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If I Pay Off a Credit Card, Will My Credit Score Change?

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Brittney Myers
Author: Brittney Myers
Brittney Myers
Brittney Myers
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Brittney started her writing career in the world of science, putting her physics degree to good use. Her journey into finance started with building her personal credit, but soon grew into a borderline obsession with credit cards and travel rewards. For the last 7 years, she has enjoyed the ability to share her expertise with readers, as well as the opportunity to interview companies and individuals making an impact on our financial lives. She wholly believe most problems can be solved with the right research -- and a good spreadsheet -- and she specializes in translating complex financial topics into actionable advice to help educate and empower readers.

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Cole Tretheway
Reviewer: Cole Tretheway
Cole Tretheway
Cole Tretheway

Cole Tretheway is a full-time personal finance writer whose articles have been featured on Motley Fool Money and The Motley Fool. He has a degree in English with a Certificate in Professional and Technical Communication from California Polytechnic University, SLO.

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Ashley Maready
Fact Checked: Ashley Maready
Ashley Maready
Ashley Maready
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Ashley Maready is a former history museum professional who made the leap to digital content writing and editing in 2021. She has a BA in History and Philosophy from Hood College and an MA in Applied History from Shippensburg University. Ashley loves creating content for the public and learning new things so she can teach others, whether it's information about salt mining, canal mules, or personal finance.

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Key points to note
  • Paying off debt with cash, loans, or refinancing can boost your credit score. Balance transfers and credit lines usually don’t.
  • Use less than 30% of credit usage for a better score. Don’t close cards after paying them off to maintain your available credit.
  • Expect score improvement within a month after paying down debt. Keep accounts open for maximum benefit.

For most people, credit scores are a mystery; even credit experts don't know every last thing about how credit scores are calculated -- and what makes them change. If you pay off credit card debt, for instance, will your credit score go up -- or down? Here's what you need to know.

If I pay off my credit card in full, will my credit go up?

Yes. (Usually.)

Here's a short chart showing different methods of paying off credit card debt and how they usually impact your credit score.

Method used to pay off credit cards Usual impact on credit score
Cash or check Boost in score
Personal loan, debt consolidation loan Boost in score
Cash-out refinance Boost in score
Line of credit, HELOC No change
Balance transfer credit card No change

Note: Depending on your circumstances, you may not see these effects on your credit score. We'll explain more about how your credit score is calculated below so you can take all factors into account.

Credit card comparison

We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout credit cards.

Offer Our Rating Welcome Offer Rewards Program APR Learn More
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for cash back on rotating categories 		Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. 1% - 5% Cashback Circle with letter I in it. Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Intro:

Purchases: 0%, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months

Regular: 18.49% - 27.49% Variable APR *Rates as of December 12, 2024.

Apply Now for Discover it® Cash Back

On Discover's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for cash rewards on everyday spending 		$200 cash rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. 2% cash rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers

Purchases: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening

Balance Transfers: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers

Regular: 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR

Apply Now for Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

On Wells Fargo's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for unlimited rewards on purchases 		25,000 points Circle with letter I in it. 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases 1.5 points per dollar Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open.

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the intro APR offer ends, 18.49% - 28.49% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers will apply. A 3% fee for 60 days from account opening, then 4% fee applies to all balance transfers.

Purchases: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases

Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days

Regular: 18.49% - 28.49% (Variable)

Apply Now for Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

On Bank of America's Secure Website.

What goes into my credit score calculation?

Every consumer's credit history is unique. And most credit scoring agencies don't publish their formulas.

However, FICO -- the most commonly used credit scoring agency -- does publish what types of data it considers, and how much it weighs each factor.

Here are FICO's official scoring factors:

  • Payment history (35% of score)
  • Amounts owed (30% of score)
  • Credit history length (15% of score)
  • Credit mix (10% of score)
  • New credit (10% of score)

To understand your credit score, ask yourself these five questions:

  • Do you pay all your debts on time every month? (Payment history)
  • Are you maxing out your credit cards? (Amounts owed)
  • Do you have a solid history of paying back debt? (Credit history length; older is better)
  • Do you know how to manage a variety of types of debt? (Credit mix)
  • Have you applied for several new loans, credit cards, or other forms of credit recently? (New credit)

What is my credit utilization rate?

When companies are deciding your credit score, they compare how much you've borrowed to how much credit you have available. This is your credit utilization rate. It factors into the "Amounts Owed" category of credit score.

Here's an example:

Amount owed on credit card Credit card limit Credit utilization ratio Good or bad?
$500 $500 100% Bad
$500 $1,000 50% Bad
$500 $2,000 25% Good

FICO looks at utilization across all of your credit cards, but it also considers individual cards. For a good credit score, try to keep your credit utilization at about 30% or less per card.

Since lower utilization is better, reducing it typically increases your credit score. When you pay off credit card debt and your score goes up, you can credit most of that boost to this one factor.

How much will credit score increase after paying off credit cards?

Improvement depends heavily on how high your utilization was in the first place.

If you're close to maxing out your credit cards, your credit score could jump 10 points or more when you pay off credit card balances completely.

If you haven't used most of your available credit, you might only gain a few points when you pay off credit card debt. Yes, even if you pay off the cards entirely.

TIP

Don't close your credit cards

Because your utilization is the ratio of your current credit card balances to your credit card limits, it's important to keep your credit cards open. $0 owed on a card with a $1,000 limit is impressive. $0 owed when you have no credit cards doesn't pack the same punch.

How long after paying off credit cards does credit score improve?

You should see your score go up within a month (sometimes less).

Your credit card issuer typically sends an updated report to credit bureaus once a month when your statement period ends. A new credit score is calculated every time your credit is pulled, and the new score uses the latest balance information. So you should see the results of these payments as soon as your balances update on your credit reports.

This is fast compared to other methods. Some ways of boosting your credit can take months or even years.

Why did my credit score go down when I paid off my credit card?

When your credit score goes down after you pay off a credit card, it's typically because you closed your account. Why? Once again, it boils down to utilization.

Credit utilization decreases when you pay off credit card balances. But this only works if your total available credit stays the same.

When you close a credit card, you lose access to that credit line. This means your total available credit decreases. If you have balances on your remaining credit cards, a decrease in your total available credit can cause your utilization rate to rise.

To avoid this, pay off credit card balances without closing your accounts. Of course, if you have problems using your card responsibly -- or the card has an annual fee -- it may be worthwhile to close the account, despite the potential impact on your score.

Less debt, better scores -- it's a win-win

It's always a good idea to pay off credit card debt monthly, regardless of how that debt repayment impacts your credit scores. Unless you have an intro APR deal, any outstanding balance carried from month to month accrues interest -- at a high interest rate.

Happily, you don't have to choose between paying down high-interest debt and your credit score. When you pay off credit card debt, you almost always see an improvement in your credit score. It's hard to predict how much your credit score will change, but hopefully, this guide helps you estimate the potential change.

FAQs

  • This depends on your credit utilization rate. Basically, the more credit you use, the less trustworthy credit bureaus regard you, and the lower your score. If you suddenly pay off a lot of credit, your score could go up. But if you close a card completely, your credit score might actually go down.

  • Credit bureaus don't care when you pay off your credit card, so long as you're not late. But they do care about credit utilization. Occasionally, paying your credit card early will lower your credit utilization right before banks report to FICO, potentially boosting your score a bit extra.

    Generally speaking, consistency matters way, way more than sometimes paying early.