The quantity of credit used on a credit card is referred to as credit card utilization. A credit limit will be assigned by the credit card company. The credit amount might be deducted from the user’s available credit. The credit utilization rate is a ratio that indicates how much credit has been utilized by a customer.
The amount of revolving credit you’re utilizing divided by the total amount of accessible credit is your credit utilization ratio. For example, if a consumer has a total credit limit of AED 10,000 on two credit cards and one of them has a balance of AED 5,000, the credit utilization rate is 50%. The usage ratio is defined as half of the total credit that is used.
Credit Utilization rate= Total debt/Total available credit
How card utilization affects credit score?
The card utilization rate is used to generate credit score models. The credit card firms evaluate the user’s card usage. The credit score is affected by the utilization rate. The rate at which a card is used has a direct impact on a person’s score, which can be detrimental. The credit card utilization rate should be less than 30%. It will have a negative impact on the credit card score if the credit card utilization hits 30% or more.
The user’s credit score will suffer as a result. If your credit card utilization is low, it means you’re not using all of your available credit. When credit card use is less than 30%, it is a good sign that you are managing your credit card well. Less credit card usage indicates that you are using your credit card responsibly and are not exceeding your credit card limit. Your credit score will improve as a result of this.
When you have a strong credit score, your credit card’s credit limit increases, which is beneficial to the credit cardholder. It does not imply that you should not use your credit card to make more purchases. It means that, despite having the ability to spend more, you are using less credit because your debts are modest and you can manage your credit.
If you use more than 30% of your credit, your credit score will suffer. Banks and financial organizations pay close attention to expenditure because they examine an individual’s spending and evaluate his or her repayment potential.
When a cardholder spends more than 30% of their available credit, an alert is issued, and the cardholder’s credit score is affected. Banks will hesitant to give new loans, such as vehicle loans, mortgages, personal loans, and more credit cards, if your credit score lowers.
The statistics that are generated based on the cardholder’s transactions are the credit score and credit utilization. Credit reports, which are based on billing cycles, auto debits, scheduled payments, and other payments, are updated with new credit information.
High Credit Utilization
The main purpose of a credit card is that you will use the credit amount for your purpose and repay the money on time. If you are making high credit utilization beyond your capacity then there are high likely chances that you will make a default on your payment.
Higher outstanding balances, making only the minimum balance payment and extending your payments will indicate that you’re in a difficult position to repay the credit. The higher the credit card utilization higher the risk the lower the credit score that gets generated. It is a signal to the banks that the card user is at a risk stage that is the reason that high credit card utilization should be avoided.
What is a Good Credit Utilization Rate?
According to financial experts, the total credit utilization rate should be less than 30%. For example, if a cardholder’s credit limit is AED 10,000, the rotation of credit cards should not exceed AED 3,000. The credit card utilization rate should be less than 30% of the credit card limit, according to the rule of thumb. If a cardholder surpasses the credit card limit, lenders are concerned. Spending less than 30% of your credit limit is always a good idea.
Lenders may adjust the credit card limit based on the borrower’s spending behavior. This does not happen to every cardholder; it is contingent on a number of circumstances, including a good track record, a history of timely payments, strong credit ratings, and other criteria.
Tips to manage your credit utilization
You may manage your credit utilization in a number of different ways. Keeping track of your expenses and setting up a balance alert is the simplest and most practical method. Apart from that, there are a few options for managing your credit utilization.
Divide your expenses
Paying all of your bills and other payments with a single card is not a good idea. Spread your expenses fairly across several credit cards to ease the stress of not exceeding 30% of your credit limit.
Request for increase in credit limits
Ask your card issuer to increase your credit card limit. You can call the bank or apply through the mobile app. The bank will assess your account balance and payment history and sometimes ask for additional documentation. Suppose you have an increase in your income you can produce the document and the bank will increase the credit card limits. By requesting an increase in credit limit you may have a hard inquiry on the credit report which will affect your credit score.
Apply for another credit card
Another option is to apply for a new credit card, which will enhance your credit limit. Remember that while applying for a new credit card can help you lower your credit utilization ratio, it will not improve your credit score.
If you don’t have control over your spending, having more credit cards will drive you to make more purchases, and you’ll wind up spending more than you can afford to repay. Applying for a new credit card may result in a hard inquiry, and your credit score may be damaged as a result, so make your decision carefully.
Do not close your credit cards
Maintain the overall credit limit on the cards you are not using if you have multiple credit cards. Keep your credit cards open. The credit limit will be maintained if you keep your credit card open, and the credit card limit utilization ratio will be reduced.
Takeaway
The easiest way to handle your credit card utilization is to track your spendings. Check your credit card balances regularly and keep control of utilization. Card issuing companies provide balance alerts through email, text messages so that it becomes easier to maintain a good utilisation ratio. Check your credit score periodically and keep your credit utilization low as this can increase your credit limit and lenders can provide you higher loans with better interest rates.
