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It’s better to pay off your credit card than to keep a balance. That’s because credit card companies charge interest when you don’t pay your bill in full every month. Depending on your credit score, which dictates your credit card options, you can expect to pay an extra 9% to 25%+… read full answer on a balance that you keep for a year. For example, if you spent $100 on a card with a 15% purchase APR, you would owe $115 at the end of a year. A good APR is anything below 18%, as that’s roughly the average for new card offers. And even that’s not very low. Plus, most credit cards have a grace period, which means if you pay off your full balance every month before the due date, you won’t have to pay interest. But you lose the grace period if you don’t pay in full one month, and you’ll have to pay your entire balance for two consecutive billing cycles to get it back.

Some people think you need to carry a balance in order to see positive information on your credit report, but that’s simply not true. You don’t even need to use your credit card to build credit. Simply keeping an account open and in good standing is enough to affect your score for the better. Using your card regularly helps because having a credit utilization ratio between 1% and 10% is slightly better for your credit score than 0%. But credit utilization is based on your statement balance, and your monthly statement comes before the due date. So you can still pay your bill in full every month while doing right by your credit score. In fact, you should pay in full whenever possible.

Of course, it’s a different story if you’re using a 0% credit card. During the 0% APR introductory period, your balance – whether from a purchase or balance transfer – won’t accrue interest as long as you pay the minimum amount required by the due date each month. But if you don’t pay in full by the end of the 0% period, interest will come into play.

Here’s why it’s better to pay off your card than to carry a balance:

• If you pay your bill in full each month, you won’t be charged any interest. However, if you don’t pay in full one month, you’ll lose your grace period, and your purchases will begin accruing daily interest right away. You can get your grace period back by paying in full for two consecutive billing cycles.
• You don’t need to carry a balance for a credit card to help your credit score. What matters most for credit building is meeting due dates and keeping credit utilization below 30%.
• Paying your bills on time doesn’t require you to pay your balance in full each month. You just have to make the minimum payment listed on your statement. But if you take on too much debt, you may find it hard to make your monthly payments.
• Carrying a balance makes it harder to keep your credit utilization low, since your everyday spending will be added on top of the amount you’re carrying from month to month. It’s best to use less than 30% of the credit made available to you.

So, to recap, it’s better to pay off your credit card than to carry a balance because it builds your credit history just as well without subjecting you to interest charges. And remember, not carrying a balance does not mean you have to stop using your credit card. There is a middle ground. A balance will be listed on your credit card statement whenever you make purchases, but if you pay that amount by the due date, you won’t really be carrying a balance.

If you’ve got some credit card debt you’d like to get rid of, a 0% balance transfer credit card could help you save a lot of time and money. And if you’re trying to improve your credit, WalletHub’s free daily credit scores and credit analysis can will get you on track.

The best time to pay a credit card bill is a few days before the due date, which is listed on the monthly statement. Paying at least the minimum amount required by the due date keeps the account in good standing and is the key to building a good or excellent credit score. That’s true for everyone, but some people might want to take things a step further, particularly cardholders carrying balances from month to month and people with high credit utilization.… read full answer

If you have a credit card balance that you carry from month to month, it’s best to pay that credit card’s bill as soon as the monthly account statement becomes available. This will save you money on interest. Paying the card’s monthly bill in full for two consecutive months will also reduce your interest charges by reinstituting your account’s grace period. Instead of purchases beginning to accrue daily interest charges right after you make them, you will have a window between when your monthly statement becomes available and when your bill is due to pay with no interest.

If the balance listed on your monthly credit card statements consistently equals more than 30% of the card’s credit limit, consider paying your bill multiple times per month. Paying once in the middle of the month and again before the due date will reduce the balance listed on your statement. That, in turn, will lower your credit utilization, which should help your credit score.

Here’s a quick example: You have a credit card with a limit of $1,000. You charge $500 to it, using up 50% of your credit. Then, you make a payment of $300 before the billing period closes and your statement is generated. That brings your statement balance to $200 and your utilization to 20%. Paying off the final $200 before the due date then keeps your account in good standing.

Here’s when to pay a credit card:

• If your credit utilization is 30% or less and you pay in full every month, pay your credit card bill by the due date listed on your monthly account statement.
• If your balance is more than 30% of your credit limit, pay your credit card bill before the billing period closes to reduce your credit utilization, then pay the remaining balance by the due date.
• If you’re carrying a balance from month to month, pay off your full credit card balance as soon as possible to save on interest.

It’s a good idea to set up automatic payments with your credit card issuer so you don’t have to worry about when to pay your credit card bill. Doing so will automatically make a payment from a linked bank account every month on the due date, or a day of your choice before that. You can’t be marked late unless your account has insufficient funds. And even with automatic payments set up, you can still make additional payments any time you want.