Utilization, the share of your card limits you're actually using, drives roughly a third of your credit score, and unlike payment history it has no memory: fix it this month, score moves next month. The full guide covers the real math (per-card and overall), why 30% is a cliff rather than a target (single digits is where scores flourish), the statement-date trick that lowers reported utilization without changing your spending, and how consolidating card balances into an installment loan can drop utilization to zero overnight, one reason consolidation often *raises* scores within a couple of cycles.

What the full guide covers

• The formula: per-card vs. overall utilization
• Why 30% is a ceiling, not a goal
• The statement-date timing trick
• How installment consolidation zeroes utilization
• What happens to scores after consolidating

The full guide is publishing soon. The short version above is accurate and current, and the concierge already knows everything in it.