Paying your credit card bill early is often touted as a secret hack to boost your credit score. One popular version of this is the so-called “15/3 rule” – paying half your bill 15 days before the due date, then paying the other half 3 days before it’s due.
This credit card repayment strategy has recently gone viral on social media like TikTok and Instagram Thousands of people are trying it out in hopes it will help their credit. But does splitting your payment in half and paying part of it early really have any benefits?
Let’s break down what the 15/3 method is whether it actually works, and if there are better ways to leverage early payments to improve your credit scores.
What Is The 15/3 Rule For Credit Card Payments?
The 15/3 rule suggests making two credit card payments each billing cycle
- Pay half your statement balance 15 days before your due date
- Pay the other half 3 days before your due date
For example, if your credit card payment is due on the 15th of the month, you would pay half on the 1st and the remainder on the 12th.
The main premise is that making two payments shows you’re an active, responsible credit card user. And paying a chunk of your balance early helps lower your credit utilization rate.
Your utilization rate is how much of your total credit limit you’re using. Lower utilization tends to help credit scores.
Does The 15/3 Credit Card Hack Actually Work?
There are some potential benefits to the 15/3 method, but it won’t necessarily have the dramatic impact some people claim. Here are the pros and cons:
Pros
- Forces you to monitor balances and make payments frequently
- Can decrease interest charges if carrying a balance
- Lowers utilization before your statement date
Cons
- Won’t improve payment history – most banks only report your status monthly
- Specific 15/3 timeline often doesn’t affect utilization rate
- Adds complexity – easier to just automate payments
As you can see, the 15/3 strategy isn’t completely useless. But it’s not a credit score “hack” either.
The main reason it doesn’t work as claimed is your payment history only shows your overall status each month, not each payment you make. So whether you pay your bill once or five times, your bank will still report the account as current.
And for utilization, you need to pay early before your statement closing date – not by following the 15/3 timeline, which is based on your payment due date.
When Do Credit Card Issuers Report Your Balance?
To really understand whether early payments can lower your utilization rate, you need to know when your issuer reports your balance to the credit bureaus.
Your statement closing date falls around 3 weeks before your due date. This is usually when your bank reports your balance for credit reporting purposes.
So paying half your bill 15 days before your due date is often too late to affect the balance your issuer reports. Your utilization rate is already “locked in” for the month at that point.
Paying well before your statement date is what matters – not 15 and 3 days before your due date.
Should You Bother With The 15/3 Credit Card Method?
Since the 15/3 timeline isn’t based on your statement date, it probably won’t help your credit as claimed. But that doesn’t make it completely useless either.
Here are some better ways to leverage early credit card payments:
- Automate minimum payments to avoid ever missing payments
- Pay before your statement date to lower your utilization rate
- Make weekly payments if you carry a balance to decrease interest
The 15/3 method may still help you budget and monitor balances more closely each month. So if you find it helpful for managing your finances, there’s no harm in splitting your payment in half and paying early.
Just don’t expect any credit score miracles from following the 15/3 rule exactly. The key is really understanding when your issuer reports balances and trying to lower your utilization before that date.
How to Check When Your Credit Card Reports Your Balance
To make the most of early payments, you need to pay before your card issuer reports your statement balance to the bureaus.
Here are some ways to find out when your balance gets reported:
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Check your monthly statements for the closing date. This is usually around 3 weeks before your due date.
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Call your credit card company and ask when they report balances to the credit bureaus each month.
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Sign up for a credit monitoring service like Experian. They can show when balances are reported on your credit reports.
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Use a credit simulator tool to estimate when balances are reported based on your due date.
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Review your actual credit reports to see when balances appear each month.
Once you know your statement closing date, aim to pay your balance down early before that date. Even just $10 over your limit can max out your utilization rate.
