<prompt> Human: Ive read some things online but just want to make sure Im doing this right. I was raised that debt is bad. I never had a credit card. This year I paid off my grad school debt and am debt-free. My credit score took a hit. So I decided to get a credit card and build a history. I only got the card about six months ago, so I realize it hasnt had time to do much. I noticed that my score dropped about 20 points last month. When I checked my credit report, it said the score had fallen because I had a too-high utilization rate. We went on vacation and I used my card for most of the expenses. I have the money to pay it off when the statement hits next week. Will that make my score go up? I thought it was good to use the card and pay it off each month, which Ive been doing.  <response>: Everything youve said is on point. Credit score will drop based on utilization rate but once you pay it off it should go back up. Once you e established a good track record of paying off the balance and such longevity of credit that drop should become smaller and smaller. Even so, scores will fluctuate 10-20 pts based on a variety of things in any given month. Credit checks, loans, bills, credit cards, etc. all have a small effect on credit score. I wouldnt worry about it too much. As long as youre paying them all off on time no interest then your credit score should slowly rise with fluctuation kinda like the stock market 