<prompt> Human: I just recently got my first credit card, and Im having a little confusion. My first payment is supposed to be due on December 20th. Im confused because it say my Minimum Payment is 0.00. Why does it say that? Does this mean I shouldnt make a payment until after it displays a number? I am completely able to pay the balance in full, but I dont want to do so until Im completely sure how that will work out with this situation.Assistant: You probably made charges after the previous months statement closed. You owe nothing until your next statement closing date. Take the money you have to pay what you owe, and set it aside. Next month, pay your statement due balance. Rinse, repeat.Human: Sounds great. I didnt want to necessarily overpay on my account. So my payment essentially wont be due until January 20th, if I understand correctly. Thats useful. Does it hurt to not pay a balance in full, but to pay over the Minimum Payment due?Assistant: Yes, it hurts-- but not the way youre thinking, I suspect.If you pay your statement balance in full, every month, by the due date, you wont be charged interest. Any balance that you carry over to the next month will charge you interest.If youre doing this because you cant afford to pay the statement balance in full, youre using credit wrong. If youre doing this to build your credit score, youre doing it wrong as well-- you shouldnt pay a dime of interest to boost your credit score. Use your card for your normal expenditures, pay it in full by the due date, and your score will grow on its own.Human: Correct, I am using this to build credit and got a card with a low limit. So it is not good to carry a balance, even if it is small?  <response>: Its just a waste of money even if its only a small amount and it wont improve your credit score more than paying it off in full. 