Utilization brackets

[Np1791]

For those that know about the different utilization brackets. Could you share what those are? 

[Np1791]

By the way I mean the diferrent intervals in which utilization hurts your score and when it lessens. For instance 60% hurts more than 59%

[HeavenOhio]

Known thresholds are 8.9%, 28.9%, 48.9%, 68.9%, and 88.9% (maxed). Not every threshold will apply to every profile. But 8.9% generally does. And maxed is pretty much guaranteed to kill you.

Some have reported a small scoring benefit by getting below approximately 5%, but there isn’t much in the way of testing data on that.

[Np1791]

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@HeavenOhio wrote:
Known thresholds are 8.9%, 28.9%, 48.9%, 68.9%, and 88.9% (maxed). Not every threshold will apply to every profile. But 8.9% generally does. And maxed is pretty much guaranteed to kill you.

Some have reported a small scoring benefit by getting below approximately 5%, but there isn’t much in the way of testing data on that.

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Thank you!

[Jnbmom]

Are we talking overall utilization versus individual cards?

[Np1791]

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@Jnbmom wrote:

Are we talking overall utilization versus individual cards?

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Individual utilization per card. I wanted to know how far down to pay my card to have the least amount of negative impact on my credit. Currently it's at 75% but I will be able to bring it down to 58%.

[Jnbmom]

Does FICO score for overall utilization and also  ndividual cards utilization factored separately ?

[HeavenOhio]

Both individual card utilization and total utilization are part of the revolving portion of one's score. The thresholds above apply to both, although for most profiles, 28.9% is sufficient for individual card utilization — as long as overall utilization is at 8.9% or below. Note that individual card utilization is determined by the card with the highest utilization.

When we talk about AZEO (all cards reporting a zero balance except one), the best tack is generally to report a very small balance (at least $5 but not much more) on a single major card. That'll avoid any potential quirks. AZEO can be a useful starting point if you wish to test out what your profile will tolerate. Bring your balances to AZEO to find your best possible score. Then try higher balances (within reason) to see whether or not your score changes.

[SouthJamaica]

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@Np1791 wrote:

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@Jnbmom wrote:

Are we talking overall utilization versus individual cards?

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Individual utilization per card. I wanted to know how far down to pay my card to have the least amount of negative impact on my credit. Currently it's at 75% but I will be able to bring it down to 58%.

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From my experience you'll get some benefit from getting it below 50% and a nice bang when you get it below 30%. Once you have an individual card at 28% or less you're in good shape.

[HeavenOhio]

@Np1791and @Jnbmom, keep in mind that "under 50%" means 48.9% or below and "under 30%" means 28.9% or below. That's because fractions round up. For example, 29.00000001% will round up to 30%, making it no longer below 30%. The same principle applies to all of the thresholds listed above.

If you're paying interest, aim a little lower, say 46–47% or 26–27%. That should prevent the next month's interest charge from knocking you back up over the threshold.