What is CUR Full Form in Credit Card?

CUR full form in credit card is not only important for knowing your credit card parameters but your overall personal finances. CUR is an acronym that stands for Credit Utilization Ratio and is a crucial factor that can affect your credit score.

In this comprehensive guide, we have covered every granular detail about CUR and how you can achieve a healthy credit utilization ratio.

What is the Credit Utilization Ratio in Credit Card?

Whenever you are issued a credit card, the issuer or the bank assigns you a credit limit up to which you can spend using your credit card. The card providers don’t expect you to exhaust the entire credit limit that is available to you.

So, a CUR is the ratio of the available credit you’re using or you owe against your cards to the total credit limit of your cards. It’s typically expressed as a percentage.

A credit utilization ratio determines the way in which you’re utilizing the revolving line of credit available to you on your credit card. It signifies the total amount of revolving credit that you are utilizing on all your credit cards.

If your credit card expenses are more, so will be your credit utilization ratio.

Why is a Credit Utilization Ratio Important?

A CUR is a crucial metric in finance that enables credit bureaus and banks to calculate your credit score. It is an extremely important factor that has the following impacts.

• Credit Score Impact: A lower credit utilization ratio positively impacts your credit score, showing lenders you manage credit responsibly.

• Loan Approval: Lenders use this ratio to assess creditworthiness, influencing loan approvals and interest rates.

• Debt Management: Helps in monitoring and managing debt levels to prevent over-reliance on credit.

• Financial Health Indicator: Reflects your financial health and borrowing habits to potential creditors.

• Better Credit Terms: A favorable ratio can lead to better credit terms and higher credit limits.

How Does a Credit Utilization Ratio Works in Credit Card?

A CUR is the ratio of the amount of revolving credit that you’re currently using for all your credit cards to the total credit available to you. Lenders and credit bureaus use this ratio to evaluate your creditworthiness. 

A credit utilization ratio can impact up to 30% of your credit score and thus becomes one of its most influential factors. A lower ratio indicates that you are managing your credit well and not overextending yourself, which can positively impact your credit score​. 

This will positively impact your credit score. With a higher credit score, you have better chances at securing credit lines and other financial instruments like personal loans, auto loans, home loans, etc. at flexible rates of interest and without much hassle.

On the other hand, a higher credit utilization ratio implies you are struggling to manage your credit and your expenses. This will negatively affect your credit score and future borrowing capacity.

How to Calculate Credit Utilization Ratio?

CUR or credit utilization ratio = (Total Outstanding on all your Credit Cards/Total Credit Limit)X100.

Now, to calculate your credit utilization ratio, follow these steps.

Step 1: Add up all your credit card balances.

Step 2: Add up all your credit card limits.

Step 3: Divide the total balance by the total credit limit.

Step 4: Multiply by 100 to get the percentage.

Example:

Let’s say, you have two credit cards issued by two separate banks.

On one card, your total credit limit is Rs. 1 Lakh, whereas you have an outstanding balance of Rs. 50,000 on that card.

On the other card, your total credit limit is Rs. 2 Lakh, whereas your outstanding balance on that card is Rs. 30,000.

Hence, your credit utilization ratio = (Rs. 50,000+ Rs. 30,000)/(Rs. 1,00,000 + Rs. 2,00,000)X100 = 26.67%

What is a Good Credit Utilization Ratio?

Different credit agencies might have different cut-offs to assess a good credit utilization ratio.

However, according to most credit agencies and banks, a good credit utilization ratio is typically below 30%. 

Lenders prefer to see lower ratios because they suggest that you are not overly dependent on credit and are likely managing your finances well. The best credit scores are often associated with ratios below 10%.

How to Reduce Your Credit Utilization Ratio?

Below are some strategies and financial habits that can help you to reduce your credit utilization ratio.

• Spend Within the Limit

Follow the 30-70 rule to spend within the limit of your credit cards. Even if your credit card has a high limit, try to manage your expenses so as to keep the credit utilization ratio within 30%. 

If in any case, the credit utilization ratio increases for a specific card, try to balance it using other cards. Either stop spending using that credit card or utilize the minimum amount on other cards to keep the average credit utilization ratio at below 30%.

• Aim for Maximum Monthly Repayment

Either repay the full amount every month during your credit card billing cycle or try to pay the maximum so that the outstanding balance is quite low. 

Repaying your credit card debt in full every month or making substantial payments would reduce your credit utilization ratio and bring it below 30%.

• Don’t Use All Your Credit Cards

It’s one of the simplest ways to bring down your credit utilization ratio. Aim to keep a few credit cards with the minimum balance required to keep them active.

This will automatically increase the overall credit limit and consequently reduce the credit utilization rate.

• Request a Credit Limit Increase

Increasing your credit limit while maintaining the same balance can lower your ratio. 

After you have maintained a good standing credit card account for more than 6 months, request for an upgrade with the issuer. Usually, when a credit card gets upgraded, the credit limit also increases.

• Spread Out Purchases

Use multiple credit cards to keep individual card balances low. However, too many credit score checks, especially by new creditors, has a negative impact on your credit score. 

So, always consider the right amount of credit cards you should possess based on your financial ability.

• Balance Transfers

Transfer balances to cards with higher limits or lower interest rates to manage debt more effectively.

• Apply for a New Credit Card

Although it will help you in the long term by increasing your available credit limit, exercise this step with caution. Opening a new credit card account has an immediate negative impact on your credit score for a short-term.

Understanding the CUR full form in credit card usage gives you the idea of a crucial financial marker known as the credit utilization ratio. By keeping your ratio low through smart financial strategies, you can improve your creditworthiness and potentially access better loan terms and interest rates in the future.