Originally Posted by PresskittJon (Post 20347985)

Hard to tell here: are you carrying balances on your cards? If so, you're not ready for this game.

Also-there is no 3BM, or even 2BM, for Chase. There are simply multiple applications on the same day. No magic for using multiple browsers. Citi was special.

Originally Posted by gloreglabert (Post 20341374)

Nope. The only number that shows up on your report (for each account) is the balance on the day of the month that the account info was sent to the bureaus. For all but a few issuers, that day is the same as your statement closing date. US Bank is a notable exception, which reports the balance on the 1st of the month, regardless of your statement closing.

The best way to maximize your score prior to new applications is to pay off all your cards, except one, in advance of the statement closing date -- that way, they all report zero to the bureaus. For the last card, let a small balance report (say 5-10% of the limit). Doing this will maximize your score when your report is pulled, as it will show everything zero except for the one card.

Note that doing the above is probably not necessary, as unless your regular utilization is high (e.g., >30%), it probably won't improve your score TOO much. However, if you really want to optimize, the above the way to do it.

Originally Posted by I can see for miles (Post 20395036)

I've read in several sources that your aggregate credit limit on all cards divided by your aggregate credit card balances determines your credit utilization ratio. If so, it wouldn't matter if you utilize 90 percent of the credit on one card and none on nine others or if you utilize 9 percent of the credit available to you on 10 different cards -- your utilization ratio would be the same either way. Is this not true?