Some surprises are great, but your creditors, potential employers, and insurance companies probably want to minimize surprises. They like to have contracts that explain what should happen, and when. By having a history of long-term relationships, you demonstrate predictability and consistency. If you've been consistently good, then your credit will be good.

We've Done Business Together Forever

In some ways, your credit is just a bunch of lenders telling each other about their experiences with you. Your job is to have a good reputation among these lenders. One of the best ways to do this is to have a successful long-term relationship on file. In essence, you want a credit card company to be your advocate and say, “We've done business together forever.” Note that if you play the balance-transfer game — transferring balances from one card to another to take advantage of introductory rates — it's harder to have long-term relationships.

As you go through life, you should select one or two major bankcards that you'll keep forever. They should be with big name lenders that will continually report to the major credit-reporting companies. Treat these lenders as long-term partners, because that's what they are. Pay on time, pay at least the minimums, and don't jump ship just because your rate changes.

Staying Together

If you are unhappy with rates or service from your older credit cards, call them and ask for a better deal. If they won't accommodate you, consider using them as little as possible. There's nothing unfair about this. The free-market system says that if they're not competitive, you shouldn't use them as often. Likewise, as time goes on and your credit improves, you become less and less of a liability for them. You're less likely to run up debts and default. They make less profit off you, but at a lower risk.

When you decide to stop using one of your older cards regularly, you should be careful. Some credit card companies will cancel your card if you are inactive for too long, because you've become unprofitable. It's a good idea to set up an automatic monthly charge on the account (examples might be your wireless phone bill, or other subscriptions or memberships), and pay most of it off in full. The card companies make a little money on each transaction, and paying a few dollars in interest each year is a small price to pay for good credit.

More Than Just Credit

You can show long-term stability and predictability in several areas of your life. The major credit-scoring models take a close look at your credit accounts and how long they've been around. However, other automated credit-scoring models (and real people, too) look at other aspects of your life.

Your employment history is important in many cases. Credit applications often ask how long you've been with your current employer. They're looking to find out if you are a stable employee, and if your level of income has been somewhat stable. If you change jobs right before applying for credit, consider informing the lender how long you were at your previous employer.

Residence history is also important, and it typically shows up on a credit application. Again, stability can indicate that your payments will be more predictable. If you keep moving, creditors will wonder why — could you not afford the place you got into? A long time in your current residence can help outweigh some other blemishes on your credit if a real person is looking at the application.