The amount of debt you’re carrying is 30% of your credit score—the second biggest factor after payment history—so your credit card balance obviously impacts your credit score. Having high balances can hurt your credit score because it raises your credit utilization—the ratio of your credit card balance to your credit limit.
Some people, however, believe that carrying a balance is necessary to build a good credit score. Others have concerns that a zero balance can harm their credit scores. Fortunately, it’s not true—a zero balance won’t bring down your credit score unless you have a zero balance because you haven’t been using your credit card. In that case, the credit card issuer may stop sending credit report updates for that account and may even close the credit card, both of which can affect your credit score.
Zero Balance and Your Credit Report
Having a zero balance on your credit card doesn’t mean that the zero balance will show up on your credit report or that the zero balance will be used to calculate your credit score. Here’s why: your credit card details arereported at various times throughout the calendar month (usually on the account statement closing date). Because of this, your credit card balance might not be $0 on the day your credit card issuer reports to the credit bureaus, depending on whether you've used your credit card after you paid the full balance.
For example, if you make a $100 purchaseon the 5th of the month and pay it in full on the 17th of the month, but your credit report was updated on the 12th of the month, your credit report won't show a zero balance. Instead, it will reflect the balance on the 12th.
Note
Unless your balance is always zero, your credit report will probably show balance higher than what you're currently carrying.
Fortunately, carrying a balance won't hurt your credit score as long as the balance you do have isn'ttoo high (above 30% of the credit limit). Higher credit card balances are considered riskier as creditors and lenders weigh whether you can handle an additional debt obligation.
Inactive Credit Cards
If you have a $0 balance for several months because you're not using your credit cards at all, your credit score could take a hit. When a credit card is inactive for several months or longer, your credit card issuer may stop sending account updates to the credit bureaus. Without a recent history of your borrowing showing on your credit report, potential creditors and lenders will have a harder time gauging whether you're a responsible borrower.
Making small periodic purchases and paying in full can keep your credit card balance at $0 and keep your account open and active for credit reporting.
Note
Having a $0 credit card balance isn't essential even for having a perfect credit score. According to FICO, consumers with a perfect FICO score of 850 have an average credit card balance of approximately $13,000 and a credit utilization of 4.1%.
Multiple Credit Cards
The average consumers carries four credit cards with an average balance of $6,194. If you're someone with multiple credit cards, each with a balance, paying off just one of those credit cards to zero can help boost your credit score.
The credit scoring calculation considers both your individual credit utilization on each of your credit cards and your overall credit utilization. Paying off one full balance brings down the credit utilization across all your credit cards, showing that you're not using the full amount of credit available to you.
Getting the Balance You Want To Report
If you’re applying for a major loan soon and want to reduce your balances to improve your chances of being approved, make a large lump sum payment to your credit card and don’t make any additional purchases for a few weeks. That way, you can be sure a low (or zero) balance shows up on your credit report and is reflected in your credit score.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
When should you close a credit card with a zero balance?
If you have a card with a zero balance, it might be tempting to close your account. Keep in mind your total available credit factors into your credit score. Closing your account will lower your available credit. That doesn't mean you shouldn't close the credit card, though. If you have a compelling reason for closing it, like wanting to avoid accumulating more debt or not liking the card's terms, it may be best to close the account.
What is a credit card balance transfer?
A credit card balance transfer is when you move the balance from one credit card to another. Some cards have introductory balance transfer offers. For example, they might offer 0% interest on balance transfers for 18 months. If you're paying more than 0%, it might be worth it to move the balance to the new card and pay it off before the interest rate increases, just be aware of the transaction fees collected on many balance transfers.
FAQs
An open credit card with a $0 balance can still help your credit. On the other hand, closing the account reduces your total available credit and could decrease the average age of your credit accounts, which in turn will likely negatively affect your credit score.
Why did my credit score go down when I paid off a credit card? ›
It might reduce the types, or 'mix,' of credit you have
But now you have one less account, and if all your remaining open accounts are credit cards, that hurts your credit mix. You may see a score dip — even though you did exactly what you agreed to do by paying off the loan.
Does having a credit card with a zero balance hurt your credit? ›
If you have a zero balance because you simply never use it, your credit card may stop sending updates to the credit bureaus, and that inactive credit card could potentially lower your credit score over time.
What happens if you pay a credit card with 0 balance? ›
If your credit card balance is zero at the end of your billing cycle, you won't owe any interest. By comparison, let's say you have a $10,000 balance at the end of your billing cycle; at 22.77% interest, you'll owe an additional $183.85. And that number will only increase with each billing cycle you carry a balance.
How much does credit score go up after paying off a credit card? ›
If you're close to maxing out your credit cards, your credit score could jump 10 points or more when you pay off credit card balances completely. If you haven't used most of your available credit, you might only gain a few points when you pay off credit card debt. Yes, even if you pay off the cards entirely.
How to raise your credit score 200 points in 30 days? ›
How to Raise Your Credit Score by 200 Points
- Get More Credit Accounts.
- Pay Down High Credit Card Balances.
- Always Make On-Time Payments.
- Keep the Accounts that You Already Have.
- Dispute Incorrect Items on Your Credit Report.
There are several reasons a credit score drops after a debt payoff. Most are related to the type of debt you pay off, how you pay it off and whether you keep the account open. The credit scoring system weighs many different factors when you pay off debt. Some impact how much your score drops more than others.
Is it better to have a low balance or no balance? ›
Amounts owed is one of the most important factors that affect your credit score, second only to your payment history. "The higher the balance, the greater the sign of risk," Griffin says. "High balances are a strong indicator of risk that will drag down your credit scores."
Should I cancel my credit card after paying it off? ›
In general, keep unused credit cards open so you benefit from longer average credit history and lower credit utilization.
Why is my credit card balance 0 after paying it off? ›
If you have no available credit after paying off your credit card, it's possible the card's issuer put a hold on the account. The reasons for the hold may include exceeding your credit limit or missing payments, especially if you do so repeatedly.
What is the average credit score? The average FICO credit score in the US is 717, according to the latest FICO data. The average VantageScore is 701 as of January 2024.
Is 650 a good credit score? ›
A FICO® Score of 650 places you within a population of consumers whose credit may be seen as Fair. Your 650 FICO® Score is lower than the average U.S. credit score. Statistically speaking, 28% of consumers with credit scores in the Fair range are likely to become seriously delinquent in the future.
Should I pay off my credit card in full or leave a small balance? ›
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.
Why has my credit score gone down after taking out a credit card? ›
New accounts
Whether or not you're accepted, 'hard' credit searches could affect your credit score, especially if you make a number of full credit applications in a short period of time. When you're approved for new credit, the average age of your accounts will drop, which might also reduce your credit score.
Why did my credit score drop 80 points for no reason? ›
Credit scores can drop due to a variety of reasons, including late or missed payments, changes to your credit utilization rate, a change in your credit mix, closing older accounts (which may shorten your length of credit history overall), or applying for new credit accounts.
Does paying off your credit card early hurt your credit? ›
Does paying my credit card early affect my credit score? Paying your credit card early does not affect your credit score in and of itself, but how it impacts your other finances does. If you pay your bill early and lower your credit utilization from 70% to 30%, that can have a positive impact on your credit score.
Does not fully paying off credit card affect credit score? ›
If you're carrying a balance on your credit card from month to month, you're increasing the odds that additional purchases will tip you over the 30% credit utilization rate that lenders like to see. When this happens, it's likely that your credit scores will be negatively affected.
