OP, it has been my experience that the more derogs you have on your report the less impact utilization has (in a positive way). When I had 1 collection on my TU report paying down my CC debt had a positive effect but not as much as it did on EQ which has no collections. When I went from 98% utilization to 76%, I got a 17 point increase on my EQ but only 8 points on TU. Incredibly everything on both reports was identical but for the CA. My point is, work on the derogs and you should see more gains from paying down utilization. I also bought many scores, the benefit I saw is that I know now, how my actions affect my scores. I onlu buy scores when I lower my UTIL by 10% or more or if there are other major changes like the addition of an account. Good luck and have patience, you will get there.
