Score decreased with balance decrease

[masscredit]

Last week I posted that my TU score saw a 40 point increase after my last IIB account received an EE. That was with 2 cards reporting. One (Cap 1) had a $694.00 balance and the other was $112.00. I thought I might see a couple more points after Cap 1 reported a zero balance. Checked my score today and was surprised to see that it went down to 716. I think I'm going to have to play with this. Did the score like having 2 cards reporting or did it like the higher overall balance?  I guess I'll have to try it both ways. 

[Anonymous]

I would say that they like to see a balance. From what I have learned on here, having 0% utilization is not good. The companies like to see you having some use with the card. Do you have a balance or anything on your other cards? If not then I would suggest letting your cards report with a balance before paying them off. I have seen my scores jump after a purchase I have had and I have seen them go down after a purchase. Like I said, I think it has to do with the amount of utilization that you have at that time. Hope that helps!

[masscredit]

Two cards were reporting a balance when I saw the 720 score. Total available is $47,300. Total balance between the two cards was $806.00  so that was .017%.. That dropped down to less than 1% utilization with  $112.00 reporting. I believe that gets rounded up to 1%?  

I lost 13 points when I accidently paid off all of my cards last year. Got those points back when one reported. That was on my EQ08 score. Didn't follow the change on TU.

[Anonymous]

I would have to speculate that bucketing has more to do with it than anything. You went from a significantly different group to another. 

[masscredit]

If that's the case, the score change isn't as bad as I thought it would be when going into a different bucket. But I thought I would stay in a dirty bucket until my BK and 3 tax liens are gone years from now. Unless there are different stages of each bucket. 

[Anonymous]

Guaranteed it's because it reported a zero balance. Next time leave $1. I've read way too many posts lately of people paying their card to zero, and lost points. Next month they leave a small balance, and the score goes back up. My fico sees it as the card not being used that month. Unfortunately you lose points for it. I just paid 2 of mine to zero, and immediately bought a soda on each, just so I don't get points lost for a zero balance. 😉

[masscredit]

But I had two cards reporting a balance. I usually only have one. I changed my Walmart payment due date and didn't know they would update the credit bureaus after I did that. There was a $112.00 balance on the card then. So there was two cards reporting  ($694.00 and $112.00) when I checked the score and had 720. That dropped to 716 with one card at $112.00. Bucket change or it might not have been the sweet spot for my TU score. I've going down to just under $100.00 reporting on one card before and didn't see a change. 

[Anonymous]

Did any of your cards that normally have a balance, report a zero balance?

[masscredit]

I switch my main card thar reports once in awhile. Sometimes it will be a Cap 1 card and sometimes one of the Barclay cards. Nothing out of the ordinary. 

[Anonymous]

Hmmm hopefully you get your points back.