How Early Payments Can Help Your Credit
When used strategically, early payments are one of the most effective ways to boost your credit scores. Here are a few of the benefits:
Lower Credit Utilization
Paying your balances down early before your statement date can lower your utilization substantially. Since utilization makes up 30% of your FICO score, this can lead to a nice credit boost.
Prevent Missed Payments
Making payments as soon as charges post to your account reduces the risk of forgetting and making a late payment – which can seriously damage your credit.
Reduce Interest Charges
If you carry a balance, paying it down early saves on interest fees. This helps limit how much your balance grows, making it easier to pay off.
Improve Cash Flow
By paying your card early, you can use your statement date as a guide for when monthly charges are actually due. This makes budgeting easier.
Demonstrate Responsible Habits
When lenders review your credit report, making frequent early payments shows you manage credit well and are committed to paying on time.
Tips for Making Early Credit Card Payments
Here are some tips to use early payments strategically to build your credit history:
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Aim to keep utilization below 30% – Lower is better, but under 30% is ideal
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Pay early every billing cycle – Consistency is key, not just one-off payments
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Pay before your statement date – This is when your utilization gets “locked in”
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Focus on your highest limits first – Paying down large limits helps utilization fast
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Don’t completely pay card off – Having a small balance reports as active usage
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Use autopay as a backup – It protects you in case your early payment is off
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Avoid new charges right after paying – This minimizes impact on utilization
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Monitor your statements – Make sure your payments are posting as expected
The takeaway is consistency and diligence are far more important than gimmicky tricks. Monitor your balances, understand when your card reports utilization, and chip away each month by paying early.
How Much Should You Pay Early?
Aim to get your credit card balances well under 30% of your credit limit before your statement closing date.
If possible, pay early to lower your individual and overall utilization rates to 10% or less. That typically gives credit scores a larger boost.
You generally don’t need to pay off your cards completely to get the benefits – having a small balance shows active usage. Just avoid getting too close to your limits.
For the best results, make early payments every single billing cycle, not just occasionally. Consistency is key when building credit history.
Alternatives To Try Instead of The 15/3 Method
Rather than sticking to the arbitrary 15/3 timeline, here are some alternatives that provide more credit score benefits:
Pay weekly – Make payments every week as charges post to keep utilization super low.
Pay on paydays – Match payments to your paycheck schedule rather than statement or due dates.
Pay multiple times each month – Such as mid-cycle and a few days before your due date.
Automate biweekly payments – Have your bank automatically pay every two weeks.
Automate minimum payments – Set up autopay as a backup in case you forget to pay manually.
Use balance alerts – Get notified when your balance exceeds a certain threshold so you can pay it down.
Apply extra payments to highest rate cards first – This will save the most on expensive interest fees.
Track your balances closely – Check your current balance regularly so you know when to pay more.
Any strategy where you pay frequently and early before your statement date can help credit – there’s no single best approach. Find a system that lets you easily track balances and make payments on time each billing cycle.
The Downsides of Prepaying Credit Cards
While paying your credit cards early has benefits, there are some potential drawbacks to be aware of:
- You temporarily have less cash available in your bank account when you
Debunking a few myths
There are 4 myths that can become huge time-wasters if left unchecked
Myth 1: Carrying a balance is necessary
Fact: Carrying a small balance could potentially raise your score but itâs unnecessary and you have to pay interest
Myth 2: Paying your credit card bill early will earn you fewer rewards points or cashback
Fact: Paying your credit card bill early or on time has no impact on the rewards you earn. Rewards are typically based on the amount you spend on the credit card, not on when you make the payment. However, carrying a balance and paying interest may offset the value of any rewards earned.
Myth 3: You get extra credit for making a payment early
Fact: Itâs generally the case that you dont get any extra credit or benefit from making credit card payments earlier than the due date. The credit bureaus are primarily concerned with whether you make your payments on time and the amount of your outstanding balance at the time the statement is generated. And, creditors only report your bheavior to the credit bureaus once a month.
