There's absolutely nothing wrong with paying your cards off on or before the due date and the zero reporting has no impact on your credit score.
Make a credit card payment 15 days before the bill's due date. You might be told to make your minimum payment, or pay down at least half your bill, early. Make another payment three days before the due date. Then, pay the remainder of your bill—or whatever you can afford—before the due date to avoid interest charges.
You're absolutely right. Making multiple payments or paying off purchases immediately doesn't directly impact your credit score. What matters most is that you make your payments on time and in full each month. This demonstrates responsible credit management and helps build a positive credit history over time.
If you're carrying a significant balance, like $20,000 in credit card debt, a rate like that could have even more of a detrimental impact on your finances. The longer the balance goes unpaid, the more the interest charges compound, turning what could have been a manageable debt into a hefty financial burden.
Running up $50,000 in credit card debt is not impossible. About two million Americans do it every year. Paying off that bill?
Making multiple payments is not essential but rather beneficial for positively affecting your credit score. It is important to note that while making regular monthly card payments may help raise our credit score, it will not immediately impact it.
It's a good idea to pay off your credit card balance in full whenever you're able. Carrying a monthly credit card balance can cost you in interest and increase your credit utilization rate, which is one factor used to calculate your credit scores.
If you've overpaid by a significant amount, however, then the action can trigger a fraud warning with your issuer. If you've overpaid your bill, you can either request a refund from your issuer or just let the negative balance roll over to your next credit card bill.
The golden rule of Credit Cards is simple: pay your full balance on time, every time. This Credit Card payment rule helps you avoid interest charges, late fees, and potential damage to your credit score.
The Takeaway
The 15/3 credit card payment rule is a strategy that involves making two payments each month to your credit card company. You make one payment 15 days before your statement is due and another payment three days before the due date.
Keep an eye on your bank account: Paying your credit card bill early could leave you with less available cash in your bank account for your other bills and expenses. Before you submit payment, review your budget first to make sure all your bases are covered.
A 700 credit score is considered a good score on the most common credit score range, which runs from 300 to 850. How does your score compare with others? You're within the good credit score range, which runs from 690 to 719.
Down payment, cash advances or balance transfers
A good rule to abide by is to not rely on a credit card for any kind of down payment. It will add to a larger cost and may be a sign that you shouldn't make the purchase. In addition, cash advances usually charge a higher rate than purchases.
Keeping a low credit utilization ratio is good, but having too many credit cards with zero balance may negatively impact your credit score. If your credit cards have zero balance for several years due to inactivity, your credit card issuer might stop sending account updates to credit bureaus.
Credit cards operate on a revolving credit system, which means that as you pay off your balance, your credit limit becomes available again for future purchases. So, if you have a credit limit of $5,000 and a balance of $2,000, you still have $3,000 available for new purchases even after the due date has passed.
Paying off your debt as fast as possible may seem like the responsible thing to do, but not having an adequate emergency fund or saving for your future could leave your finances at a permanent disadvantage down the road.
The 15/3 rule, a trending credit card repayment method, suggests paying your credit card bill in two payments—both 15 days and 3 days before your payment due date. Proponents say it helps raise credit scores more quickly, but there's no real proof. Building credit takes time and effort.
It's possible that you could see your credit scores drop after fulfilling your payment obligations on a loan or credit card debt. Paying off debt might lower your credit scores if removing the debt affects certain factors like your credit mix, the length of your credit history or your credit utilization ratio.
Making on-time payments to creditors, keeping your credit utilization low, having a long credit history, maintaining a good mix of credit types, and occasionally applying for new credit lines are the factors that can get you into the 800 credit score club.
U.S. consumers carry $6,501 in credit card debt on average, according to Experian data, but if your balance is much higher—say, $20,000 or beyond—you may feel hopeless. Paying off a high credit card balance can be a daunting task, but it is possible.
Set a monthly savings target
To save $10,000 in a year, you'll need to break down your goal into manageable monthly targets. When you divide $10,000 by 12 months, it equals approximately $834 per month. If this seems daunting, consider breaking it down further into bi-weekly, weekly, or daily targets.
If you can afford to pay off your debt during the promotional APR period, a balance transfer card may be your best bet. For example, with $5,000 of debt, a six-month intro APR balance transfer card would allow you to pay off your debt interest-free with $833.33/month payments.