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As @Remedios said, you don't have to micromanage your account. I used to do that, and was a lot of unnecessary work! People here helped me realize that, and one of the biggest things that helped me was being told that "utilization has no memory". As long as you aren't applying for new credit, it doesn't hurt to let utilization go higher for a while. Now I'd still not come anywhere close to maxing any cards out, but if I need to make a large purchase on one of my cards, I don't scramble to pay it off before the statement cuts like I used to. You can have 30+% report one month and you'll see a score dip, but if you pay the card down after you get the bill it will rebound the next month. No harm, no foul unless you planned on applying for something that month.
We pay everything monthly through our cards and use whichever cards maximizes rewards for each month. I just let everything report and PIF month. There was a time that I absolutely could not make myself do that! 😂
@Remedios wrote:
@GrayStar wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@GrayStar wrote:When I use the card for small purchases, do I have to pay the balance off before or after the statement closes which reports to credit bureaus?
That's totally up to you and depends on whether or not you want that card to report a [non-zero] balance to the bureaus for that month. I was speaking just on the topic of showing card use, though. If you make a purchase and immediately pay it off even thought your CR will continue to show $0 month after month, your creditor will see the transaction and you won't have to worry about non-use being a reason for account closure.
I will try to focus on using my other cards as needed to show some activity and to improve my scores. As I rebound from Discover closing my account, things will get better in the end.
Considering how well you've taken what you read, and your attitude in general, you will do great.
Also, one more thing, look into enabling autopay as a failsafe.
You can set it at minimum payment only, just in case.
It will help avoiding payment snags if you forget, travel, life happens etc.
And I definitely believe I will do great :-) I also set up autopay for all cards that I have in case if I encounter any mishaps down the line thanks to you. Keep encouraging others on their credit journey and they will thank you for it.
@JNA1 wrote:As @Remedios said, you don't have to micromanage your account. I used to do that, and was a lot of unnecessary work! People here helped me realize that, and one of the biggest things that helped me was being told that "utilization has no memory". As long as you aren't applying for new credit, it doesn't hurt to let utilization go higher for a while. Now I'd still not come anywhere close to maxing any cards out, but if I need to make a large purchase on one of my cards, I don't scramble to pay it off before the statement cuts like I used to. You can have 30+% report one month and you'll see a score dip, but if you pay the card down after you get the bill it will rebound the next month. No harm, no foul unless you planned on applying for something that month.
We pay everything monthly through our cards and use whichever cards maximizes rewards for each month. I just let everything report and PIF month. There was a time that I absolutely could not make myself do that! 😂
That is something that I've struggled with as far as micromanaging the accounts that may or may not do me any good in the long run. What I'm going to do for now on is I will put off applying for new credit and just be happy to use the cards that I already have by PIF monthly and watch those scores rise :-)
@Slabenstein wrote:When was the last time you used the card? I believe that Discover automatically closes accounts at six months of inactivity.
I had no idea Disco closed accounts after 6 months of inactivity, better give mine some usage! Thanks!
@CashBackQueen wrote:
@Slabenstein wrote:When was the last time you used the card? I believe that Discover automatically closes accounts at six months of inactivity.
I had no idea Disco closed accounts after 6 months of inactivity, better give mine some usage! Thanks!
That is not true. If anyone has had a card closed for only 6 months of non use there had to have been extenuating circumstances.
@AverageJoesCredit wrote:
@CashBackQueen wrote:
@Slabenstein wrote:When was the last time you used the card? I believe that Discover automatically closes accounts at six months of inactivity.
I had no idea Disco closed accounts after 6 months of inactivity, better give mine some usage! Thanks!
That is not true. If anyone has had a card closed for only 6 months of non use there had to have been extenuating circumstances.
Yeah, that was just something I read in a different thread on these forums. From the answers in this thread, it looks like it was incorrect.