When you close a credit card your credit score will increase?
Jackson Reed
Updated on January 24, 2026
Closing your credit card won’t affect your new credit unless you’re closing it to open a new card. If you feel more comfortable having only one credit card at a time, this might seem like a sensible approach. We don’t want to discourage you from opening a new credit card that better fits your needs and habits.
Does closing out accounts hurt your credit score?
Bank account information is not part of your credit report, so closing a checking or savings account won’t have any impact on your credit history. The company that buys the debt can then report the collection account to the credit reporting companies, which could cause scores to plummet.
Is it bad to close an unused credit card account?
Closing unused credit card accounts may sound like a good idea, but it could hurt your credit score because of increased utilization and, eventually, shorter credit history.
What happens to your credit score when you close a credit card?
If you are tempted to charge more than you should just because you have more availability to credit, then getting rid of that temptation by closing some credit cards might be your best course of action. However, your FICO Score takes into consideration something called a Credit Utilization Ratio.
Is it worth it to leave a credit card open?
While leaving a credit card open can help your credit score, it’s not always worth it to leave cards open. For example, if you have an unused credit card that’s charging you an annual fee, you should use it or close it.
What happens when you cancel a long held credit card?
So, cancelling a long-held card could put you at a disadvantage, depending on what the lender is looking for. What’s more, cancelling a card may increase your credit utilisation – the proportion you use of your available credit – which can also lower your score.