[dahdum]

You didn't mention what that utilization rate was, but it makes perfect sense to me. Using those cards so much gave the impression that you "needed" the credit line, even if you paid it off by the end of the month.

If you have a $50k limit and spend $2k/month, paying off in full, it doesn't really impact your score much at all. If you have $1k limit and spend $500/month it's a big risk.

You can usually make additional payments during the cycle so it doesn't impact your utilization. Whenever I make a larger purchase I just login and pay it off in full right away so it doesn't ding me.

[sjg007]

Utilization rate is 0 if you pay off every month..

[dahdum]

That’s not accurate, you can read more here: https://www.thebalance.com/understanding-credit-utilization-...

[smt88]

The utilization rate was ~1%.