If you have excellent credit, you likely already have solid credit card habits. Here are a few key things to remember that can take you over the top as a cardholder:
By failing to put someone you trust on your card as an authorized user, you are missing out on rewards you can get through their spending.
If you aren’t reviewing what’s on the market periodically, new rewards cards that suit your lifestyle may be passing you by.
By keeping a card that doesn’t serve your needs, like a card with an annual fee that you don’t really use, you’re not taking full advantage of your excellent credit. If it’s an older card that you want to keep to continue to build your credit, you can ask for the annual fee to be waived, or you can ask for the card to be downgraded to a no annual fee card.
There’s nothing in the credit rule book that says mortgage payments or student loans are more important to your credit than card debt. Everything matters, and you need to be sure to pay everything on time, every time. One missed payment can quickly drop your score.
Don’t suddenly begin to pay less or charge more. That can indicate to your card issuer that you are having credit issues.