LPT: Don’t let any credit card sit unused for 2–3 months - learn from my mistake (As-salamu alaykum)

As-salamu alaykum - a quick heads up from someone who learned this the hard way. A few weeks ago I got a letter from my bank saying my oldest credit card (the one I got at 18) was being closed for inactivity. I thought it was no big deal since it had been sitting in my sock drawer for months. Then I checked my credit score and saw it had dropped about 40 points overnight - and I’d been carefully building that score (around 775) because I was planning to apply for a mortgage later this year. Oops 😬. Because of the drop I was told to wait a few months before applying, which messed up my plans. After looking into it, I found this isn’t uncommon. When a card closes for inactivity your available credit goes down, average account age drops, utilization can spike, and the number of accounts falls - which can shave 30–60 points off your score pretty quickly. So the practical lesson I picked up: keep every credit card active by using it every month, then paying it off in full. That keeps the account reporting and helps your credit history. You don’t need to charge much - even a dollar or two per card each month can do the trick and also keeps utilization low. Some easy, practical ways to keep cards active: 1. Put different recurring subscriptions on different cards (e.g., streaming on one, delivery or shopping on another, phone bill on a third). 2. When you’re at the store, use a different card for small items (a banana or a drink) and check out quickly. Do this once a month. 3. Put a few small dollars of fuel on each card. 4. Use a reliable service that makes small monthly charges to each card to keep them active (set it and forget it). You’ll pay a tiny fee but save time. 5. Donate a small amount to different charities each month using different cards - good deed and card activity. Make sure to enable auto-pay so you never miss paying the small charges. Has anyone else had a bank close a long-standing card and see their credit take a hit? Share tips or other simple ideas that worked for you.