@NRB525 wrote:
@BM1990 wrote:For scoring reasons, I want a certain amount to be reported. Right now, I'm at about 10% utilization on this particular card and want to pay it down to about 8.9%, which would only equate to a few bucks, literally! Will I be penalized for making less than the minimum payment due at this time ? The due date is on the 28th of this month ?
Yes, you will be penalized for making less than the minimum payment.
OP intends to pay only the amount that leads to the upcoming statement reporting exactly 8.9% of the limit. This means paying less than the minimum payment amount and not paying the minimum payment, leading up to the due date.
Check your cardmember agreement. You'll be hit with a late payment / missed payment fee of probably $40 the way terms have been changing lately. If it goes on too long, you will get a 30 day late report on your credit report, then your credit score will tank. It will take several years for your score to recover from that.
If you want to get to exactly 8.9%, then you first need to pay the minimum payment amount, which will lower your utilization to below 8.9%. Then charge enough to get you to or over 8.9%, then make another payment to bring you down to exactly 8.9%. So rather than shorting the current minimum payment, you are paying down the balance with the minimum payment, then charging it to bring it back up to 8.9% for this upcoming statement date.
DO NOT PAY LESS THAN THE MINIMUM PAYMENT ! ! ! !
Missing or shorting the minimum payment is literally the cardinal sin of all credit discussions. Everything else about credit is a choice. Missing the minimum payment is everywhere and always a failure.
No offense intended, but you're totally wrong. 
The OP wants to make a small IN-ADDITION-TO THE-MINIMUM payment prior to the due date, for credit utilization purposes. IOW, they're going to make a small payment now to bring utilization down (and hopefully have it reported) and THEN make a proper payment by the due date.
@SoCalGardener wrote:
@NRB525 wrote:
@BM1990 wrote:For scoring reasons, I want a certain amount to be reported. Right now, I'm at about 10% utilization on this particular card and want to pay it down to about 8.9%, which would only equate to a few bucks, literally! Will I be penalized for making less than the minimum payment due at this time ? The due date is on the 28th of this month ?
Yes, you will be penalized for making less than the minimum payment.
OP intends to pay only the amount that leads to the upcoming statement reporting exactly 8.9% of the limit. This means paying less than the minimum payment amount and not paying the minimum payment, leading up to the due date.
Check your cardmember agreement. You'll be hit with a late payment / missed payment fee of probably $40 the way terms have been changing lately. If it goes on too long, you will get a 30 day late report on your credit report, then your credit score will tank. It will take several years for your score to recover from that.
If you want to get to exactly 8.9%, then you first need to pay the minimum payment amount, which will lower your utilization to below 8.9%. Then charge enough to get you to or over 8.9%, then make another payment to bring you down to exactly 8.9%. So rather than shorting the current minimum payment, you are paying down the balance with the minimum payment, then charging it to bring it back up to 8.9% for this upcoming statement date.
DO NOT PAY LESS THAN THE MINIMUM PAYMENT ! ! ! !
Missing or shorting the minimum payment is literally the cardinal sin of all credit discussions. Everything else about credit is a choice. Missing the minimum payment is everywhere and always a failure.
No offense intended, but you're totally wrong.
The OP wants to make a small IN-ADDITION-TO THE-MINIMUM payment prior to the due date, for credit utilization purposes. IOW, they're going to make a small payment now to bring utilization down (and hopefully have it reported) and THEN make a proper payment by the due date.
Yes!! This is what my original inquiry was in regards to. Just wanted a little clarification. Thanks so much!
@BM1990 wrote:
@SoCalGardener wrote:The OP wants to make a small IN-ADDITION-TO THE-MINIMUM payment prior to the due date, for credit utilization purposes. IOW, they're going to make a small payment now to bring utilization down (and hopefully have it reported) and THEN make a proper payment by the due date.
Yes!! This is what my original inquiry was in regards to. Just wanted a little clarification. Thanks so much!
You're welcome. That's how I understood it from the get-go, and was surprised others confused it with something else!
