Why you can trust Bankrate
At Bankrate, we have a mission to demystify the credit cards industry — regardless or where you are in your journey — and make it one you can navigate with confidence. Our team is full of a diverse range of experts from credit card pros to data analysts and, most importantly, people who shop for credit cards just like you. With this combination of expertise and perspectives, we keep close tabs on the credit card industry year-round to:
- Meet you wherever you are in your credit card journey to guide your information search and help you understand your options.
- Consistently provide up-to-date, reliable market information so you\'re well-equipped to make confident decisions.
- Reduce industry jargon so you get the clearest form of information possible, so you can make the right decision for you.
At Bankrate, we focus on the points consumers care about most: rewards, welcome offers and bonuses, APR, and overall customer experience. Any issuers discussed on our site are vetted based on the value they provide to consumers at each of these levels. At each step of the way, we fact-check ourselves to prioritize accuracy so we can continue to be here for your every next.
Editorial Integrity
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions.
Key Principles
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers.
Editorial Independence
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information.
How We Make Money
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey.
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers.
We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money.
Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service.
Insurance Disclosure
Coverage.com, LLC is a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 19966249). Coverage.com services are only available in states where it is licensed. Coverage.com may not offer insurance coverage in all states or scenarios. All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy, and all related decisions (such as approval for coverage, premiums, commissions and fees) and policy obligations are the sole responsibility of the underwriting insurer. The information on this site does not modify any insurance policy terms in any way.
ON THIS PAGE
ON THIS PAGE
What is your credit utilization ratio?
Your credit utilization ratio is a percentage that shows how much of your available credit you’re currently using. This is typically measured for each of your credit cards and across your total revolving credit lines.Why does your credit utilization ratio matter?
Keeping a low credit utilization ratio across your credit cards should be a top priority because of how heavily it influences your credit score. In fact, the amount you owe compared to your available credit makes up about 30 percent of your score according to both major credit scoring models, FICO and VantageScore. Credit utilization is the second biggest factor in your credit rating—right behind your payment history. This can be a double-edged sword since it’s perhaps the easiest element to control in the short term but can reduce your score just as quickly. Maintaining low balances with high credit limits shows lenders that you’re a responsible borrower, which can improve your credit score and open the door to credit line increases, better credit card and loan terms, easier credit approval and more. On its own, a high balance doesn’t necessarily spell trouble to issuers if you have a much higher credit limit. However, a high utilization ratio may make you seem like more of a risk to lenders and can lower your credit score, make new credit applications difficult and even lead to credit limit decreases—which can further damage your score and utilization ratio.How do you calculate credit utilization?
All you need to do to determine each your credit utilization ratio for an individual card is divide your balance by your credit limit. To figure out your overall utilization ratio, add up all of your revolving credit account balances and divide the total by the sum of your credit limits.- Credit Card Utilization Ratio Formula: (Credit Card Balance) ÷ (Card’s Credit Limit)
- Total Credit Utilization Ratio Formula: [(Credit Card 1 Balance) + (Credit Card Balance 2 or Other Revolving Credit Line Balance), etc.] / [(Card 1 Credit Limit) + (Card 2 Credit Limit or Other Revolving Credit Line’s Limit), etc.]