<prompt> Human: My husband and I have accrued a good amount of credit card debt since I became a SAHM. I currently have 2 CCs. 1 that has no balance that I rarely, if ever, use Pier 1. The other is through Navy Federal that has 9K out of a 11,5K limit on it. My husband has 2 CCs also. 1 through USAA that has 1,7K on it with a 3,5K limit and 1 for Navy Federal that has 11K on it with a 12K limit. Due to reenlisting military we were promised a bonus that would be big enough to get us 100 out of CC debt. Although that was back in November and we have yet to see the money nor do we know when to expect it. Our questions are: Should we pay off all debt in one lump sum? Should we make larger payments on the CCs over months to allow our credit to improve? Should my husband open another credit card and not use it solely to up his limit so his usage-to-limit ratio will increase, thus increasing hopefully his credit score?Our credit scores are fair mid 600s. Mine used to be much higher but throughout our house buying process, a large amount went on my CC due to inspections and closing costs that the sellers would not cover. Our goal is to improve our credit scores back to at least the 700s. Were never late on payments and have stopped using our CCs due to our credit and the CC limits. We have been paying each payment on time with a little more than the minimum if we can afford it. Advice on how to proceed? TIA.  <response>: 1. Yes, pay it all off in a lump sum. Theres no reason to pay interest to build credit.2. Racking up that much debt raises questions about your ability to handle credit responsibly. Fortunately, youve got a way out this time, but you may not be so lucky next time. Im not saying credit cards are inherently bad, but you should think about whether you trust yourself to only use them when you have the money to pay them off in full at the end of the month, every time. If so, just keep using them and paying them off and your credit will improve. If youre going to be using credit cards responsibly and extensively, as your credit improves, you could consider a card with better rewards than what you currently have. 