When your balance is reported, they do not go into that much detail (regarding what was purchased). You just have to time it right so that you don't have a balance when your credit card company updates your information with the CRAs. Also, FICO scoring is a complex calculation that takes a lot of different variables into account, so it's nothing personal. You just have to figure out what changed in your particular equation and correct it.
There is no material difference between an 809 and a 786 score. Both will qualify for the best rates from any lender. So don't worry about this too much OP. It's normal for people that are near the very top to see somewhat large fluctuations for minor changes in utilization or number of accounts reporting. But you're still in the absolute top of credit tiers. FICO isn't so nuanced to make a meaningful difference in risk prediction at that score range, which is why all lenders treat everyone above 760 the same.
Starting Score: ~500 (12/01/2008)
@Sitori wrote:Oh wow. Thats scary for me. lol. I guess I should be doing the same thing. I always pay my bills when I get the notice that my due date is coming up. Is that after they report or before?? I get email alerts for all my accounts and they will email saying "your statement is available for review." I always pay before the actual due date, but it's usually after I read the statement. Is that bad??? Do they report after the statement cuts or before? This is so confusing. lol.
I also haven't PIF since november due to the holiday shopping. I still have outstanding balances, but I'm paying way over the amount due each month. Not sure if that makes any difference either.
I'm new to all this too. I'm scared to look at my report!
There are a couple slightly different issues at play here.
1. When do lenders report?
2. What do lenders report?
The second question is really more important. Most lenders report your statement balance. They may report it the same day that your statement closes, or it may take a couple days (re the first question), but what they report is what is on your bill.
If you are paying after you get your bill, the number that is going to get reported has already been set. Is that bad? Not necessarily. Your utilization is important to your credit score. So if you are using a large portion of your credit limit each month, and your are waiting until you get your bill to pay, your score is suffering. However, it is only temporary. There's no memory to the scoring algorithm. So you can pay your cards down the next month and your score will completely recover.
If you want to control your utilization, pay your balance down before your bill is generated. The general rule of thumb for optimum scoring is to have only one card report a balance. All other cards report $0. For the one card that reports, have it report 9% or less of that card's CL (not total CL across all cards).