 TITLE: Can I Buy a Car With a Credit Card? CONTENT: How Buying a Car With a Credit Card Could Affect Your Credit Score\n------------------------------------------------------------------\nEven if you do pay off your full credit card balance after an auto purchase during your credit card's grace period, the purchase can still impact your credit score temporarily.\nThat's because such a large purchase would likely cause your credit utilization ratio—your card's balance divided by its credit limit—to spike. How much you owe on your credit card accounts is a big part of your FICO® Score☉ calculation, and your utilization ratio is a significant component of that. Experts recommend keeping your utilization under 30% to avoid hurting your credit score.\nYour credit utilization ratio is calculated based on the balance reported to the credit bureaus by your card issuer at the end of your current billing cycle. So if you pay off the balance before your monthly statement closes, the purchase likely won't affect your credit score at all.\nBut if you wait until after the statement closes to pay the balance in full, or you carry the balance over the course of several months, it can cause your credit score to drop significantly. END