Store card AZEO store curiousity

[HeavenOhio]

Just to demonstrate that a couple of the things mentioned in this thread have happened to someone else…

My Experian score was dinged by four points when I allowed a store card to be the only card to show a positive balance. When I let a second card — which was a major card — report a positive balance, the points came right back.

Later on, I was dinged on all three FICO8s at well under 8.9% aggregate utilization, possibly at 5%. When I lowered the overall balance, keeping the same two cards reporting, the points once again came right back.

Both of these things happened at a time when my scores were otherwise consistent for a period of weeks (or months), so I don't think there was anything going on to add clutter.

I think the bottom line is that when we're giving AZEO advice, we need to give the safest advice possible. That would be to report a very small balance on a major card where one is the primary user.

[Anonymous]

So my Chase $5 balance (1%) was paid off and it dropped my TU score to 699 since the only balance I have is Amazon store card ($301/$6000) that is now paid off but next statement isn't until Feb 2 or so.

Here's the actual up and down history on TU at least:

TU is my dirty profile (unpaid tax lien, 2010).  

And the "reason" which we know isn't always THE reason:

In this case, it IS the reason for the alert/score change.

My Amex will report with 8.9% utilization in a few days so I should get those points back, and now I know to not use a store card for my AZEO balance.

[Thomas_Thumb]

Some store cards, although revolvers, get classified as charge cards while others do not. Is you card lsited as a charge card on your credit report or MyFico report?

[Anonymous]

I'm assuming store-only cards report as a charge card, but merchant-processor branded store cards don't.  I don't have any of the latter.

MyFico shows it as a charge card for sure.  Also noticed that I can't find anywhere on MyFico's report that shows how a secured card is reported as secured.  I swear I saw this before but don't see it anymore.  And I know I have two secured cards!

[Anonymous]

Is there any difference between a charge card and credit card with respect to FICO scoring attributes?  I've always been under the impression that they're viewed equally.