@BM1990 wrote:
@SoCalGardener wrote:
@NRB525 wrote:
@BM1990 wrote:For scoring reasons, I want a certain amount to be reported. Right now, I'm at about 10% utilization on this particular card and want to pay it down to about 8.9%, which would only equate to a few bucks, literally! Will I be penalized for making less than the minimum payment due at this time ? The due date is on the 28th of this month ?
Yes, you will be penalized for making less than the minimum payment.
OP intends to pay only the amount that leads to the upcoming statement reporting exactly 8.9% of the limit. This means paying less than the minimum payment amount and not paying the minimum payment, leading up to the due date.
Check your cardmember agreement. You'll be hit with a late payment / missed payment fee of probably $40 the way terms have been changing lately. If it goes on too long, you will get a 30 day late report on your credit report, then your credit score will tank. It will take several years for your score to recover from that.
If you want to get to exactly 8.9%, then you first need to pay the minimum payment amount, which will lower your utilization to below 8.9%. Then charge enough to get you to or over 8.9%, then make another payment to bring you down to exactly 8.9%. So rather than shorting the current minimum payment, you are paying down the balance with the minimum payment, then charging it to bring it back up to 8.9% for this upcoming statement date.
DO NOT PAY LESS THAN THE MINIMUM PAYMENT ! ! ! !
Missing or shorting the minimum payment is literally the cardinal sin of all credit discussions. Everything else about credit is a choice. Missing the minimum payment is everywhere and always a failure.
No offense intended, but you're totally wrong.
The OP wants to make a small IN-ADDITION-TO THE-MINIMUM payment prior to the due date, for credit utilization purposes. IOW, they're going to make a small payment now to bring utilization down (and hopefully have it reported) and THEN make a proper payment by the due date.
Yes!! This is what my original inquiry was in regards to. Just wanted a little clarification. Thanks so much!
Your original post didn't mention anything about already making a minimum payment. Only about paying less than the minimum. If you meant something else in your question, nah, it's not there in English.
I stand by the response in bold.
@NRB525 wrote:Your original post didn't mention anything about already making a minimum payment. Only about paying less than the minimum. If you meant something else in your question, nah, it's not there in English.
It's implied! Right here: "For scoring reasons, I want a certain amount to be reported. Right now, I'm at about 10% utilization on this particular card and want to pay it down to about 8.9%, which would only equate to a few bucks, literally! Will I be penalized for making less than the minimum payment due at this time ?" It was clear to me that he was talking about IN ADDITION to a real payment by the due date.
If the OP is informed enough and understands enough about scoring to want to reduce his utilization on his reports, it seems pretty unlikely that he'd ALSO be so ignorant that he'd actually fail to pay the minimum due! 
@SoCalGardener wrote:
@NRB525 wrote:Your original post didn't mention anything about already making a minimum payment. Only about paying less than the minimum. If you meant something else in your question, nah, it's not there in English.
It's implied! Right here: "For scoring reasons, I want a certain amount to be reported. Right now, I'm at about 10% utilization on this particular card and want to pay it down to about 8.9%, which would only equate to a few bucks, literally! Will I be penalized for making less than the minimum payment due at this time ?" It was clear to me that he was talking about IN ADDITION to a real payment by the due date.
If the OP is informed enough and understands enough about scoring to want to reduce his utilization on his reports, it seems pretty unlikely that he'd ALSO be so ignorant that he'd actually fail to pay the minimum due!
Does not change the cardinal rule of credit; always make the minimum payment on time. If anyone wants to violate that rule I will yell at them. For their own good. I don't assume.
@NRB525 wrote:
@SoCalGardener wrote:
@NRB525 wrote:Your original post didn't mention anything about already making a minimum payment. Only about paying less than the minimum. If you meant something else in your question, nah, it's not there in English.
It's implied! Right here: "For scoring reasons, I want a certain amount to be reported. Right now, I'm at about 10% utilization on this particular card and want to pay it down to about 8.9%, which would only equate to a few bucks, literally! Will I be penalized for making less than the minimum payment due at this time ?" It was clear to me that he was talking about IN ADDITION to a real payment by the due date.
If the OP is informed enough and understands enough about scoring to want to reduce his utilization on his reports, it seems pretty unlikely that he'd ALSO be so ignorant that he'd actually fail to pay the minimum due!
