<prompt> Human: Ive seen a million and one posts about credit cards, so Im sorry about this one. I just want to do this right. So my credit line is 300, my statement balance 17.04. I see 4 options to pay my balance. Minium Payment Last Statement Balance Current Balance Other Amount What are differences between each, particularly Last Statement Balance and Current Balance?I have the financial means to do so, so I definitely want to pay as much as I can. What I want to know is the ideal way to build credit. This post off of credit karma suggests we make monthly payments for the first 6 months to build credit. Does that mean I should pay off 15.00 this month to maintain a balance on my card? Hopefully, this can finally get cleared up for me and Ill understand the way it works!  <response>: oh god... the posts in that thread are just ridiculous.Bad debts will usually stay on your report for a minimum of three years IF IT IS NOT RE-ENTERED by the creditor. wrong and wrong If you do buy from a lender, the inquiry will be deleted when an account is activated. what?too many inquires are just as bad as not paying your existing accounts on time or defaulting on your bills.no..The problem is they look at percent increases and if you had a 1 balance and then next report a 5 balance the computer systems look at it as a 500 increase. yes, thats exactly how utilization works 