Q&A: Credit scores and usage

Dear Liz: Thanks for your recent column about how credit scores react to heavy credit card usage. We pay our credit cards in full each month but recently we had big charges on three cards for vacations, home supplies and other purchases. I am the primary account holder on all three cards and my credit scores tanked! I even got email warnings about it from my credit monitoring service.

I have paid off two of the cards and will pay off the third one soon. My husband has one credit card in his own name that he occasionally uses and he is an authorized user on the others. I have always been the fanatical financial partner so he thinks it’s funny he has great scores and I look like a loser! Good thing we were not planning to do a house purchase or refinance the mortgage.

Answer: Pretty soon your husband will have to find something else to tease you about. Your scores are likely to return to their previous levels once the high balances are paid off and you return to your normal spending habits.

Many people are surprised by how dramatically credit scoring formulas react to the amount of available credit they’re using. But this knowledge can help you the next time you’re planning to get a major loan.

For example, you could throttle back your credit card usage starting a couple of months before your application. Alternatively, you could make weekly payments instead of monthly ones to ensure the balances reported to the credit bureaus, and used in your scores, are as low as possible.

Another approach is to pay off your balance a few days before the statement closing date, since the balance on that date is the one that’s typically reported to the bureaus. (If any charges show up after you’ve paid off the balance, you’ll need to make a second payment before the due date to avoid late fees.)

Can you have too much credit?

People who care about their credit scores tend to obsess about some things they probably shouldn’t, such as the possibility they might have too much credit.

Let’s bust that myth right upfront: The leading credit scoring formulas, FICO and VantageScore, don’t punish people for having too many accounts. And right now, having access to credit could be a lifeline.

In my latest for the Associated Press, find out why it’s not how many cards you have, but how you use them.

Friday’s need-to-know money news

Today’s top story: How to tell if that ‘contact tracer’ is really a scammer. Also in the news: Don’t wait to refinance these student loans, why you should aim for 1% credit utilization, and the $600 unemployment boost is likely ending. Here’s how you can access cash now.

Is That ‘Contact Tracer’ Really a Scammer? How to Tell
How to keep yourself.

Don’t Wait to Refinance These Student Loans
You could save money on your private loans.

Why You Should Aim for 1% Credit Utilization
The lower the better.

The $600 unemployment boost is likely ending. Here’s how you can access cash now
Barring an extension from Congress, the boost will end this week.

Friday’s need-to-know money news

Today’s top story: One credit score factor to check twice during the holidays. Also in the news: How to give back without busting your budget, how not to get hustled in the holiday bustle, and the best apps for tracking your credit card rewards.

One Credit Score Factor to Check Twice During the Holidays
Utilizing your credit wisely.

How to Give Back Without Busting Your Budget
Create a giving plan.

Identity Theft: Don’t Get Hustled in the Holiday Bustle
‘Tis the season for identity theft.

The Best Apps for Tracking Your Credit Card Rewards
All your rewards in one place.

Thursday’s need-to-know money news

Today’s top story: How to beat basic economy airfare at its own game. Also in the news: Employers who chip in on your student loans, the pros and cons of refinancing your student loans, and this rule of thumb about credit card use could be costing you.

How to Beat Basic Economy at Its Own Game
A Points Nerd explains how.

These employers chip in on your student loans
How different companies assist their employees.

Is it worth it to refinance your student loans?
The pros and cons.

This rule of thumb about credit card use could be costing you
Credit utilization is a major credit score factor.

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

Pile of Credit CardsToday’s top story: The hidden bonuses of paying off credit card debt. Also in the news: Financial tips for the sandwich generation, how to start preparing your taxes, and the changes coming to your credit card perks.

The Hidden Bonus of Paying Off Credit Card Debt
Your credit score will thank you for it.

The Sandwich Generation: 5 C’s To Deal With Your Financial Challenges
The financial challenges of taking care of your young and old.

11 Tax Moves Every Taxpayer Should Make Before the End of the Year
Time to get organized.

Big Changes Coming for Your Credit Card Perks
What’s in and what’s out.

6 questions to ask before getting a store credit card
Know what you’re signing up for.

Does paying down installment loans help your credit?

Dear Liz: I know a high balance on a credit card hurts your credit score and that it’s best to keep balances low and pay them off each month. But does the same theory hold true for installment borrowing such as auto or student loans, which obviously have a higher balance in the beginning of the loan repayment period?

Answer: Paying down installment loans will help your credit score, but typically not as dramatically as paying down balances on revolving debt such as credit cards.

The leading FICO credit scoring formula is much more sensitive to balances on revolving accounts. The wider the gap between your available credit and the amount you’re using, the better.