Hi all!
I'd like to start off by saying this forum is one of my all-time favorites to browse and post in. The amount of information here is worth a ton! Before joining MyFico, I had no idea what AZEO was or the effects it can have on one's credit. Seeing all of the success stories on this board motivated me to start tackling my large pile of CC debt. I started 2020 off carrying about $26,000 in CC debt, over 10+ cards, at an overall utilization rate of 99%. I have carried a high balance for the last 3+ years and never truly paid off my CC debt. Once I saw how much interest I was paying, and how much of a pain it is to make hundreds of $$ in minimum payments every month, I decided to start charging at my debts head-on. Over the past few months, my wife and I were able to pay all of that debt down to under 10% utilization but didn't really see any major bumps in score. Our DiscoverIT card reported an $1,100 balance on a $1,000 limit, which I believed was holding my score back! I paid it down and, this morning, that Discover card reported a $10 balance and my FICO 8 scores skyrocketed, as high as 55 points! I am now breaking into the 700s when, just a couple of months ago, I was in the high 500s. Next month, our last two cards will be paid off and we will finally be using the 'AZEO' method as icing on the cake. Thanks again to all who have posted helpful and motivating stories here! Catch me in the CC Approvals board when I finally get my dream AMEX Gold and/or Platinum!
tl;dr - Started 2020 off with $26k in credit card debt. Paid down most of my balances around October 2020, today I saw a 55 point FICO 8 increase into the high 600s, low 700s, when just two months ago I was in the mid-to-high 500s.
It's also worth mentioning that my FICO mortgage scores were in the mid 500s a month ago and are now in the mid 600s. We close on a new construction in October of 2021, so hopefully AZEO helps us break the 700 mark for the best rates!
012019 Fico8/Mortgage Score: 
