[shados]

> I've even had someone tell me that paying in full is bad for your credit score

That one I always find interesting. The credit bureaus definitely try hard to make it as confusing as possible, but even then, the amount of urban legends is baffling.

I moved to the US a few years ago knowing nothing of how that stuff worked. 3 years later after getting my SSN I had a credit rating of 760 and got a jumbo mortgage at a pretty good rate. The core of the "formula" for credit rating isn't too complicated. And "keeping a balance on your card and using it regularly" is absolutely not part of it (beyond the fact that many banks won't let you raise your limit if you don't use it, and your total unused credit IS part of the formula)