@guiness56 wrote:HP don't drop after 12 months, it is after 24 months. They are removed from FICO scoring after 12 months.
New accounts are not considered new when they hit the year mark.
I didn't realize they hung around for 24 months. Thanks!
Is there no balance or you just pay in full each month if it's the later that's ok. If you don't use cards you don't reap additional points.
As long as you are no tapping for anything it's even better if you don't pay full balance every month. You will accumulate more points by having 0balance then next month balance the paying down in odd ways.
always pay minimum on time but play around a little with reporting. I have tried different things like spending 300$ say on one card and over 2-3 months getting it paid(all without owing interest) score continues to climb
Starting Score: 0
OP, this is my experience. As always, YMMV. I started tracking my EQ ScoreWatch on June 30 of this year. On July 4, I apped for Discover and two USAA cards (Visa and MasterCard). These were my first CC's I had ever applied for (I'm 38 years old). Concurrently, I paid off my SL in August. As you can see, my score took an initial hit, but then rocketed past my initial score. I believe that this was in part due to a reclassification of myFICO account (because I didn't have any CC's up to this point, and it was hurting my score).
You will see fluctuations in my score, because I am trying to find my best util on my cards (only letting 1 CC report a balance) to maximize my ScoreWatch score. Please also note that this score included an Auto Loan, Student Loan, and a JC Penney's Card that I never, never used. Before my 3 CC's, I only had 3 TL's reporting. My oldest account is 19 years old and my AAoA is 7 years. You are certainly heading in the right direction. Please note that this is a marathon and not a sprint. It took years and years to get my score where it is now. Hope this helps you, and best of luck on your journey!