Advice on closing nor not closing credit card accounts - does this impact your credit score???

RV2_Saver

I have 3 credit cards:
Barclays (£5000 limit): dont use
Santander (£10000 limit): which I use for work expenses and pay off each month
Santander (£10000 limit): which has a balance of £5000. I only pay the min each month as it is 0% interest, this however runs out in July.
It is likely I will just pay the balance BUT if I choose not too, I would like to open another 0% for x months card and do a balance transfer. My credit rating is good and I am a decent earner. To maximise my chances of getting a new card should I close my Barclays account as I don't use it?

MinuteNoodles

Your credit score is a meaningless number generated by the CRAs that no lender uses. Lenders generate their own internal scores. CRA scores will change with a change in the weather, them constantly changing keeps you coming back whereupon you can be greeted with a "this is your score, look at all the deals we have for you that we get a kickback for if you sign up". 
More worrying to the lenders will be a card carrying a fairly large balance with minimum payments being made. It's also a very risky strategy just making minimum payments on a 0% deal card if you also don't have the money sat in the bank as there's no guarantee of getting a BT offer at the end of it, especially now when they're being withdrawn, and then you've several grand at an eye watering APR adding £1000s in interest. 

RV2_Saver

Thank you.I do have the cash in the bank to pay the balance but was thinking given the current climate I might be better keeping the cash for now and doing a balance transfer. So are you saying closing my Barclays account will have no affect on my application? I have paid bits on the balance at different times so not always the min payment. 

D3xt3r5L4b

Just keep the Barclays one open and apply
for another BT card elsewhere. 

jazzyja

I wouldn't pay min payment personally I would work out each month what you need to pay to clear balance before 0% ends because like others have said you're not guaranteed another one. Like me for example, now having to do a ton of overtime to pay a card due on August because I refuse to pay interest. Wish I'd of just paid higher amounts each month