Originally Posted by
AugustWest
I learned a hard lesson. After the new 24 month rule I re-calibrated my application strategy and stopped canceling cards (I have had several HH cards). I was going to go for a Hilton Reserve card in January (24 months since my last application). Makes sense right?
Well last week I got a letter from Citi saying they cancelled my oldest HH card (several years old) due to inactivity (2 years). So there goes my 24 month clock and a good card for credit score aging.
It seems Citi is also now cracking down on dormant accounts. Use your cards!
I am not complaining too much given all that Citi has and is doing for me. Just another lesson that I thought I would pass along.
Actually, no "now" to it: Citi has been doing that
for decades. It's just they aren't consistent about exactly how long the inactivity needs to be before they do it.
The general advice (across all banks) to avoid this has always been to
use a "sockdrawered" card at least once a year.