8. You Consolidate Debt Onto One Card
If you owe money on several credit cards, you might be tempted to consolidate debt by transferring all the balances to one new card. But that can be a mistake. Not only can this lower the average age of your credit history, especially if you choose to close out the other cards, but it can also increase your debt-to-credit ratio.
How to avoid it: To keep your score from dropping, make sure the debt you consolidate doesn’t exceed 50% of the available credit on the new card.
How to fix it: Charge purchases to a few different credit cards and keep the debt-to-credit ratios of each below roughly 20%. According to the credit reporting agency Experian, individuals with consolidated debt might want to consult a nonprofit credit counseling company about participating in a debt management plan.
