I have found that keeping your utilization low is the key to keeping your credit increasing. I recently opened a new card with a $7K limit just to boost my available credit. It dropped my credit utilization down toward 10%. I initially took a hit on my report, but it went up higher than it was a few months later. I couldn't believe my credit took a hit when I paid off my truck because having a loan that is close to the end is actually good for your credit. Paying off early then makes your credit utilization rise and credit fall. From now on I'm going to pay the loan way down and then make minimum payments until it's paid off. My credit also took a hit from completely paying off a credit card (credit card not used was the reason) so now I pay it down to like $50 and make sure I have small things like Hulu or Netflix go to that card every month. Paying on the card does more for your credit than paying off and not using it.
