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That ugly old cast-iron skillet in your kitchen is probably the most valuable pan you own. Sure, you don’t use it very often. But it’s got years of seasoning baked into it that those shiny new nonstick pans will never have.
Your oldest credit card works the same way. It has irreplaceable credit history baked into it, and keeping it around helps your credit score.
I still have a credit card open from a small bank in Hawaii that I opened in my early 20s. The rewards are “meh” so I barely use it. But nearly 20 years of account history makes it one of the most valuable cards in my quiver.
I plan on keeping it forever — here’s why.
Your oldest card has decades of seasoning baked in
Keeping a credit card open forever boosts the two parts of your score that reward patience.
Length of credit history makes up 15% of your FICO® Score. The longer your oldest card stays open, the harder that number works for you.
Then there’s credit utilization, which is the share of your available credit you’re using. It counts for 30% of your FICO® Score, and lower is better. An old card adds to your total limit, so the same spending looks smaller on paper.
Even if it’s got lousy rewards and you never use it, your oldest credit card is still helping you.
Don’t toss that old pan away
I get the urge to clean house. But canceling your old credit cards is like tossing Grandma’s skillet because it doesn’t match your new kitchen.
People with “perfect” credit get this. According to FICO, people with an 850 credit score have an average oldest account of about 30 years. That’s decades of history working for them.
Pro tip: if you’ve got an old card that’s charging you annual fees, instead of canceling, call your issuer and ask to switch to a no-annual-fee version. This keeps your account history and credit line intact, while removing that pesky fee.
Explore the top no-annual-fee cards with the best rewards in 2026.
A great kitchen needs more than one pan
Every good kitchen has a few different pans, each one serving a different purpose. Credit cards work the same way.
One card might earn more rewards on groceries, another on gas, another on travel. And the old ones hanging on the wall are quietly seasoning your credit history.
I’m not saying you should keep 50 different cards open. But it’s OK to have a handful, even if you rarely use some. My wife and I have eight open cards between us right now, but only use two or three main ones for all our spending.
If your lineup feels thin, check out the best credit cards available right now to fill in the gaps.
Cast iron rusts if you leave it in the cabinet too long
Here’s the one way keeping a card open forever can backfire. Card issuers like to close accounts that sit unused for too long.
Each issuer has a different timeline and process, and many banks warn you first. My old bank in Hawaii sends me a letter every year or so. It says if I want to keep my account open I have to make at least one transaction in the next 90 days.
I simply buy a single banana with it, or feed the parking meter. It’s a quick fix that takes two minutes and keeps all my credit history intact. Think of it as giving the pan a quick wipe of oil every so often.
The long game always wins with credit
Generally speaking, the longer you keep a credit card open, the better.
Your credit history keeps getting longer, your total credit limit stays high, and your utilization stays low.
The only real catch is a little upkeep. Use the card once in a while so the bank doesn’t close it, and don’t pay an annual fee for a card you never touch.
Twenty or 30 years from now, that boring old card could be a big reason your credit score starts with an 8.
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