Maximizing Credit Utilization -- Please help

[ThePatronizer]

How would you maximize the following Revolving Credit in order to maximize FICO score? I am cloing on a home in August so I have the time and available funds to do whatever it takes to optimize my score. Obviously there isn't a whole lot I can do here, hence the need to "maximize" my effort. What can one expect for a score increase when going from 15% utilization, to say, 9%. Clearly this would be an estimate, but any guesses would be appreciated. Also, I've already received all the CLIs available to me. Thanks everyone!!

                                                 Balance           Limit        Utilization 

Barclay Apple Card                    $0                $700            0.0%

Best Buy Rewards                     $0             $4,000            0.0%

Household MC                           $0             $1,305            0.0%

Household MC                           $0             $1,305            0.0%

Credit Union Visa               $1,471            $3,000           49.0%

HSBC Express Card             $386            $2,000           19.3%

                                               $1,857          $12,310          15.1%

[Chris123nTx]

Util is looked at both overall and on individual cards. Having said that, since you have untill august, i would attack the larger of the two big time. Seem like that will save you the most money and increase your scores slightly as it is paid down. Before you apply for the mortgage just do everything you can to get under 10%. Not sure what it will do for you, but when i went from around 30% to unde 10% my scores jumped a lot. I want to say around 30 or more points, but almost 70 points from where i had started, somewhere over 50%. It is the one biggest thing you can control to influence your score in a positive way. I run about 1% right now and just hit my all time high of 813 on eq yesterday. Good luck with it all.

[ThePatronizer]

UPDATE: Well I paid $610 toward the larger balance account, and also received a CLI of $400 on the Household MC, and I received my weekly ScoreWatch email indicating NO POINT INCREASE. I find that a little baffling. You would think I would have seen some movement in score. Since that clearly didn't work I think I need to pay of the $386 balance in full on the smaller balance card. I've been reading that you only want to have a balance on one card. I realize there is no exact science but I really didn't want to spend $1k toward my credit card debt but it appears that paying toward the larger balance card is not going to benefit me. Time to try anoher angle.   

                                                 Balance           Limit        Utilization 

Barclay Apple Card                    $0                $700    ​        0.0%

Best Buy Rewards                     $0             $4,000            0.0%

Household MC                           $0             $1,705            0.0%

Household MC                           $0             $1,305            0.0%

Credit Union Visa                  $861             $3,000           28.7%

HSBC Express Card             $386            $2,000           19.3%

                                               $1,​247          $12,710             9.8%

[Anonymous]

I would pay down the smaller card and pay down the larger card so it reports between 130-299 balance.  I think you will max out somewhere in there.

What does your EQ FICO look like?  With your current util, you'll get some kind of points but not sure if it will be much.

[Anonymous]

BTW, if I remember correctly for util purposes, percentages are rounded.  So you 9.8% total util is showing as 10%

[thrasher865]

Also, you will have to wait a week or two after your statement date on each of these accounts for the balances to be updated on your credit report, possibly causing a change in score.

[ThePatronizer]

The balances updated before the SW updated was generated do that isn't the issue, but as the other poster mentioned, it could be due to the fact that I'm technically not below 10% yet due to rounding. And to answer someone else's question, my EQ score stood firm this week at 712 even after the $610 payment and the CLI. Both changes have in fact hit my report and would be factored in to the score.

[ThePatronizer]

@Crashem

And there lies the dilema.. of course I would want to pay off the entire small card balance and decrease the larger balance card to between 1-9%, but it really isn't feasible to pay that much. This was the reason for my asking advice on which card to pay first.

If money were no object then, yes, I am aware that your suggestion would be the best option. I'm trying to get over 720 to secure the best rate on a mortgage through my Credit Union. You can see I still need 8 points. Basically, I'm trying to get the most bang for my buck and see if I can get these 8 points just by playing the utilization game, all while not spending TOO much of my savings in the process.

Thanks for all the responses so far, everyone.

[Anonymous]

Get rid of one card balance and get other below 30%.

[Anonymous]

Side question, how long have the $0 balances been that way? FICO may be removing them from the equation, so to speak, because it thinks they are inactive. If it's been a while, I'd consider letting a balance report one each of them (smaller is better) and then PIF before the August timeframe.