I have a useless Best Buy credit card since 2005 & haven't used it in years yet it is still alive! It's more like a zombie card at this point.

I usually would go on to a charity sites and donate few cents from each card

I keep my cards active by having auto pay for stuff like gym membership, Netflix, etc. I pay them off every month in full and don't have to worry about keeping my CC active!

Amazon idea is genius. That's also a good way to pre-spend and hit a minimum spend

Subscribed because I'm interested in getting a CC. Really like how organised you are and appreciate that you link the tools you use. Thanks for the tips.

Hi Sebastian. One way that I use to keep the card active is to do auto-payment for things like donations which you can put smaller amounts per month. Doing this also makes it easier to put your financing easier for tax season for your donations.

Every 3-6 months I take my portfolio of cards with me to the supermarket, and like you said I make sure it's not busy, and I use 4-6 of them. I do this twice during that week and I am good.

I do self check out and itemize my groceries.

Happy to see your channel grow. 10k subscribers! Been following you from 3k.

your nerdiness!!! awesome!

Thanks for the tip, Sebby!

I have 8 credit cards. Each one is designated towards a specific monthly recurring expense. Since each expense is already budgeted it makes managing them almost no effort. All of my newer cards are cash back. The older ones I keep just to maintain credit history dispite no benefits from them.

Friggin brilliant with the Amazon idea!!

Thanks Sebby. I do something similar to what you described. I like the idea of every quarter instead of 6 months. I feel a little safer doing that.

I just shuffle through my cards when grocery shopping and Amazon, where I use my bigger purchases on rewards cards and smaller ones on the rest. Also, I have a different card for certain things, like a card for paypal, one for groceries, another for online shopping on other sites

Thanks for the Amazon idea. I currently have 5 cards and occasionally buy a soda at McDonalds on my unused cards for like $1.06 or $1.08 depending on local taxes, but I buy all sorts of stuff on Amazon Prime, so that seems so much easier to just set an alarm in my calendar.

lol bro just tell everyone to do self checkout using ur three cards. its weird to go to reg checkout that way

I have become a huge fan of your videos. Can you do more videos about rebuilding credit and secured credit cards? I think there are a lot of folks out here who are trying to educate themselves about rebuilding credit history for big ticket purchase such as car or home. Your expertise would be much appreciated...

THIS IS SUCH A GREAT VIDEO! THANK U SO MUCH!!!!! (:

I had a Shell Gas Card for 23 years. I did not use it for due to the higher price they charged for gas in CA. One day out of the blue they cancelled my card. No warning. The next oldest card card I had was 15 years. My credit score took a multiple point dive due to credit aging. Wish I had seen this video last year. I would have used my Shell card for gum also. Chevron sent me a letter warning me about low usage so I bought a soft drink at one if their stations. Good to go.

Once a month before statement date buy $1 Amazon gift card balance.

Or use Apple Pay at the vending machine to buy something with each card (so you don't physically have to carry each card). ;-)

I simply just put gas in my car once a month for the card that I don’t use often. Easy

Just do monthly $0.50 on Amazon; for cards with low balance cancelation policies, I go up to whatever those amounts are so I don't have to deal with paying the bill yet still get the activity.

Hi Sebby, I also keep a card book like yours but with RFID protection I cycle about 20 cards from it and I normally will carry about 4 on my person and cycle them every 2 weeks. Eventually I will go thru all of the each quarter. When traveling I have about 4 favorites with high reward and limits benefits the rest are used for everyday small spending. (Use like a debit card) Beside having them all on auto pay I use an excel sheet to keep track of my spending so I don’t pass higher than 3% ever and help me keep track of my spending.

Thanks this helped alot

The organizer is a wonderful idea, with only one major setback, if it isn't an RFID protected case then someone can use a scanner and get your card information. If you had one that has protection then this is an awesome idea for keeping and storage.

You can also have your monthly cell bill, auto insurance and monthly road toll bill sent to three different cards. Use the remainder of your cards to buy gasoline, groceries, dry cleaning or pay for car washes. It is stuff you have to pay for regularly, might as well get some points or cash back from them. Also make sure you pay off these cards the first and the 15th of every month. It helps your credit and keeps your cards alive.

Lol I love the banana idea!

Oh, that's why. I live in Washington State and I've never had a card closed without them sending me something in the mail giving me something like a couple months notice.

Throwing some shade on the grocery store cashiers 😂 "just standing around"

I use the amazon method. I also am more concerned about credit card companies "posting" to my account every month so I add 50 cents ever month on any card i haven't used. I watched a video where they said if you don't use it at all they just don't post anything. while no posts won't hurt you, they said that a 50 cent post will help. I have seen my score jump up a lot but i have been doing other things to my credit as well so its hard to say if its actually working

Oh that's actually really smart and convenient because I shop on Amazon all the time so I could just load some money on there for me to my cards because I'm going to spend it anyway so sweet!

I can’t remember the last time I used my capital one it could be years and they haven’t canceled it. But this video really helps. I should use them soon before they do cancel them.

