Best Use of Available Cash?

[Anonymous]

Which of these choices will have a more favorable impact on my FICO score? 

This month I have three cards with high balances amounting to about 50% and five with 10% (because I was advised to keep a small balance on all the cards I have but wasn't using). 

With the cash I have available right now, I can pay off all the small 10% ones and make minimum payments the on the 50% higher ones, or I could make more substantial payments to pay down the 50% to 20-30% each and make minimum payments to keep the rest at 10% or less.  I cannot do both.

[laz98]

i'm not an expert, but i would pay off the higher balances.  those are probably affecting your credit scores more.

on the lower balances, try to keep them below 9%.

[llecs]

Pay down the higher utilized CCs first. And if you can pay off one small CC, then do so too. FICO likes to see $0 balances, but your 50% util certainly offsets that.

[Anonymous]

If you have a card(s) with ridiculously high interest rate(s), I'd throw some money at that too.

[RobertEG]

From strictly a FICO perspective:

Dont have any indiv accounts with greater than 50% util, preferably under 30%.  Pay the higher % util accts first. They hurt a lot in scoring.

FICO scores overall % util and combined indiv card utils at about the same level. So pay the higher % util card first.

This may not be the best financial advice, and it is strictly FICO advice.