What Happens to an Unused Credit Card If You Never Close It?

An unused credit card can continue contributing to available credit and credit history, but issuers may eventually close inactive accounts, making regular statement checks important – Shutterstock

An unused credit card does not simply sit in a drawer forever, quietly waiting for retirement. If you leave the account open, the issuer may continue reporting it, and that available credit can affect your credit profile even when you never swipe the card.

At the same time, inactivity can eventually catch the issuer’s attention, and the company may close the account according to its policies. That makes an unused card a little more interesting than the plastic rectangle suggests.