A $1,000 balance isn't ideal -- but it's also not a deal-breaker. As a general rule, it's a good idea to steer clear of credit card debt, whether it's a $20 balance or a $20,000 balance. Of course, a $20 balance isn't going to cause you so much financial harm, while a $20,000 balance could drive you into bankruptcy.
A $1,000 credit limit is good if you have fair to good credit, as it is well above the lowest limits on the market but still far below the highest. The average credit card limit overall is around $13,000. You typically need good or excellent credit, a high income and little to no existing debt to get a limit that high.
The credit limit is the total amount you can borrow, whereas available credit is the amount that is remaining for you to use, including if you carry a balance. For example, if you have a credit card with a $1,000 credit limit, and you charge $600, you have an additional $400 to spend.
Is $2,000 too much credit card debt? $2,000 in credit card debt is manageable if you can make the minimum payments each month, or ideally more than that. But if it's hard to keep up with your payments, it's not manageable, and that debt can grow quickly due to interest charges.
To obtain a solid credit score, you should keep your credit utilization ratio under 30%. For example, let's say your credit limit is $1,000 and you have a current balance of $600. This means you have a credit utilization ratio of 60% (600/1,000).
A $2,000 credit limit on a credit card for fair credit is pretty, well, fair, especially if said credit card is unsecured. For example, $2,000 is probably enough to handle your monthly grocery and gasoline purchases or a modest vacation.
While that certainly isn't a small amount of money, it's not as catastrophic as the amount of debt some people have. In fact, a $1,000 balance may not hurt your credit score all that much. And if you manage to pay it off quickly, you may not even accrue that much interest against it.
Debt-to-income ratio is your monthly debt obligations compared to your gross monthly income (before taxes), expressed as a percentage. A good debt-to-income ratio is less than or equal to 36%.
Some experts consider it best to keep credit utilization between 1% and 10%, while anything between 11% and 30% is typically considered good. Card issuers and lenders want to see a cardholder using revolving credit and paying off balances responsibly.
Try to keep your overall credit use to about 30% of your overall credit limit, if not lower. Extend your overall credit availability by applying for additional lines of credit, but don't apply for too many at once.
Experts generally recommend maintaining a credit utilization rate below 30%, with some suggesting that you should aim for a single-digit utilization rate (under 10%) to get the best credit score.
A high-limit credit card typically comes with a credit line between $5,000 to $10,000 (and some even go beyond $10,000). You're more likely to have a higher credit limit if you have good or excellent credit.
Credit limits are based largely on your income, debt, and credit history. So, the more money you make and the better your credit is, the higher the credit limit you can expect. It's possible to get a $10,000 limit on many credit cards, but finding cards with definite $10,000 minimums is difficult.
What is considered a high credit card limit? Your definition of a high credit limit may vary based on what you want from a credit card, but we consider a $5,000 to $10,000 limit to be a good starting point for the “high” range for rewards credit cards.
You can spend more than $10,000 on your credit card if you have the available credit. Your card issuer could get in touch with you to confirm the transaction isn't fraud. Spending a large amount may hurt your credit score, and it also puts you at risk of credit card debt.
$20,000 is a lot of credit card debt and it sounds like you're having trouble making progress,” says Rossman.
But just because a $15,000 balance isn't rare doesn't mean it's a good thing. Credit card debt is seriously expensive. Most credit cards charge between 15% and 29% interest, so paying down that debt should be a priority.
While debt can be seen as a negative measure, it can also be a positive one if used properly. The principal method of using debt to invest positively is the use of leverage to exponentially multiply your returns. What is leverage exactly? Leverage is using borrowed money to increase your return on investment.
Consider the snowball method of paying off debt.
This involves starting with your smallest balance first, paying that off and then rolling that same payment towards the next smallest balance as you work your way up to the largest balance. This method can help you build momentum as each balance is paid off.
It's a good idea to pay off your credit card balance in full whenever you're able. Carrying a monthly credit card balance can cost you in interest and increase your credit utilization rate, which is one factor used to calculate your credit scores.
In your 20s and 30s, a good credit score is between 663 and 671, while in your 40s and 50s, a good score is around 682. To get the best interest rates, terms and offers, aim for a credit score in the 700s.
But if you're in your 20s and just starting out, a score of 700 or higher may be tough as you're just establishing your credit history. In fact, according to Credit Karma, the average credit score for 18-24 year-olds is 630 and the average credit score for 25-30 year-olds is 628.
As a ballpark range, 18 to 22-year-old cardholders have an average $8,062 credit limit across all cards, according to Experian. Millennials in the 23 to 38-year-old age bracket have a higher average limit of $20,467 across all cards.