 TITLE: Can Having More Credit Cards Help Your Credit Score? CONTENT: Each credit card you hold comes with a credit limit. Multiple cards give you access to a larger total credit limit, and maintaining the same level of spending after you get more cards can lead to good credit. That's because credit utilization, or the percentage of your total credit limit you use, is one of the most important contributors to credit: The amounts you owe on your accounts make up 30% of your FICO® Score☉ .\nHere's an example: Say you currently have one card with a limit of $1,000, and you make $200 worth of purchases each month on average. That gives you a credit utilization rate of 20%. Getting a second card with a limit of $1,000, but continuing to spend $200 each month on your cards in total, increases your limit to $2,000—and drops your utilization to 10%. Utilizing a small amount of your available credit can help your credit score.\nThe only more important credit scoring factor than credit utilization is payment history. Paying all your bills on time is the best way to build good credit. Late payments stay on your credit report for seven years and hurt your score. Positive payment history stays longer—10 years, in fact, even after an account is closed. Making all credit card payments on time across multiple cards has the potential to help your credit score. END