How should I adjust my Amex card spending pattern.....

[Anonymous]

IMO, if you want a better relationship with AMEX (again, IMO), don't pay off so often.

You want to condition AMEX to you NOT paying it down so frequently or keeping the total outstanding balance so low.  Otherwise, when you need to use the card outside of that pattern....BAM....that's when they will hit you.

Spend normally for those things that you would spend cash on anyway...let the normal value add up.  If you happen to hit a limit....then you can pay it off.

But by being paranoid (not to be impolited) about PIF anytime a balance accrues...you are conditioning your account to "expect" that and then potentially "require" that.

txjohn

[score_building]

---

@Gibran wrote:

Thanks score_building...I do like that 'Check Your Spending Ability' link. I'll go ahead a plug an amount in there to see where I'm standing right now. Do you check your spending ability every 30 days or was that just a one time thing you did? How long have you had your card? 

---

I don't check every thirty days necessarily, I was curious because I app the card about 2-3 mos. ago. 

It is my only charge card and I didn't want to trip myself up by exceeding an internal limit.

[Gibran]

Thanks for advice txjohn. So I should just pay my total balance after my statement closing date?

[Gibran]

That makes sense score_building, this is my first charge card as well and I hear so many different things about Amex so I just wanted to get some type of gauge...I'm just going to use my card, of course I'm not going spend on anything outside of my means anyway, so I think I'll be straight..

[Anonymous]

I think you should pay AFTER statement when you have a LARGE balance.

Why?  Because this will be reported as your HIGH BALANCE with Amex.  They report the ending balance, not the intra-month high balance.  And with AMEX, high balance is essentially your CL.  So the higher your reported high balance, the lower your perceived utilization percentage.  Once you have established a satisfactory high balance, feel free to pay prior to statement in order to avoid a reported balance.

This is just IMO...how I do things.   I like to condition my credit for use, and that if I pay my balance on the date due....this is normal pattern.  There may come a day that you either fail to, or cannot make payments so frequently or early.  And then that failure could flag you as "out of pattern."

SO....use your card (prudently, but normally).  Pay it normally.  Pay it before statement if you need to keep the balance down.

IME, if you do this, then your credit is real....and can be used.  If you PIF 2-4x monthly, never carry a balance...always have ultra low balances reported....etc....you will have AA if ever you use your credit out of that pattern.

Again....this is IME and IMO...and is not recommended for any particular circumstance or person.  By all means, follow the credit basics...don't spend beyond your means and income....live on less than you make....save, invest and build equity.  But if you are going to have credit, why not have real credit?

txjohn

[Gibran]

All of that definitely makes ALOT of sense, I'm going to give that process a try and see how it works for me...Thanks for all the advice everyone!!!