Worth using a credit card so it isn't closed?

[FireLane]

I have four credit cards: a Capital One Savor card that I opened in 2018, and three Bank of America rewards cards that go back to 2015, 2012 and 2012 respectively.

I've switched primary cards a couple of times, opening new ones that have better rewards, and kept the others as backups. The oldest BoA card I have hasn't been used since 2018. Now I've gotten a letter from them saying that if I don't use it for something soon, they're going to close the account.

That seems pretty fair, but should I make a point to use the card so it stays active? Is there any reason not to just let them close it? The only reason I can think of is that closing one of my oldest cards might have an effect on my credit score. Then again, I'm FIREd and it's hard to see what reason I still have to care about my credit score.

[sonofsven]

Yes, it could push your score down slightly, but I agree you probably don't need to worry about it as it will likely change it very slightly.
If any of your cards have yearly fees I would cancel them and replace them with no fee cards if you need to.

[Rosy]

Once a bank closed my card because of no usage and didn't tell me until after the fact. Credit barely dipped and only very briefly, then went right back up.
Usually, the bank will at least send you a warning letter like you received - so no worries, just consider your own situation and needs and act accordingly.

Personally, I like the idea of having a min of two credit cards that I use consistently plus one backup card.
The backup card is set for auto pay of my Netflix account to keep it from being closed.

Card one is the main card for regular purchases with great rewards and perks that I actually use (NFCU saves me hundreds each year). It happens to have excellent, useful travel perks as well. 
Card two is Amazon Prime which has perks I use and offers 5% off plus special offers and prime day specials.

Card three is the backup card, exclusively for emergencies, and has a very low-interest rate in case that ever becomes important to me. (one can't always find a zero interest card when one needs one, never mind not always having the luxury of time to look for and receive a new card in time).

Since I'm retired my income doesn't change much so I just made sure I had sufficient limits for regular use plus X-amt for an emergency situation while I'm traveling or if I were faced with an unexpected surprise that I don't want to or temporarily cannot pay in full.

In the end, it doesn't really matter what one does.
Banks can lower your limits, increase your interest percentage, demand payment in full or simply close your card whenever they want.
Nevertheless, I like the illusion of a safety net and enjoyed hunting down the best cards for our lifestyle.   

[Dicey]

My strategy is similar to Rosie's.

There are other good reasons to keep your scores high. Insurance rates can be influenced by them. You might want to consider tradelines at some point. You might want to isolate certain expenses for a specific amount of time. If the card has no annual fee, why not keep it and auto pay some small, recurring expense on it? Extra credit for a rainy day is not an inherently bad thing, especially for a wise mustachian who's FIRE.

MPP. for sure.

[reeshau]

I have ended up with 4 cards, like you.  In my case, I wasn't following rewards, per se, but rather looking for cards with no foreign transaction fees.  And then had 2 companies sell their business to someone else and add foreign fees, within 6 months of a planned summer in Europe.

What I have done is to have an annual subscription to some service or media on the inactive cards.  This minimal level has kept the notices at bay, while not really costing me much in terms of rewards or hassle.  Some day the bottom may well be "transacted business over the last year" instead of "not used in the last year," but for now it seems to keep me off their radar.

These inactive cards stay at home, in the safe, otherwise.  I have all my scheduled bills in Quicken, so that I'm not surprised when it comes up every year.

[Rubic]

After 5 years of hardcore churning, I'm winding down my activity, so a lot of the reasons
that I kept no-fee cards open (lower utilization, longer average age of cards, etc.) are no
longer relevant.

However, I keep a set of "sock-drawer'd" cards open regardless and typically put a modest
charge on them about every 6 months. Mainly out of habit, I suppose.

OP: At a minimum, it's probably worth keeping your Capital One Savor card open because
that's your oldest card and it's one of the few no-fee cards with no foreign transaction fees.

[FIRE@50]

I get excited when a company cancels a card because it usually means I will soon be getting an offer for a new card with a ridiculous signup bonus. I always let them close the card. I have too many to keep track of anyway.

[hdatontodo]

I just did 5 $10 Amazon gift balance reloads to keep my cards active. One card had just sent me a warning.

Sent from my SM-G991U1 using Tapatalk