You want to know exactly how much to pay down before your statement cuts to maximize your score.
Under 10% = max score. 10-29% = good. 30-49% = noticeable penalty. 50-74% = significant penalty. 75-100% = severe penalty. Plus: any single card maxed (>90%) is penalized even if your overall utilization is low.
Per-card: (statement balance / credit limit) × 100. Overall: (sum of all balances / sum of all limits) × 100. FICO checks BOTH — so a $9,500 balance on a $10,000 card plus $0 across five other cards still hurts you, even if overall utilization is 19%.
Lenders report your balance on the statement closing date — not the due date. Pay your card down to <10% BEFORE the statement closes, and the lower number is what FICO sees. This single trick adds 20-40 points in one cycle with no other changes.
No — leave $5-25 on one card. A zero across all cards can trigger 'no activity' scoring and cost 5-10 points.
FICO may show 'no recent revolving activity' which slightly lowers your score. Always have ONE card show a small statement balance.
Most Amex charge cards no longer report utilization to bureaus. Check before relying on this.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up through one, Built By One may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.