Hi All! I'm trying to maximize my score for next month, and trying to figure out the optimal utilization reporting. I have 3 CC that I active use, 2 that are sock drawered, and 1 credit line with a zero balance (not a card) but I think it shows as a credit card on my reports. I also have a mortgage, a car loan, and am cosigner on my husbands car loan - 9 open accounts total. I've heard that to maximize score you want to show balances on less than half of tradelines. Does this apply to just credit cards? Or all tradelines? And if all tradelines, is it all open tradelines, or all the tradelines showing on my report - I have 18 total showing, 9 closed but still reporting. Here are the current balances and limits I have on the 3 credit cards I use:
AMEX - $868.40/7500
US Bank - $1507.34/15,000
US Bank 2 - $1450.99/15,500
My AMEX statement period closes 4/16, so even though I've paid the previous bill in full I want to pay this down before the 16th so it's reporting less. My US Bank cards report the actual balance at the end of the month just after I've made the payments. I'm wondering how much I should pay everything down. Should I show a balance on only one of the cards, and should this be as close to 1% as possible? Or should I show a balance close to 1% on all the cards? Thanks, just trying to get my score as high as possible. Thinking about applying for my goal card (the Schwab Invest First) and also thinking about trading my car in for a Toyota Prius to take advantage of some of the 0% financing my local dealer is offering to Tier-1 buyers. Incidentally, if anyone has anything to say about the Prius, that would also be much appreciated! 
@Anonymous wrote:Hi All! I'm trying to maximize my score for next month, and trying to figure out the optimal utilization reporting. I have 3 CC that I active use, 2 that are sock drawered, and 1 credit line with a zero balance (not a card) but I think it shows as a credit card on my reports. I also have a mortgage, a car loan, and am cosigner on my husbands car loan - 9 open accounts total. I've heard that to maximize score you want to show balances on less than half of tradelines. Does this apply to just credit cards? Or all tradelines? And if all tradelines, is it all open tradelines, or all the tradelines showing on my report - I have 18 total showing, 9 closed but still reporting. Here are the current balances and limits I have on the 3 credit cards I use:
AMEX - $868.40/7500
US Bank - $1507.34/15,000
US Bank 2 - $1450.99/15,500
My AMEX statement period closes 4/16, so even though I've paid the previous bill in full I want to pay this down before the 16th so it's reporting less. My US Bank cards report the actual balance at the end of the month just after I've made the payments. I'm wondering how much I should pay everything down. Should I show a balance on only one of the cards, and should this be as close to 1% as possible? Or should I show a balance close to 1% on all the cards? Thanks, just trying to get my score as high as possible. Thinking about applying for my goal card (the Schwab Invest First) and also thinking about trading my car in for a Toyota Prius to take advantage of some of the 0% financing my local dealer is offering to Tier-1 buyers. Incidentally, if anyone has anything to say about the Prius, that would also be much appreciated!
- The util on each card is around 10% and up.
- If you can pay that much amount, that is great.
- What's are those APRs?
With my experience, when I PIF (it was over 1k) on one of acct and reported Zero balance, the score went up really good.
