New here, WF secured card question

[Anonymous]

Hello all, new here, have tons of questions for you guys but to start I'd like to say I've been on the boards reviewing and reading.  My score is a low 596....not many accounts, some closed/payed off, some have late payments of 30 days...I've started by ordering two secured cards-one w/my bank WF and paid  $300 for a $300 limit.  I also ordered a Capital 1 and should receive soon, w/them they requested only a $49 deposit for a $200 credit line.

I'm understanding a bit about low utilization (under 30pct) and paying before the balance is due to be safe.  I received this reply from WF about cutoff dates, etc.  So I'm a bit confused as to this- if I pay by due date (22nd always they say) then technically even if close date varies a few days it would be closer to the 28th date right?

I'll have to ask Capital 1 once their card arrives in the mail as well.

Good Afternoon and Thank you for contacting Wells Fargo. My name is
******, and it is my pleasure to assist you today.

I received your email inquiring about the billing dates for your credit
card account and I will be happy to provide this information.

The statement closing date on your credit card account may vary by a few
days each month because of the number of business days in the billing
period; however, the payment due date will always be the 22nd of each
month.

Wells Fargo will submit the following information to the major credit
bureaus each month on your statement closing date. Our records show that
the next statement closing date on your credit card account is 28th.

* Account open date
* Credit limit
* Current balance
* Lifetime high balance
* Over the credit limit balance
* Minimum payment due
* Last posted payment
* User type (Authorized User, individual or joint)

[Anonymous]

They are saying that this cycle (the billing cycle you are in now) will end on the 28th.

On that day (which will vary by month, by a couple of days either way), they will take a total balance reading on the account and generate your bill.

They will then e-mail or mail you the bill itself, which will have all of the transactions as of the 28th and a payment amount, due on or before the 22nd of the next month.

What they are telling you is, while the "close" ("print") date for each month will shift a little, the payment will always be due on the following 22nd.  For example, the bill for March, which apparently will close on 3/28, will be due on 4/22.

Pay before then.

[Anonymous]

So is it advisable to go ahead and charge something before the 28th of this month then?  And then pay on the 22nd?  Or is it best to make a purchase AFTER the closeout so the first reporting from them shows 0 utilization?

That part is so confusing!  Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

If you want the card to report a zero balance to the CRAs then you need to make sure that it is paid off by the 25th/26th then don't use the card until after you receive the statement. Make sure you pay at least the minimum amount due before the due date, the rest can be paid after the due date but before the statement date for a zero balance.