Myth 4: Pay your credit card after every transaction to raise your score
Fact: The idea that you need to pay your credit card immediately after every transaction to raise your credit score is not entirely accurate. While making timely payments is crucial for maintaining a good credit score, the timing of your payments in relation to individual transactions doesnt have a significant impact on your credit score.
The 15/3 strategy, does it work?
The 15/3 strategy claims you can help your credit score dramatically by making half your credit card payment 15 days before your account statement due date and the other half-payment three days before.
Typically, on or near your statement closing date â not on the payment due date â your credit card company reports to the credit bureau or bureaus with such information as your balance and credit limit. It does this only once a month. Your due date comes about three weeks after that. So targeting the due date makes no sense. Making a payment 15 days and three days before the credit card due date, as the 15/3 hack suggests, is too late to influence credit reporting for that billing cycle.
If you are currently using the 15/3 method, you may be improving your credit score, but the 15 and 3 are irrelevant. You might as well make a single payment prior to the closing date. The creditor is just reporting what your balance is at the end of the billing cycle.
After years in this credit card game theres one method that works best for raising your credit score and it keeps you within the 10% credit utilization range that actually helps your score instead of hurting it.
What you have to do is pay 95% of your account balance 2 days before your statement/closing date, and then the remaining 5% 2 days after that same statement/closing date.
BEST Day to Pay your Credit Card Bill (Increase Credit Score)
FAQ
Does the 15-3 rule really work?
The 15/3 credit card hack might help people stay on top of their credit card bills. However, paying your credit card bill 15 to 3 days early won’t always improve your payment history or credit utilization rate.
Can I split my credit card payment before due date?
You can make part payments on Credit Card bills, regardless of the bill amount. If your amount is relatively smaller, you can make partial payments and potentially minimise interest accumulation.
Can I pay half of my credit card bill before due date?
You can still save money if you pay your bill before the statement closing date, even if you can’t pay it all at once. If you do this, your card issuer may report a lower account balance to the credit bureaus. This could help your credit score and lower the interest rate you pay on the balance you still owe.
Should I pay my credit card 15 days before due date?
There is usually a few days’ grace before a credit card bill is due, but any time before that is fine. If you pay before the due date, you will avoid late fees, interest charges, and possible damage to your credit score.
When should I pay my credit card payment?
Make half a payment 15 days before your credit card due date. If your payment is due on the 15th of the month, pay it on the 1st. Pay the second half three days before the due date. Some versions of the 15/3 rule swap in statement closing date for payment due date. The statement closing date comes about three weeks before the payment due date.
Should you make a payment 15 days before a credit card due date?
The 15/3 hack suggests that making a payment 15 days and three days before the credit card due date is too late to change your credit report for that billing cycle. Multi-payment myth. You don’t get extra credit for making two payments instead of one or for paying early. Your creditor only reports to the bureaus once a month.
Should you pay your credit card bill in 2 days?
The 15/3 rule is a popular way to pay off credit card debt. It says to make two payments, one 15 days before the due date and the other 3 days before. Proponents say it helps raise credit scores more quickly, but there’s no real proof. Building credit takes time and effort.
When do I make a 15/3 credit card payment?
The first payment is made about 15 days before the due date of your statement, which is about halfway through the statement cycle. The second payment is made three days before your credit card statement is due. How Does the 15/3 Credit Card Payment Work? Usually, you use a credit card to buy things throughout the month and pay for them all at once.
When should I pay off my credit card?
15 days before the due date, you pay off half of your credit card balance. Three days before the due date, you pay off the other half. This method ensures that your credit utilization ratio stays lower over the duration of the statement period. Should I pay off my credit card in full or leave a small balance?.
How do I make a payment 15 days before the due date?
Look at your calendar and figure out the date that is 15 days before the payment due date. Subtract three days from the due date and mark this date on your calendar. Figure out which date is three days before the payment due date. Make a partial payment 15 days before your payment is due. Pay as much as you can toward your credit card balance.
