• Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I had 800 credit working fast food because l carried extremely little debt.

    Twenty years later, my score is fighting to stay about 750 because I make 6 figures, a few credit cards with zero debt. Because they WANT me to hold onto debt to show my trustworthiness? Fuck that.

    • stevehobbes@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      Nah, there’s something else that’s triggering it. Average length of credit matters a lot, so if you cancel cards and get new ones frequently that would do it.

      Long term debt for sure is good, carrying balances on cards is never rewarded.

      The reason they’re OK extending credit when you have debt is because they can see you are managing it. Mortgage or auto loans (asset backed) aren’t bad. Don’t carry balances on cards ever if you can avoid it.

      As another poster said, there’s probably no functional difference for you between 750 and 830.

    • Corkyskog
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      1 year ago

      Yes, they do. You get extra points for holding a balance.

      • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        No you don’t. Technically you get a small (~10 point) bonus for showing literally anything other than $0. But you get zero points for carrying that balance beyond the payoff date.

        You should never ever ever pay interest on credit cards. It doesn’t help you in any way.