<prompt> Human: Im in the 500s after a lot of credit rehabilitation. The only card I have left open is a student visa card 3 years old that has a balance of 800-no late payments in the last 10 months. Im moving in a month, and knowing apartments look at my credit, so Im wondering if I pay off that 800 in one lump sum would this increasehelp my score substantially? or in 2 sumsover 2 months?Thanks!Assistant: Pay off the credit card, and use it to buy things you would anyway, and pay the bill in full on time. Human: Ive kept the credit card because I have short credit... thats what everyones telling me, saying that because Im 21, its better to start adding things, but that seems counterproductive since I cant actually get anything to add to my history with my scoreAssistant: Which is why you should pay off the card, but keep usin it. Paying interest will not help you build credit. Human: wouldnt paying it off and keep using it essentially be the same thing as slowly paying it down I pay 4x the minimum payment, or 100monthIm not trying to come off sassy... they just sound like the same thing to me :-  <response>: Paying it off, then making new purchases that you pay in full when the bill becomes due means you wouldnt be paying interest.Slowly paying it down means every month youre being charged interest on the balance that remains. i.e. giving the credit card company more money than you need to 