Pro tip: my friend said my 30% credit card usage was too high, so I cut it to under 10%

They argued it's about total credit across all cards, not just one, which I never considered. Has anyone else seen a bigger score jump from focusing on overall utilization instead of just paying one card down?

3 comments

3 Comments

violay2720d ago

Mine tanked when I maxed a store card.

troysanchez20d ago

My score went up 40 points after I maxed out my Macy's card last year. The credit bureaus see you using the credit they gave you, which they like. It shows you can handle a high balance, as long as you keep making the payments. The drop you saw might be from something else, like a new hard inquiry. Maxing a card is a normal part of using credit, not some automatic penalty. What did your credit report say was the exact reason for the drop?

jason7527d agoTop Commenter

Did you check if your total credit use went way up? Maxing one card can push your overall ratio over 30%, and that hurts almost everyone's score. Store cards have tiny limits, so hitting the max makes your use look really bad. It's not just about using the card, it's about how much of your total credit you're using.