Mostly i’ll only have cards for specific uses, so they’ll always be autopaying my bills for specific things or i’ll just be using them anyways. I think of situations like this all the time when getting cards and I don’t want ones that just sit around, so I’ll probably limit myself to at least 8-10 cards.

I use patreon and PayPal to pay small fees and donations to several cards and just autopay them every month.

Love the scotch in the background. Thanks for all the advice!

The primary cards I use are the Amex Green and Gold cards (fairly new to both), and a Navy Federal Flagship Rewards Visa card, but I have a Discover card, a Mastercard and the Amex EveryDay card that will be more idle. I thought about dropping the EveryDay card but have had that for 13 years and I figure there is no advantage in dropping it. Anyway, I have very small recurring charges going to the EveryDay card and the Mastercard and hope that is enough. The Amazon idea sounds better though than the recurring charges approach. I figure I will use the Discover card enough because of their rotating 5% categories. I ended up putting the EveryDay card and the Mastercard in my travel bag along with Passport card (for use as a RealID) to use in event I lose my wallet.

What about a credit card for say a furniture store for example? I have a Haverty's account that will be paid off soon. I don't plan on buying any more furniture for a very long time as I have everything I need for my home. I son;t see myself going every three months and buying and charging a throw blanket or chair, etc. Seems like this would be an exception.

"Excuse me sir I'd like to buy a stick of gum for ¢50 with my credit card." 😉

I use all 3 of them the @ same time for everything and I pay them off 2 times a month I keep track easily on cash back 1%, 2% & 5% i pretty much memorized all 3 cards due date so I pay them off before the due always always ... the way I see it does not matter if I wrongly use one that gives less am still getting cash at the end of the day ....

How many credit card do you have? am just curious to know

"The cashier's probably gonna think your insane, but it's fine."🙂

Having all of our streaming services being paid by different cards helps keep our cards active. Set up auto pay in full. Shows activity each month

I set up a Belk card to get 50% off a one time purchase, told them to cancel it a few months later (Yeah I know) and cut it up and it was active for like 15 years anyway.

You are AWSOME! Love your video’s. How come I never hear you mention Capital one credit card? Seems like you mention American Express and Chase quite a bit? Outside of perhaps getting paid to promote them is there any other reason?

Sebby: what is the name of that case on amazon that you keep your credit cards in?

Great video as always, you should cover what fico is needed for each level of cards and how to rebuild credit after a bankruptcy.

I have 9 credit cards, I pretty much only use 3 of them. I have never had any of them closed for inactivity. One card from bank of america I haven't used since 2016. As long as the credit card company isn't paying to send you paper statements, I don't see any reason why they would cancel the account.

I got a Sony credit card 16 years ago. Forgot about it and haven’t used it in 10 years and it’s still active. It has changed bank owners a number of times, so that might have reset the clocks

How many cards do you have lol, your video jpeg had your credit card wallet book haha

Late to the party. I have all my cards statements come out between 25th to 27th of each month. When i go thru my balance excel sheet, i have a column that shows when last used. When one of the cards reaches 4 month of inactivity i take it with me and charge small amounts for things i would buy anyway. But i like the idea of doing small amazon account reloads, i might just do that for some or most of them.

I have 1 card that I use everyday and pay it off monthly. The other 7 I just rotate. once a week I go to the store and get a drink or something. Come home,pay it off then switch out cards and repeat. So basically I use my other cards once every 7 weeks.

The apps are the best for my 5 cards ❤️

Hey Sebby, I have the CSR and I want to maximize my points earning potential by getting my wife a CC. Which one would you recommend my wife should get so she can transfer her points to my CSR and that way we can maximize our points potential?

Absolutely brilliant idea by making .50 transactions on Amazon! Never would have thought of that. I finally joined the Chase and Amex ecosystems after 9 years using Capital One cards (yeah, I realized how stupid I was and how many valuable points I missed out). Capital One cards will be sock drawered and used as .50 Amazon transactions. Thanks for this great tip, Sebby! 💳💳

Does a new still non activated cards incur annual fees? Are they basically the same as deactivated cards? And lastly if I really dont want a CC offered to me, can I simply disregard the inactive card and go on as if I've requested the issuer to cancel the CC? Seem more of a Hussle to go to a bank for cancellation of a CC that I didn't even requested for.

Just set up Amazon allowance minimum is $5 now not .05c

So if I pay everything off before the closing date, when should I use the card again? For example the billing cycle is Jan 1 to 31st. I pay everything off the 30th. When should I use my card again? Or is it better to let 1% be reported to the Bureau and pay it off after it’s reported?

rookie question but if you product change from lets say a capital one platinum to capital one quicksilver, will they cancel the platinum account due to inactivity or what?

I keep my credit card active by purchasing Costco gas or online shopping with Ebates.

Once a month, take out older (no benefits) or previous credit card, order a coffee, pay, put it back for a month. Rest of the time use your newer (2nd line of credit) and better rewards or perks card.

Do you have a video link for opening a card and only spend and minimum?

