New Delhi, April 24 -- Do you have a credit card? How often do you use it? A common myth in personal finance is that avoiding credit cards altogether can help protect your credit profile, credit score and overall credit integrity.

It may seem prudent to just stop using your card, but the reality is more complex. Credit scores are built on good financial habits, card usage, history and responsible economic management, not on complete avoidance or lack of credit participation.

In a conversation with LiveMint, Raj P Narayanam, Executive Chairman, Zaggle, explains this, saying, "Stopping credit card usage doesn't directly lower your credit score, but prolonged inactivity can reduce credit history depth or lead issuers to close the account. ...