am i doing the right thing? reporting balances

[samint]

I don't wait for the statement closing date to pay for my purchases. I either pay in full or pay it down to less than 100$ before the statement closing date comes up.

I dont like the idea of reporting huge balances. Am i doing the right thing?  should i make payments before the closing date in order not to report big balances or wait after the statement closing date and pay in full ( or close to it ) before the due date ?

[jla84]

Many people choose to control how their utilization % is reported, as it effects FICO scores. A good rule of thumb is to only let 9% or less report on ONE card (and to have a $0 balance reporting for all other cards). You do this by paying BEFORE the statement is cut. So if you know that your statement is sent out on the 30th, pay a few days before - enough so that less than 10% of your credit line on one card is being reported. After your statement is sent to you, pay off the remaining balance so that you are not charged interest. 

If you wait until after the statement is cut and pay before the due date, whatever utilization you are using is reported and if it's high it will probably impact your FICO score. 

Does that make sense? 

[RobertEG]

I personally dont "fine-tweak" my CR every month in order to maximize current FICO score.  I certainly recommend it if you are so inclined, but scoring of % util in FICO has no historical memory, and can be recouped the very next month.  Unless I need my FICO score for a specific purpose, such as to apply for new credit, I dont take the time to fine-tweak the util of each card every month.

Maximizing your monthly FICO certainly has the advantage of getting you into a regimented process of paying close attention to balances, and I would do it if I had the time and inclination, but I dont.