likewise, i have several cards that i haven't used in years. i canceled at least 2 or 3 of them in the past year but none have ever been canceled on me due to inactivity. one of them gave me a hard time before they finally agreed to close it, and i hadn't used that one in at least 2 years.

i don't pay much attention to the rules that are out there for good credit.

i never carry a balance. i understand this is not possible for everyone.

i try not to have too many cards open. for example, if i open a new credit line (i.e sonycard for $150 credit), i close another account that i haven't used in a long time.

and i have just one main card that i use for pretty much everything. i don't spread my purchases across accounts unless i accidentally pull out my debit card.

i don't know how inline this is with the "rules", but the last time my credit score was pulled (for the mortgage), my score was > 800.