How often should you use your credit card to keep it active?
Matthew Harrington
Updated on February 09, 2026
once every three months
You should use your credit card at least once every three months to keep it active (but more often than that if you want your credit score to improve at a faster rate). Not all issuers are the same when it comes to credit card inactivity.
How often should I use each credit card?
In general, you should plan to use your card every six months. However, if you want to be extra safe, aim for every three. Some card issuers will explicitly state in the card agreement what length of time is considered to be inactive.
When should someone use a credit card?
10 Reasons to Use Your Credit Card
- One-Time Bonuses.
- Cash Back.
- Rewards Points.
- Frequent-Flyer Miles.
- Safety.
- Keeping Vendors Honest.
- Grace Period.
- Insurance.
Is it bad to use credit card frequently?
Most experts recommend keeping your overall credit card utilization below 30%. Lower credit utilization rates suggest to creditors that you can use credit responsibly without relying too heavily on it, so a low credit utilization rate may be correlated with higher credit scores.
How long can you not use a credit card before they cancel it?
There’s no definitive rule for how often you need to use your credit card in order to build credit. Some credit card issuers will close your credit card account if it goes unused for a certain period of months. The specifics depend on the credit card issuer, but the range is generally between 12 and 24 months.
How often should you use your credit card to keep active?
You should try to use your credit card at least once every three months to keep the account open and active. This frequency also ensures your card issuer will continue to send updates to the credit bureaus. Debt.org shares the main ways that credit bureaus get updates on your financial information: 2
How often can I apply for new credit cards?
It’s important to remember that your applications for new credit make up only 10% of your credit score, which is a relatively small portion compared to your payment history (35%), and your amounts owed (30%). So as I like to say and do: Pay all your bills on time, and carry very little debt, and it will be very hard not to have excellent credit.
How often do you carry a credit card balance?
Out of 176 million credit card users, most cardholders carry a balance month to month. An April 2018 report by the American Bankers Association reveals that 44% of credit card users are revolvers, meaning they carry a balance to the next month at least once every quarter.
Why do I need to pay my credit card every month?
Setting up monthly reminders or automatic payments is helpful if you’re managing multiple billing deadlines, card issuers, and account credentials every month. Simplifying the payment process will lower your chances of missing a deadline or failing to pay your balances off in full.