Does not change the cardinal rule of credit; always make the minimum payment on time. If anyone wants to violate that rule I will yell at them. For their own good. I don't assume.
Yes, of course, always pay at least the minimum by the due date. And you're absolutely right to yell at anyone who suggests otherwise! Just that, in this case, it was clear to me (with no assuming involved) what the OP meant, although going back and re-reading it (after your comments) I can see where there's some wiggle room in there. My whole point is that it's VERY unlikely someone credit-savvy enough to know about lowering their utilization rate for scoring purposes would FAIL to make their real payment by the due date.
@SoCalGardener wrote:
@NRB525 wrote:
@SoCalGardener wrote:
@NRB525 wrote:Your original post didn't mention anything about already making a minimum payment. Only about paying less than the minimum. If you meant something else in your question, nah, it's not there in English.
It's implied! Right here: "For scoring reasons, I want a certain amount to be reported. Right now, I'm at about 10% utilization on this particular card and want to pay it down to about 8.9%, which would only equate to a few bucks, literally! Will I be penalized for making less than the minimum payment due at this time ?" It was clear to me that he was talking about IN ADDITION to a real payment by the due date.
If the OP is informed enough and understands enough about scoring to want to reduce his utilization on his reports, it seems pretty unlikely that he'd ALSO be so ignorant that he'd actually fail to pay the minimum due!
Does not change the cardinal rule of credit; always make the minimum payment on time. If anyone wants to violate that rule I will yell at them. For their own good. I don't assume.
Yes, of course, always pay at least the minimum by the due date. And you're absolutely right to yell at anyone who suggests otherwise! Just that, in this case, it was clear to me (with no assuming involved) what the OP meant, although going back and re-reading it (after your comments) I can see where there's some wiggle room in there. My whole point is that it's VERY unlikely someone credit-savvy enough to know about lowering their utilization rate for scoring purposes would FAIL to make their real payment by the due date.
Basing advice on "it's implied here" really isnt a way to go about anything other than late payment in case assumption is wrong.
Based on the cards in their signature, OP is in in the very early stages of rebuild, so I am not going to lean towards "They are asking because they are credit-savy", I'll go with "What exactly do you mean by this so we can help you better"
Question did not make sense when it was asked because card they asked (and it still does not) about would have reported a few days prior to them asking question. It wont report again till 28th, which at the time was 22 days. Minimum payment is what...$25, and OP is planning on paying less than that to "reduce utilization for scoring purposes"
What scoring purpose exists mid-cycle? There is not one, unless they are making room for spend, but again, we are running into numbers game - paying less than minimum doesn't clear up credit line, hence multiple requests to clarify and cautious advice to pay minimum payment in case any assumptions we made are wrong.
@Remedios wrote:
@SoCalGardener wrote:Yes, of course, always pay at least the minimum by the due date. And you're absolutely right to yell at anyone who suggests otherwise! Just that, in this case, it was clear to me (with no assuming involved) what the OP meant, although going back and re-reading it (after your comments) I can see where there's some wiggle room in there. My whole point is that it's VERY unlikely someone credit-savvy enough to know about lowering their utilization rate for scoring purposes would FAIL to make their real payment by the due date.
Basing advice on "it's implied here" really isnt a way to go about anything other than late payment in case assumption is wrong.
Based on the cards in their signature, OP is in in the very early stages of rebuild, so I am not going to lean towards "They are asking because they are credit-savy", I'll go with "What exactly do you mean by this so we can help you better"
Question did not make sense when it was asked because card they asked (and it still does not) about would have reported a few days prior to them asking question. It wont report again till 28th, which at the time was 22 days. Minimum payment is what...$25, and OP is planning on paying less than that to "reduce utilization for scoring purposes"
What scoring purpose exists mid-cycle? There is not one, unless they are making room for spend, but again, we are running into numbers game - paying less than minimum doesn't clear up credit line, hence multiple requests to clarify and cautious advice to pay minimum payment in case any assumptions we made are wrong.
Whatever. The OP has stated, and thanked me, for being correct in understanding what he meant. *shrug*
As for reporting mid-cycle, I read about that ALL THE TIME around here. For all I know, the OP knew something we didn't know about the card he wanted to get an early, extra payment in on.