<prompt> Human: 2008-2012 I really screwed my credit up due to a student loan not getting paid for 3.5 yrs. It was at 60k 2 yrs ago and is now at 19k. I had some other debts which were all paid over the last 2 yrs. The only debt now are two cards with less than 10 balance total and this 19k loan that has been paid on time for 2 yrs and paid tripple the minimum. My question is, I really dont want these cards. What happens if I pay my student loan and close the cards? What is my best route to getting a mortgage in in exactly 4 years? Current score was 615 a year ago when I opened a new credit union account and they told me 615.  <response>: Pay off your cards, dont close them. Leaving them open doesnt hurt you but closing them may negatively impact your score by shortening the age of the accounts 