<prompt> Human: Im 23 and on track to have my student loans paid off by December, which will be 18 months since graduation. I currently have 3 credit cards, the oldest being about 1.5 yrs old and the newest I just got a week ago. I also have a car loan that was started in February and on track to be paid off my April of 17.My question is related to how much the average age of my credit accounts affects the overall credit score. My student loans are by far my oldest line of credit at a little over 5 years. Once I pay those off and close that account, will I be taking a big hit on my credit score since my average age of credit will plummet? Would it benefit me more to have it paid down to within 100 or so and leave it? Ill be paid ahead by about 10 years, meaning I have no obligation to make another payment until sometime in 2025. The interest is 4.5, but if I keep the balance extremely low, is it worth it to preserve my oldest credit line until my other accounts are older too?  <response>: Just pay it off. Never pay interest to increase your credit score.Your credit score will take care of itself if you are using credit responsibly and paying all of your bills on time. 