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30% below total of credit card balances or each individual one?

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Anonymous
Not applicable

30% below total of credit card balances or each individual one?

HI!

 

I know its best to have your credit card utlization under 30% but does each card nered to be below 30% or do you just need to be below 30% total when you add up all your credit card debt?  For example: If I have 3 credit cards with varying limits, balances and interest rates, e.g.,

 

Card 1: 1500 limit; 800 balance; 19% APR

Card 2: 500 limit: 300 balance; 24% APR

Card 3: 750 limit: 725 balance; 15% APR

 

In this scenario, I would need to pay off a total of $1000 to be below 30% of the total balance of $1,825 (all 3 cards). Does it make a difference if I paid off card 2 and 3 which is about $1k or would I need to bring each individual card under 30%?

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2 REPLIES 2
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: 30% below total of credit card balances or each individual one?

As far as the APR figures you list go, the APRs have zero impact on FICO scoring. 

 

Furthermore, the only relevance they do have is on how much interest you get charged if you fail to pay the "Amount Owed" listed on the top of your CC statement.  If you pay that amount in full, you get charged zero interest, even if the APR was 835%.  Is it possible for you to pay your statements in full each month?  If not, is that a goal you'd be willing to work toward ASAP?  It's a very valuable place to get to, and then once achieved, working on saving cash so you always have plenty of money for any emergency.

 

Moving on now to focus purely on FICO scoring impact, there are three factors involved:

 

(1)  Total utilization (all cards and their limits counted together)

(2)  Individual utilization (each card and its limit counted separately)

(3)  Number of cards with a positive balance

 

#1 is most important.  You begin taking a scoring penalty as soon at this goes over 8.99%.

 

#2 is important only when this number is much higher.  Many of us think that there is no penalty as long as the percent here is < 49%.  The big idea is that this factor is about penalizing you when your card is close to being maxxed out.

 

#3 you get the most scoring points for when most of your cards (but not all) have a $0 balance.

 

Thus for you the goal you want to work toward is to always PIF.

 

Then in the month or two before an important credit application, pay all cards to $0 except one which would have a small positive balance on it, like $10-20.

Message 2 of 3
SouthJamaica
Mega Contributor

Re: 30% below total of credit card balances or each individual one?


@Anonymous wrote:

HI!

 

I know its best to have your credit card utlization under 30% but does each card nered to be below 30% or do you just need to be below 30% total when you add up all your credit card debt?  For example: If I have 3 credit cards with varying limits, balances and interest rates, e.g.,

 

Card 1: 1500 limit; 800 balance; 19% APR

Card 2: 500 limit: 300 balance; 24% APR

Card 3: 750 limit: 725 balance; 15% APR

 

In this scenario, I would need to pay off a total of $1000 to be below 30% of the total balance of $1,825 (all 3 cards). Does it make a difference if I paid off card 2 and 3 which is about $1k or would I need to bring each individual card under 30%?


I seem to notice myself losing a few points when one of my cards goes over 30%


Total revolving limits 741200 (620700 reporting) FICO 8: EQ 703 TU 704 EX 687

Message 3 of 3
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