미국온지 1년반이 지나갑니다. 오자마자 차2대의 오토론 하고 세큐어론을 제때 내고 있다가 일년이 지나 처음 퍼스트 내셔널뱅크(Union bank of CA) 카드를 신청하니까 신용기록이 짧아서 디나이되고 그후 바로 코스코의 아멕스를 신청하니 그냥 문제없이 받았습니다. 약 4개월 전에 할 수 없이 다시 어카운트가있는 은행인 퍼스트 내셔널뱅크(Union bank of CA)의 세큐어 카드를 3000불 디파짓하고 지금까지 쓰고있습니다.
며칠전에 일반카드로 바꾸기 위해 위의 해당 은행으로 연락을 하니,
24개월간의 기간이 지나야만 일반카드로 바꿀 수 있다는 얘기를 들었습니다.
다시 받고 싶으면 새로 일반카드를 신청하라는 거고요…
만약 제가 일반카드로 신청해서 받고난후 세큐어카드를 해지 할 시 어떤 신용점수에 나쁜영향이라도 있을까요?
아시는분 알려주시면 고맙겠습니다.

저도 같은 처지인데, 집으로 pre-approved junk mail들이 올 때쯤 Citi card를 신청해서 사용하고 있습니다.
아직 처음에 만들었던 secured card를 계속 가지고 있는데,
나중에 Loan을 받을 계획이 있기 때문에 계속 유지하려고 생각하고 있습니다.
(최근에는 이 card는 거의 사용하지 않고 한 달에 한 번 정도만 사용/결재하고 있습니다.)
이유는 새로 만든 카드 결제 history가 아직 몇 달 되지 않기 때문에 나중에 Loan을 받거나 할 때 creditor가 문제를 삼지 않게하기 때문입니다.
(creditor가 credit score도 보지만, history 즉 결재가 잘 되고 있던 것도 확인하는 것으로 알고 있습니다. 실제로 결제일에 따라서 ontime, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150+ days late, no data reported 등으로 나누어서 나오고요.)
credit report에는 나쁜 항목은 7년, 좋은 항목은 계속 나오는 것으로 알고 있는데, 아무튼 Loan 등에 유리하게 하려고 가지고 있습니다.
여러분들이 오래된 카드를 없애지 않는 것이 좋다고들 충고도 하시고…
credit score를 뽑아보면 analysis라고 하는 부분에 revolving을 줄이면(즉, card를 close하면) 도움이 될 것이라고 하는데 없애는 것보다는 deposit한 돈이 아깝기는 하지만, 당분간은 가지고 있으려고 합니다.
가능하시면 일반 카드 발급받으시더라도 secured card가 가지고 계시는 것이 오래되었다면 유지하시는 것이 좋지 않을까 생각합니다.
물론 deposit을 일부 돌려받는 것도 알아보시고요.
다음은 제 credit report에 나오는 Negative Factors의 일부입니다.

Here are the top factors that lower your score:
You opened your first credit account 1 year and x months ago. This does not include disputed accounts and accounts for which the date opened is not reported. Also, this may not include accounts closed more than 7 years ago.
This lowers your score. Having had credit accounts for a long time is a positive factor because your credit history allows lenders to evaluate how you typically use credit and repay your debts. However, accounts that have been open for a long time may have a short payment history, either because you have not used the account recently, or because the lender has not reported the payment history to the credit bureau. Having a short payment history is a negative factor, even for accounts that have been open for a long time. This is because it does not provide lenders with the information they need to determine how you repay your debts. Accounts that were opened 40 or more years ago and have 2 or more years of reported payment history are considered best. On the other hand, if your oldest account was opened up to 7 years ago, your credit history may be considered short, and less than 3 years ago is often considered too little. It is worth noting that because lenders can be slow to report new accounts to the credit bureaus, you may have accounts not yet recorded on your credit report that may be younger or older than your listed accounts.

You owe debt on 100% of your revolving accounts.
This lowers your score. High balances are a negative factor because lenders worry that you are living beyond your means and may not be able to repay them. This is particularly true for credit cards. For installment loans such as mortgages and auto loans, lenders often use the proportion of the loan that is still unpaid to judge your ability to take on new debt. If very little of your installment loan balances have been repaid, lenders may not give you more credit that could add to your debt. In general, lenders evaluate how much you owe (your debt) in relation to how much you earn (your income). However, no matter how high your income, having a lot of debt may lower your credit scores because lenders know that adverse changes in your employment and life events such as divorce or illness may make it hard to pay your bills. Low balances, on the other hand, are a positive factor because lenders do not stand to lose as much if you become unable to repay them. However, not using your credit accounts may be considered a negative factor, because it does not provide lenders with information about how you typically use credit and repay your debts.

위 글은 Citi Credit Monitoring Service에서 나온 글이고, 언급된 1 year and x months ago는 말씀드린대로 secured card 발급 시점입니다.
물론 같은 Citi card입니다. (WaMu에서 발행했는데, Citi card를 발급해 주더군요.)
긴 글 읽어주셔서 감사합니다.

6 Steps to Better Credit

1. Pay your bills on time. Creditors scrutinize your credit history. If you pay your bills on time, this reflects well on you. If you have a record of delinquent payments, you might want to consider credit counseling on how to better manage your finances.

2. Manage your debt. Your debt/income ratio — the percentage of your income that goes to paying off debt — is another gauge of your financial health. You can calculate this ratio by dividing your monthly minimum debt payments (excluding mortgage) by your monthly take-home income. If your debt payment absorbs:

Less than 20% of your income, you are doing well
Between 20% to 35%, consider reducing your overall debt
More than 35% consider credit counseling or some type of aggressive debt-reduction strategy.
3. Don’t over-apply for credit. Limit the number of loan applications you submit. Each bid shows up as an inquiry in your credit report. Even if you’re just comparison-shopping for the best rate, too many inquiries can be viewed as a desperate bid to obtain credit to get out of financial trouble.

4. Shred your documents. Be sure to destroy any piece of paper with Social Security or credit card numbers. Thieves often go through garbage retrieving people’s identification so they can use this information to commit fraud.

5. Don’t give information away. Never include your Social Security Number on checks or driver’s license. Be extremely cautious how you use your Social Security Number. It is your key personal identification number that is a gateway to your personal identity. If required to provide this information, always ask if there is another option.

6. Check your credit report on a regular basis. The only way to protect your name and credit is to be proactive. With the rise of identity theft cases, it is important to review your credit files, and to report any inaccuracies to the major credit reporting agencies.