Unused credit cards

[CCadvice]

We got ourselves into a bit of a mess with credit cards so have recently done a debt consolation onto our recent remortgage ( I know I know timing awful but it has sorted out the mess we were in)

We now have empty credit cards and it seems advice is mixed on if we close them or leave them open?

They will be forever locked away and not used but is it better to close accounts for our credit scores or just leave them open?

We will keep one for emergencies

Would love some advice

Thank you

I am a "card tart" moving every 24 months for the latest 0% on spending deals. (I generally pay off the balance each month but not always). Last time I needed a new card I was limited in my options. I could not get the longest 0% period as I had not closed previous CC's and because lots of banks are "related" I couldn't get CC's from their "sister" organisation.
As you don't need them, my advice would be to keep them open to allow your credit record to improve and to close them after a year or so.

I would (and do) have one credit card - as there are always emergencies where you might need to buy something the week before payday, or buy something and pay it off over a couple of months, etc. I have an excellent one with £12,000 credit on it.

What I do is keep one or two open for emergencies and every couple of months make a small purchase (£10-£20) which I then pay off, in full, as soon as the statement comes in. That keeps my account active and even small purchases, when paid off promptly and in full, are good for the credit score.

I'd always highly recommend that people look up Martin Lewis' Credit Club. Its a free service which gives you access to your credit report, regular updates on your credit score and informs you about what goes for/against you in terms of credit card or loan applications. I find it a very useful service.

Thank you all