You've heard the rule: keep your card balances under 30% of your limits. You add up the balances and limits in your card apps, and your total is well under it. But one card is nearly full. Does only the total count, or can that one card count against you too?
Credit scores can weigh utilization on each card as well as in total, so the target we teach is under 10% on each card and overall.
How do I work out my utilization?
On a credit card, utilization is the balance divided by the credit limit, shown as a percentage. Work it out two ways:
- Each card: that card's balance ÷ its limit.
- Overall: all your card balances added up ÷ all your limits added up.
Scoring models use the balances and limits in your credit reports, Experian says, and those can differ from what your app shows today. The reported balance is typically your latest statement balance, myFICO says (which date sets it).
Both levels count. Experian says scoring systems factor in your total rate as well as each account's rate, and myFICO calls utilization an important factor in FICO Scores. The CFPB cites experts' advice to use no more than 30% of your total limit. That's a ceiling, not a target. Experian says people with the best scores tend to keep utilization below 10%. How Credit Utilization Works covers more ways to lower it.
What if one card is nearly full but my total is low?
Example: you have three cards, and only Card A has a balance.
- Card A: $4,200 of a $5,000 limit, or 84% ($4,200 ÷ $5,000).
- Cards B and C: $0 of $8,000 and $0 of $7,000.
- Overall: $4,200 of $20,000, or 21% ($4,200 ÷ $20,000).
Your total is under 30%, but Card A is nearly full, and scores can weigh the card with your highest utilization as well as your total. Say you pay $3,500 on Card A, and it posts before that card's statement closes:
- Card A: $700 of $5,000, or 14% ($700 ÷ $5,000).
- Overall: $700 of $20,000, or 3.5% ($700 ÷ $20,000).
Your total is now under 10%, but Card A isn't yet. A payment lowers your total by the same dollars whichever card gets it; only a payment on Card A lowers Card A's own ratio.
Limits are the other half of the math. Had Card B been closed, your starting $4,200 would have been 35% of $12,000, not 21% of $20,000 (what closing a card changes). A higher limit lowers the ratio, but asking for one can bring a hard inquiry (when to ask).
Many scores look only at your latest reported balances and see the lower ones once they're reported. Scores with trended data, such as FICO Score 10T and VantageScore 4.0, also look at your balances over time, so keep them low every month. How much any of this moves a score varies, and no one can promise a number.
Should I leave a small balance on purpose?
No. The CFPB says you don't need to carry a balance on credit cards to get a good score, and Experian says carrying one won't help your scores and generally means paying interest. Experian also says 0% utilization gives no extra benefit, and myFICO says that in some cases a low ratio helps more than using none of your credit. That can happen on its own: even if you pay in full each month, your report may show the balance from your last statement, myFICO says. So use your cards and pay each statement balance in full.
What can I do today?
For each card, write down the statement balance and the credit limit from its app or latest statement. Divide each balance by its limit, then all balances by all limits, and circle the card with the highest ratio (utilization calculator).
- If any card or your total is 10% or more: plan your next payment for the circled card, so it posts before that card's statement closes. If several cards charge you interest, weigh their APRs too.
- If all are under 10%: keep paying each statement balance in full.
Which payment gets both cards under 10%?
Before either statement closes, you can pay $450. Card A shows $480 of a $500 limit; Card B, $450 of a $5,000 limit. Which payment gets both cards under 10%?
- A. $225 to each card
- B. $450 to Card B
- C. $450 to Card A ✅
Why: your total falls by the same $450 whichever card gets it; only paying Card A takes it from 96% to 6% ($30 ÷ $500), and Card B is already at 9% ($450 ÷ $5,000).
Where do these facts come from?
- Experian — What Is a Credit Utilization Rate? (October 9, 2025); Is 0% Utilization Good for Credit Scores? (December 12, 2025) · Checked October 24, 2026
- myFICO (FICO) — What is Amounts Owed? (no date on the page); FICO Score Types: Why Multiple Versions Matter for You (no date on the page) · Checked October 24, 2026
- CFPB — How do I get and keep a good credit score? (last reviewed December 12, 2024) · Checked October 24, 2026
- VantageScore — Lender FAQs (no date on the page) · Checked October 24, 2026