The $500 Mistake You Didn’t Know You Were Making With Your Credit Cards

So, you’ve been responsible. You pay your credit card bills. You don’t carry much of a balance. You even avoid impulse purchases (well… mostly). But here’s a quiet little mistake that’s costing people hundreds of dollars — and most don’t even know it’s happening:

They’re closing your unused credit cards.

We know what you’re thinking — “Why would my credit card get closed if I’m doing nothing with it?”

That’s exactly the problem.

The Invisible Fee

Here’s how it usually plays out:

You open a card, use it for a while, then eventually stop — maybe because the rewards weren’t great, or you just moved on to another card. The account sits idle for a few months. You forget about it.

But your issuer doesn’t.

Many credit card companies automatically shut down accounts that haven’t seen activity for as little as 3–6 months. No notice. No polite heads-up. Just poof — gone.

The worst part? You might not even find out until months later, when your credit score takes a mysterious dip and your total available credit shrinks. Suddenly, your credit utilization spikes — even if your spending didn’t — and your score drops.

The $500 Damage

So where’s the $500 loss?

Easy: a closed card with a long credit history and high credit limit could ding your score enough to cost you:

• Higher interest rates on loans

• A worse mortgage offer

• A rejected rental application

• Even job opportunities (yes, some employers check credit)

That dip could mean thousands in lost opportunities over time. But even in the short term, people have reported spending hundreds extra on loan payments or credit rebuilding — all because of a card they simply didn’t use.

A 60-Second Fix

Here’s the good news: you don’t need to spend or carry a balance to keep your cards active.

You just need one small charge. Like… buying a pack of gum. Or a donation. Anything.

That’s literally why we created TinyCharge — a simple service that makes sure your credit cards stay active by charging tiny amounts automatically. No overspending. No surprises. Just peace of mind.

Because losing $500 for doing nothing is one financial mistake we’d rather skip.