A woman explains length of credit history to her partner as they look at his credit score on his phone.

What's Length of Credit History?

6 min read

Published April 1, 2026

Table of contents

Key Takeaways

The length of your credit history includes the average age of your credit accounts as well as the age of your oldest account.
Many credit scoring models typically consider a longer credit history more favorable than a shorter credit history.
Closing older accounts may have a negative impact on your credit score by shortening your credit history.

When it comes to building credit history, it’s important to move at your own pace. One person may choose to open a credit card account soon after they turn 18, while another person may wait until they’re well-established in their career.

While there’s nothing wrong with waiting until you’re ready to begin using credit, the length of your credit history may affect your credit score. Building a long history of responsible credit card use may help you qualify for the widest range of credit card and personal loan options in the future.

Definition of length of credit history

The length of your credit history is a credit score factor that includes two related aspects of your credit file, the average age of your accounts and the total amount of time you’ve been managing credit.

The average age of your credit accounts is your credit age.

Older credit accounts in good standing show lenders that you have the experience and knowledge to manage a credit card responsibly over time. You may be more likely to qualify for more exclusive rewards cards if you have a long credit history.

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Credit bureaus also factor in the total amount of time you’ve had credit accounts in your name, starting with your oldest account. The more experience you have managing credit responsibly, the better.

How does length of credit history impact your credit?

A long positive credit history typically has a positive impact on your credit score.

Lenders may view a long credit history as a sign that you’re an experienced borrower who knows how to manage credit card debt responsibly, as long as you’ve consistently stayed on top of payments and kept your balances low.

The impact that your credit age has on your score depends on the credit scoring model. VantageScore^® combines the length of your credit history with the variety of credit types you have into a single “highly influential” factor. On the other hand, the length of credit history alone accounts for 15% of your FICO^® Credit Score.¹

While it might not be the most significant factor in determining your credit score, changes to the length of your credit history may have a noticeable effect. That’s why you may see your credit score creep up slowly as time goes on and your accounts age, even if your credit habits don’t change.

Does opening and closing credit cards affect your length of credit history?

When you open a new credit card or close an old account, the average age of your credit cards goes down. However, the impact that the change in your length of credit history has on your credit score may depend on other factors.

Opening a new credit card

When you get a new credit card, the average age of your credit accounts goes down (if you have multiple cards), since you’ve added a brand-new account to the mix. But that doesn’t necessarily mean an additional card won’t have a positive impact on your credit score.

Opening a new credit account increases your available credit by your new credit limit. If you carry a balance on any of your credit cards, an increase in your available credit lowers your credit utilization ratio, the portion of your overall available revolving credit in use at one time. The lower your credit utilization ratio, the better for your credit score.

Credit usage accounts for about 30% of your FICO^® Credit Score.¹ So, the positive impact of decreasing your credit utilization ratio may offset some negative effects of reducing the length of your credit history.

Did you know?

If adding a new credit card to the mix seems like a good idea, it’s important to find one that works well for your lifestyle. Explore your options to find the best offers and rewards for you.

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Closing a credit card

The effect that closing a credit card account has on your credit score depends on the age of the account and other aspects of your credit file.

Fortunately, closed accounts in good standing remain on your credit report and may influence your credit score for 10 years, so you may not see an effect on your credit score right away. However, the account’s age won’t increase after it’s closed.

Closing an older credit card may shorten the length of your credit history, while a newer card might have a minimal impact. So, canceling your oldest credit card account may not be helpful.

Your credit history length isn’t the only credit scoring factor that canceling a card may affect. When you close a revolving credit account, you no longer have access to its credit limit. As a result, your available credit goes down. If you have any outstanding balances, the percentage of available credit you’re using may then go up, potentially harming your credit score.

Keeping your credit card accounts open may be better for your credit score, even if you don’t use the card often. However, if keeping an extra card tempts you to overspend and accrue unmanageable credit card debt, or you can’t afford to cover the annual fee, closing an account might still be the right choice for you.

What's a good length of credit history?

There’s no ideal credit history length that guarantees a strong credit score. However, in general, the more experience you have managing credit responsibly, the better.

But that doesn’t mean you need to have a long credit history to establish a good credit score. Other factors such as your payment history and credit usage may have a more meaningful impact.

By consistently practicing responsible credit habits, like making timely payments each month, you may gradually build a good credit score while increasing the length of your credit history.

The bottom line

Building an excellent credit history takes time and a commitment to practicing responsible credit habits. The length of your credit history may play a smaller role in your credit score than factors like your payment history but beginning to build a long positive credit history today may help you access the best possible credit card offers in the future.

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