10/06/2026
Your credit cards can be paid on time and still hurt your funding chances. š¬
Here is the part nobody explains clearly:
You can make every payment by the due date, but if your balances are high when the statement closes, the bureaus may still report high utilization.
And high utilization can make you look financially stretched.
Do: Pay balances down before the statement closing date whenever possible.
Donāt: Wait until the due date and assume everything is good.
Personally, I like utilization under 30% and under 10% is even stronger when preparing for funding.
On-time payments protect your history. Low balances protect your borrowing power.
Check your statement dates, not just your due dates.