Shutting down credit cards?

Is it better that I, myself, shut down some of my cc's or should I let the co.'s shut them down for non usage? (I have had several shut down for such a reason, but I don't know what it has done to my score). I have my credit established but I have too many cards to handle right now. I want to keep some and shut down the rest. I know I should keep the oldest one and the cheapest APR one and am going to keep 2-3 of the high credit lined ones. So, the question still stands - who should shut down the others -- me or the cc co's?

1) I would close the accounts myself by phoning the company. Don't forget to ask for a letter confirming the closure.

2) Go to this question... http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Akh8bXqRDCTcEhKoGLfEeXfty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080517061442AAtVDRF&show=7#profile-info-luRZBU4Daa

3) If accounts have been opened for quite some time, closing them will decrease your score because it shortens your credit history - a major component of a credit score. It is actually better for you to close them though. On your credit report, it will say that you closed them. If the company closes it, your report will say that the accounts were closed by the grantor, which carries a negative connotation. if you think that they should/will be closed, then you should do it. But if you can do something to keep them open, it would help you the best in the long run.

4) hey check this site out. it's awesome, and then find info on credit cards. I'm sure there are other things on there that you can definitely benefit from. www.crown.org



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