contact

credit utilization

Q&A: Is it possible to have too many credit cards?

March 4, 2024 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: I have accumulated too many credit cards, sometimes to get bonus frequent flier miles. The frequent flier miles cards all have annual fees. I always pay cards in full each month.

My credit score is 800-plus every month. I have heard that your credit score is dinged when you close credit accounts. Is that true and by how much? How do you recommend reducing the number of credit cards?

Answer: Yes, closing cards can hurt your credit scores. The “how much” question is impossible to predict and will depend on your credit situation as well as how you go about reducing your card portfolio.

Keep in mind that there is no such thing as “too many credit cards” as far as credit scoring formulas are concerned. As long as you pay your bills on time and use only a small portion of your available credit limits, you can have lots of cards and great scores.

However, monitoring a bunch of different cards can be overwhelming. You also don’t want to keep paying annual fees for cards that aren’t delivering sufficient benefits.

If the fees are your primary concern, identify the cards you want to close and ask the issuers if you can get a “product change” to a no-fee card. This typically won’t affect your scores because the account is simply being transferred rather than being closed and reopened.

If you need to thin the herd, be aware that credit scoring formulas are sensitive to credit utilization, or the amount of your available credit you’re using on each card and overall.

If you have multiple cards from the same issuer, ask if the credit limit from the card you’re closing can be added to one of your remaining cards. Another option is to close only your lowest-limit cards.

You won’t want to close any cards if you’ll be looking for a major loan, such as auto financing or a mortgage, in the next few months. Hold off until after you’ve got the loan.

Also try to use up or transfer any points or miles you’ve earned on the cards you plan to close because those rewards may disappear at closure.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Credit Scoring, Q&A Tagged With: Credit Cards, Credit Score, Credit Scores, credit scoring, credit utilization

Q&A: Credit scores and usage

July 18, 2022 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: Thanks for your recent column about how credit scores react to heavy credit card usage. We pay our credit cards in full each month but recently we had big charges on three cards for vacations, home supplies and other purchases. I am the primary account holder on all three cards and my credit scores tanked! I even got email warnings about it from my credit monitoring service.

I have paid off two of the cards and will pay off the third one soon. My husband has one credit card in his own name that he occasionally uses and he is an authorized user on the others. I have always been the fanatical financial partner so he thinks it’s funny he has great scores and I look like a loser! Good thing we were not planning to do a house purchase or refinance the mortgage.

Answer: Pretty soon your husband will have to find something else to tease you about. Your scores are likely to return to their previous levels once the high balances are paid off and you return to your normal spending habits.

Many people are surprised by how dramatically credit scoring formulas react to the amount of available credit they’re using. But this knowledge can help you the next time you’re planning to get a major loan.

For example, you could throttle back your credit card usage starting a couple of months before your application. Alternatively, you could make weekly payments instead of monthly ones to ensure the balances reported to the credit bureaus, and used in your scores, are as low as possible.

Another approach is to pay off your balance a few days before the statement closing date, since the balance on that date is the one that’s typically reported to the bureaus. (If any charges show up after you’ve paid off the balance, you’ll need to make a second payment before the due date to avoid late fees.)

Filed Under: Credit Scoring, Q&A Tagged With: Credit Scores, credit utilization, q&a

Can you have too much credit?

August 3, 2020 By Liz Weston

People who care about their credit scores tend to obsess about some things they probably shouldn’t, such as the possibility they might have too much credit.

Let’s bust that myth right upfront: The leading credit scoring formulas, FICO and VantageScore, don’t punish people for having too many accounts. And right now, having access to credit could be a lifeline.

In my latest for the Associated Press, find out why it’s not how many cards you have, but how you use them.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: available credit, Credit, credit utilization

Friday’s need-to-know money news

July 24, 2020 By Liz Weston

Today’s top story: How to tell if that ‘contact tracer’ is really a scammer. Also in the news: Don’t wait to refinance these student loans, why you should aim for 1% credit utilization, and the $600 unemployment boost is likely ending. Here’s how you can access cash now.

Is That ‘Contact Tracer’ Really a Scammer? How to Tell
How to keep yourself.

Don’t Wait to Refinance These Student Loans
You could save money on your private loans.

Why You Should Aim for 1% Credit Utilization
The lower the better.

The $600 unemployment boost is likely ending. Here’s how you can access cash now
Barring an extension from Congress, the boost will end this week.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: $600 boost, contact tracing, credit utilization, pandemic, private student loans, student loan refinancing, unemployment

Friday’s need-to-know money news

December 6, 2019 By Liz Weston

Today’s top story: One credit score factor to check twice during the holidays. Also in the news: How to give back without busting your budget, how not to get hustled in the holiday bustle, and the best apps for tracking your credit card rewards.

One Credit Score Factor to Check Twice During the Holidays
Utilizing your credit wisely.

How to Give Back Without Busting Your Budget
Create a giving plan.

Identity Theft: Don’t Get Hustled in the Holiday Bustle
‘Tis the season for identity theft.

The Best Apps for Tracking Your Credit Card Rewards
All your rewards in one place.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: budgets, Credit Score, credit utilization, giving back, Identity Theft, rewards apps, tips

Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

November 20, 2019 By Liz Weston

Today’s top story: 5 great hotels to book for New Year’s with points and miles. Also in the news: Why you shouldn’t open your Roth IRA at a bank, one credit score factor to check twice during the holidays, and how much you should contribute to your FSA.

5 Great Hotels to Book for New Year’s With Points and Miles
Ring in the new year for less.

Why You Shouldn’t Open Your Roth IRA at a Bank
A broker gives you more options.

One Credit Score Factor to Check Twice During the Holidays
Your credit utilization ratio matters.

How Much Should You Contribute to Your FSA?
Covering your out-of-pocket costs.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: credit utilization, Flexible Spending Account, FSA, miles, New Year's Eve, reward points, Roth IRA

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Search

Copyright © 2025 · Ask Liz Weston 2.0 On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in