Credit Card Utilization

Credit card utilization measures the percentage of your available credit limit that you are currently using, and it dictates a massive 30% of your total FICO® score. While keeping utilization below 30% is a common baseline rule, top-tier credit scorers typically aim for an ideal target of under 10% without hitting a stagnant 0%. Because this metric has no permanent memory in credit models, you can rapidly boost your score by paying balances before your statement closing date, requesting a credit limit increase, or spreading expenses across multiple cards.