Which should I pay down first? I have a couple cards maxed and

[dddewdrop]

One with a small balance. Which should I pay down first to have the most positive effect on my credit score?

I have capital1 maxed at 2500, Chase maxed at 2G, Discover maxed at 1600 and Walmart at 

259/21000. I have 1000 to pay down right  now. How should I handle it?

Thanks for advise,

[Anonymous]

Do you have a pressing NEED for maximum scores right now?

[Simply827]

Try to get all of them at least below 90% util

[SouthJamaica]

---

@dddewdrop wrote:

One with a small balance. Which should I pay down first to have the most positive effect on my credit score?

I have capital1 maxed at 2500, Chase maxed at 2G, Discover maxed at 1600 and Walmart at 

259/21000. I have 1000 to pay down right  now. How should I handle it?

Thanks for advise,

---

Walmart -- $50

Discover - $810

Chase - $70

Cap I - $70

Then when next money comes in try to get them all to below 50%.

Then try to get them all to below 30%

Then try to get them all to below 10%

Then you're good.

[Anonymous]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

Do you have a pressing NEED for maximum scores right now?

---

All responses were great.  But I think Norman's question was especially good.  What he's likely getting at is that we can't tell our OP what is the best use for his $1000 until he tells us more: best use for what purpose?  If he doesn't have any important need for good credit coming up soon, then he probably should focus most of his money on the card charging the highest interest rate.  If he is trying to improve his score as fast as possible (regardless of what he pays in interest) then he would have a different plan.

People often ask "What should I do?" in a vacuum.  And the best first response is always: what are you trying to achieve and why?

[Anonymous]

Long term your credit score and your financial week being will be best served by eliminating your debt.

Pay that Walmart card off and KEEP IT PAID OFF. You will feel good about that. Then go after the card with the highest interest month after month until it too is paid off.

Make sure stuff that gets paid off STAYS paid off and before you know it you will have a clean slate and a great score.

Short term split it 3 ways against your top 3 cards, after making all minimums of course.

[SouthJamaica]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

---

@Anonymous wrote:

Do you have a pressing NEED for maximum scores right now?

---

All responses were great.  But I think Norman's question was especially good.  What he's likely getting at is that we can't tell our OP what is the best use for his $1000 until he tells us more: best use for what purpose?  If he doesn't have any important need for good credit coming up soon, then he probably should focus most of his money on the card charging the highest interest rate.  If he is trying to improve his score as fast as possible (regardless of what he pays in interest) then he would have a different plan.

People often ask "What should I do?" in a vacuum.  And the best first response is always: what are you trying to achieve and why?

---

He was quite specific in his question: "Which should I pay down first to have the most positive effect on my credit score?"

[Anonymous]

Thanks SJ.  You are totally right.

I can still see why Norman may have asked.  Sometimes people are under the impression that their score is something that has to be fixed right away.  But as you know, the score is only important if you NEED it for something.  As long as you don't need the score in the short term, it may make sense to choose a strategy that maximizes your financial benefit rather than score benefit, with the understanding that the score benefit will be fully realized, just postponed slightly.

Still I should have read that question more carefully.  I missed that phrase.  Thanks.

[SouthJamaica]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

Thanks SJ.  You are totally right.

I can still see why Norman may have asked.  Sometimes people are under the impression that their score is something that has to be fixed right away.  But as you know, the score is only important if you NEED it for something.  As long as you don't need the score in the short term, it may make sense to choose a strategy that maximizes your financial benefit rather than score benefit, with the understanding that the score benefit will be fully realized, just postponed slightly.

Still I should have read that question more carefully.  I missed that phrase.  Thanks.

---

Thanks CGID

Then again there are people like me who don't really need the score for anything but find it a worthwhile endeavor, for some reason, to maximize it Good sport, albeit a bit sedentary

[Anonymous]

It's funny, SJ, but I think I am finally starting to move towards actually using my score for something, after guarding its progress toward 850 for so damn long.  You'd think my mania for score increase would get more intense the closer I got to that Holy Grail, but I finally gave up when I hit 844 and am thinking more about how to start adding cards that could benefit me (e.g. huge signup bonsues, etc.).

You'll have to let me know sometime how your share secured loan (with Yoda Revelate) has worked out.