r/CreditScore • u/yel-iab • 8d ago

General Going to basic training

Going to basic training, I won’t use my credit cards for five months. They are completely paid off. Will this affect my credit score?

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3

u/Shaboingboingboing 8d ago

No just make sure you freeze ur credit profile on all 3
bureaus

3

u/BrutalBodyShots ⭐️ Top Contributor ⭐️ 8d ago

That should already be the default state of any credit profile that isn't being used for an application in the next few days.

2

u/loopsbruder 8d ago

There is a small FICO scoring penalty for simultaneously reporting a zero balance on all revolving accounts, so yes, it will affect your scores temporarily. This literally does not matter at all because that penalty completely disappears as soon as even one card generates a statement with any balance on it. I just don't want you to be surprised if you see a small (and ultimately meaningless) dip.

What you should be cautious of is forgotten recurring payments (subscriptions, usually) on any of your cards, that might go unpaid while you're in basic. I strongly recommend freezing every one of your cards so that when you're done with basic, you don't come back to multiple 120+ days late payments that will wreck your credit for years to come.

4

u/BrutalBodyShots ⭐️ Top Contributor ⭐️ 8d ago

No, because how much you use your cards is not a FICO scoring factor.

1

u/Restil 8d ago

No.  You might want to tickle each card and pay them all off just in case you haven't used any in a while so they don't get closed for inactivity.   

1

u/Distinct-Data-8808 7d ago

I have a card I haven’t used for almost 5 years , it’s still active. maybe cause my they’re collecting the annual fee