Credit cards

match that will complete you financially.

Breakup tip

If you want out of a toxic relationship, canceling your card usually isn’t the best way to do it. It’s better to ghost it.

With a credit card, that means cutting everyday ties with the card, maybe sticking it in a sock drawer and using it a few times a year. Why? The card account is part of your long credit history, which can help your credit rating. And keeping a lot of credit open, while using little of it, helps your credit utilization ratio, another key factor in your credit scores. Using the card a few times a year means the issuer is less likely to cancel the account for inactivity.

Granted, tenure with your issuer might mean you have leverage to talk things out, especially if you want a lower interest rate or a higher credit limit. Those are relationship issues you can overcome. You might even be able to swap partners, with an upgrade to a more lucrative card within that issuer’s card family or a downgrade to a card with no annual fee.

But if you can’t downgrade to avoid an annual fee, sometimes that financial baggage just isn’t worth it anymore. Consider closing the account and making a clean break, even if it will ding your credit.

The relationship you deserve

Before swiping right on a new credit card, think about what you really want out of a new relationship. You don’t want to fall for a rebound card that flatters you with blingy names — gold, platinum, diamond — until you’re certain it has the long-term qualities you need.

Be wooed by things that matter. If you’ll transfer debt, you want a lengthy 0% period. If you’ll travel the world, you want to be rewarded for travel spending and not be charged a fee for

If you’ll transfer debt, you want a lengthy 0% period. If you’ll travel the world, you want to be rewarded for travel spending and not be charged a fee for foreign transactions.

foreign transactions.

Besides paying attention to advertising from card issuers, you can also read credit card reviews and use interactive online tools that help you find your newest wallet partner.

And you might try a love triangle of sorts: using two cards in tandem to find chemistry. A flashier one for outsize rewards on some spending — like 5% back on gas or groceries — and a reliable one for all other spending, preferably at least 1.5% back.

There are plenty of fish in the sea and credit cards on the market. By breaking fidelity with your credit card, you might ultimately be more loyal to yourself.