What is the best way to improve credit score?

Question

When I turned 18, I applied for any and every credit card. Now, 10 years later and I'm finally getting myself out of credit debt h**l. I'm almost cleaned up but now I'm faced with another problem... is it better to keep all my cards open or should I cancel some?

I have around 15 cards right now. There are quite a few that are from department stores. Those cards have a ridiculous APR. Would it hurt my rating to close them? I just don't want to have 15 cards to keep track of. And whats the best way to close the account?

Thanks!!

Answer 1

Do you plan on carrying debt on any of the cards? If so, your percentage of debt compared to the total dollar amount that you have of available credit on your cards will be higher and can hurt your score.

If you are not planning on carrying debt on them, I would recommend closing them one at a time over time, so as to not make a drastic change to your credit report all at once.

Answer 2

this site has plenty of tips: www.creditscore.pro