will you owe money if you keep your credit card balance at 0 dollars?
I have just been approved for my first CC. I would like to know if i pay off my payments in full by the end of the month cycle and keep my balance at $0; Will i end up having to pay even if my balance is zero? Mathematically, its not possible because the interest times 0 is just 0. But I'm a little nervous somehow id have to pay something at the end of each month even if i have my balance at 0. Sorry if its a stupid question. I just wanna know if i won't get charged extra, like say interest or something else when i have my balance at 0.
Merry2013-01-16T23:17:39Z
Favorite Answer
Unless your card has an annual fee, as long as you pay your balance in full each month, you won't have to pay anything extra.
To develop the best credit score, you should use it at least once a month for something that you need to buy anyway (gas, food, etc.). Set that money aside immediately so that you have the full amount when the statement arrives.
Pay in full, but don't pay before the statement prints. If you pay before your cycle closes, then “zero” is going to be reported to the credit bureau as your usage, which won't help your credit score at all. Keep your utilization at, or below, 30% of your available credit. In other words, if you have a $500 limit on your card, you shouldn't have more than $150 in use when your cycle closes.
Keep in mind that you can charge just $5. The other poster's answer sounded like you should use 30%. But, the rule is that you should keep 30% as your max.
If you pay your balance off in full before the payment due date, you'll normally not pay any interest. But read and thoroughly understand your card agreement. There are some "gotchas" in there that may cost you money.
However, if you take out a cash advance, you'll pay interest from the moment you take that advance. There's no grace period for that transaction.
Some cards charge an annual fee just to possess the card (it's in your agreement). If you get one of those cards, close the account. It's an underhanded way of charging interest on a $0 balance.