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Research: Types of credit cards that you should never consider closing - Credit-Land.com

There are times when credit cards can become such a burden that you end up feeling frustrated and want to close it at the earliest. However, closing a credit card is not as easy as it seems and there are a lot of things that most of us are unaware of. It is imperative to increase the awareness about the nuances of closing credit cards before you even initiate the process. In fact, there are a few credit cards that should never be closed at all since closing them can do more harm than good. Here are a few credit cards that should never be closed.

If you currently have just one credit card and have a huge debt on it, don’t assume that closing the card is the best solution. In fact, if you close the card you may not be able to find another card for years until you repair your poor credit history and display better financial management. This can prove to be a big handicap and you will only have to rely on secured credit cards only from banks that are willing to still lend it to you.

Any credit card that has an outstanding balance on it should never be closed until you have cleared off the entire balance. This is because it can have a tremendous impact on your credit score. If you close a card that has an outstanding balance, credit bureaus will consider the card to be maxed out even if you had available credit limit and maxed out cards can be detrimental to your score.

The oldest credit card in your wallet should not be closed even under dire circumstances. Your credit history is shortened when you close such cards and people with short credit histories are not considered to be credit worthy candidates, thereby making it tough for you to get new credit cards and avail loans.

In the past, some credit card companies had come up with some of the best offers with favorable terms that are hard to come by today. If you have been lucky enough to obtain such a card, never ever let it go by completely closing it. Most of the credit cards in the market today have high interest rates and many other charges and fees that credit cards in the past did not have.

It is important to remember that closing credit cards is not an option to get rid of credit card debts. It is imperative to consider other options before opting for this step.

Disclaimer: This editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuer(s). Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of the credit card issuer(s), and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer(s). Reasonable efforts are made to present accurate information, however all information is presented without warranty. Consult a card's issuing bank for the terms & conditions.
All rates and fees, and other terms and conditions of the products mentioned in this article/post are actual as of the last update date but are subject to change. See the current products' Terms & Conditions on the issuing banks' websites.