<prompt> Human: I just got approved and received my first credit card in the mail. A couple of friends told me that it helps my credit score more to pay it off early before the cycle end or leave a few cents on at the end of the month. Is there any truth to these or is just making sure its all paid off every month good enough.  <response>: Dont do either of those things.Wait until the end of your monthly statement cycle. Once theyve sent you your statement showing how much you owe, pay in full before the due date show on the statement.If you pay it off early, your statement will show 0 and that will be what gets reported to the credit bureaus, so it will appear to them as if you arent using your card and so your score may not benefit as much as if it shows the accurate utilization.If you carry a balance, you owe interest. Paying interest does not help your credit and if you use your credit card correctly, you should never pay a cent of interest. 