Sebby, I have a very interesting question to ask (in my opinion). I've noticed that Citi Prestige has come out with a 75k Bonus if you spend 7,500 in the first three months. I am just wondering, If I already have the CSR.... is it still possible to come out ahead by getting the Citi Prestige. (Also, planning American Express Platinum if the bonus comes up again). I actually think it might be possible because 450 - 250 (travel credit) - 100 (Global Entry).... but that still leaves $100 annual fee but I am taking in to account the 75k to cover that portion. The second portion of this problem is, without losing your points or the timeframe to use them would it be possible to downgrade afterwards to the Citi Thankyou Premier Card and keep all the points. The reason I ask is the Citi Thankyou Premier Card is having a 50k Bonus offer for only 4k spend and the first year annual fee is waived. It almost seems like you would come out ahead with this card over the prestige. Your expertise and insight would be greatly appreciated thanks a bunch. If possible please reply or even better make a video highlighting this.

When I go to buy take-out and they don't accept American Express, I cycle through my 2 visa cards, my 1 master card which is an apple card and my discovered cash-back just to keep it alive when it's and my discovered cash-back just to keep it alive when it's not being used for a quarterly category every Monday.

Do you see a dramatic difference in paying daily or weekly vs. waiting until your monthly statement appears? For me, I do better with paying off my CC purchases every couple of days to monitor my spending more closely.

Does the Disney credit for the Amex platinum count?

I live in Laguna Niguel 😂

I've been using Apple Pay on my phone for my cards that need to be active and just use the card once at like vending machine or grocery store. 😂

I have a Macy’s store card which I don’t really use. Wish I never got it, but I can’t take a loss of the history and credit limit. Guess I’ll go buy under wear and socks every other quarter lol

How about dont activate my card for a year cuz i got my new card is it okay to activate after a year??

Is this still current 4 years later

I just keep tiny subscriptions on my mediocre cards like 99¢ for iCloud+. That way I can just keep my card in a drawer and forget about it.

Hi I was wondering if there a way to charge my Debit card 50cent 10 times automatic monthly and get the money back to me? Because I use my CC card the most for rewards. But the bank wants me to use my Debit card 10 times to avoid paying $10 monthly fee. I have been looking for a solution for some time. I think many people would like this solution to keep their card active automatically as well. This will be an effective way to save time.

Great video. I just make a transaction and pay it off to keep my cards alive.

Hi, Very Nice Video. How can we apply two credit cards in one application. Chase Freedom + Sapphire reserve card. I haven't applied any credit card for last 2 years anyway. Credit Score is very good more than 750 now. How many of credit we may loose for applying the new credit card? pls suggest

What about store credit cards.

If the credit card company closes the account for inactivity, does it affect your credit score negatively?

Amazon trick is what I do. It's a no brainer. Easy. Plus since you add little by little, it takes the sting of large purchases as well.

Sebby what's your opinion on the Amazon Store Card and it's special 12 month financing.

Every 6 months, I charge $1 to each on the same day and then pay them all off a week later on the same day. This way, I never forget.

Any idea how this works for authorized users? Wife and daughters have a card that draws from my account but obviously unique card numbers. I would assume it’s just the account itself that needs periodic activity, but thought I’d ask to see if each user needed to stay active as well. Any idea?

Do you think the bank would close a secured credit card? Technically, it's your own money, but I just wanted to know your thoughts on that. I find myself "forgetting" about my secured card, just because I have so many other, better cards now. Yet, it's my longest reporting one.

Go to the gas station and put $1 on every one of your card all in the same day at gas pump

I have my cards loaded in Google Pay. I don't carry them. When I'm in the mall I buy a soda at McDonalds. Easy really.

If I pay off the $0.50-$1.00 transaction before the closing statement does it still register as activity to keep the account "active" or do I have to wait until it goes through the closing cycle? Thanks again for the video and great ideas!

Great video, very informative. I'd just bill my subscriptions to my credit cards.

If I have 2 chase cards, if i constantly use one, do i need to use the other?

just buy a gift on each card at christmas, the day after christmas, return all the gifts, job done.

Keeping cards you really don't use active is very important if you have less than $50,000 of available credit, had any late payments in the last seven years or if there is a Chapter #7 BK which stays on your credit for 10 years.If you close a card with a high limit in relationship to your total combined limit and a card you have had a long time you can do some damage and it takes 6 to 9 months for it to recover based on the algorithms.

If you spend say 99 cents and the cc issuer doesn't put it on the statement, does it still count as a purchase to keep your card active?

AWESOME INFORMATION! I LOVE THE BANANA IDEA.THANK YOU.

I use 1 4 a whole mounth😁

I so far have CSR, CITI AA PLATINUM SELECT, CIT AA GOLD AND THE SIMMONS 1ST PLATINUM. All have zero balance except for the CSR. Any suggestions Sebby or is this Ok?

Is your credit score affected, when creditors close your credit card account for being dormant? How many credit cards do we actually need?

I honestly haven’t used some in a year or two and still are open lol

will this defer if the particular card has award/rewards points accumulated

You dont need to know. The bank will let you know and give you a deadline to use your card. Buy a $1.00 slurpee at 7-11. Done.

3 bananas on 3 cards 😂😂😂😂

Wouldn't it be more convenient to just put a monthly bill on one of these zombie cards like Netflix and just have auto pay on so they pull it out of your bank every month and pay no interest?