 TITLE: Can Issuers Close Unused Credit Cards? CONTENT: How Will a Closed Credit Card Affect My Credit Score?\n-----------------------------------------------------\nWhen one of your credit card accounts is closed, your credit score will be impacted in two ways. Here is an overview of what will happen when your credit report reflects a closed credit card account.\n1.  Your total credit limit will decrease, and your utilization will likely increase. Though you may not ever use all of your total available credit, how much credit you use is important when calculating your credit utilization ratio. Your overall utilization ratio is calculated by dividing the total of all your revolving balances by the total of all your credit limits. That means if your total credit limit drops, your utilization (if you continue to carry the same balances) will go up.  \n    Credit utilization is the second most important factor of your credit score, and it's recommended to keep your utilization rate below 30%. If one of your credit cards is closed and your utilization goes above the 30% mark, you'll want to adjust—either by increasing your total credit limits or by reducing your spending—to get that ratio back in check.\n2.  Your length of credit history could decrease. A longer credit history and higher average age of accounts help your credit scores. When you close a credit card account, these factors may decrease, though not always right away. How much they decrease will depend on how long you had the card and the scoring model used. Credit age accounts for 15% of your FICO® Score☉ , so changes could have an impact on your scores.\nThough your credit scores are calculated based on a handful of factors, changes to your utilization and credit age could cause your scores to dip. The good thing about credit utilization, however, is that you can easily manipulate it by paying down your balances. END