I received my first C1 credit card statement on April 8, and I’m trying to figure out the dates to pay down the debt so that minimal utilization is reported instead of the higher one. The due date in the statement is May 3, and upcoming statement closing date is May 9. I’ve paid my current bill on April 21, but the question is if I should pay it even sooner. What is the math on these dates? Thanks!

Hello! I applied for a checking account with Alliant Credit Union and received my membership number from the hotline. However, I’m now getting an error message when trying to set up my online banking account. The hotline wasn’t able to help me either. Has anyone experienced this before? How did you resolve it?

Hello everyone, I haven’t applied for this card—they’ve just been offering it to me for about two weeks now. Is it a good idea to accept it, even though I know it’s going to have a small limit?

Hello Cloud family, I’ve noticed that I’ve been using my cards very aggressively spending about 80% of the limit every week, then paying it off within 1–2 days. After doing this consistently for around 60 days, they automatically gave me a credit limit increase. For example, with a $500 limit: Week 1: Spend $400, pay off $400 Week 2: Spend $400, pay off $400 Week 3: Spend $400, pay off $400 …and so on for about two months. Then, before the statement date, I leave around $25 (about 5%) unpaid. Let me know what you guys think about this strategy. I’ve tried it, but I’m not sure if it’s actually a good approach.

Anyone looking for a US checking / savings account should check out Alliant, the process was pretty straightforward. I was drawn to Alliant specifically because they allowed W-8BENs at initial account opening, and you don't need to have a US address. They are explicitly NRA-friendly, so no in-person visits required either. The only catch is that you need to fill out a "paper" application instead of going through the online process. Here's the link to the form, which you can fax, mail, or send via the chat. I did it via the chat, I just said I wanted to submit a paper application and if they could please forward it to the back office. Documents I submitted: - Signed form (signed in wet ink and scanned) - Passport - ITIN letter - W-8BEN - Utility bill evidencing my street address as stated in the form Timeline: - 17 April – submitted documents via chat - 26 April – received email stating my debit card was shipped on 23 April - 27 April – called them to ask for my member number so I could setup online banking; details sent via secure email (account opening date was stated as 22 April) So overall it was a quick and hassle free process, I'll update this post when I receive my debit card!