My girlfriend, a widow in her 40s, pays off her credit card after every transaction. Is that weird?

“When she was married, she had just a cursory participation in their married finances.” (Photo subject is a model.) - Getty Images/iStockphoto

Dear Quentin,

I started dating a widow in her late 40s who pays by credit card but immediately transfers the purchase amount to pay off her card, instead of waiting until the end of the month to pay off her balance. When she was married, she had just a cursory participation in their married finances, but had to assume it all upon the husband’s passing.

She said that it was easier for her to budget and not lose track of what she had spent. As long as her current cash balance was a certain level, she didn’t care how much she spent above that level. I saw her transfer $150 after we were done shopping. Then she transferred $35 after her dinner bill. I’m sure after she got home by taxi she transferred the cab fare.

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Have you heard of anyone who does this? It’s only at most a 30-day difference so I’m not sure there is much advantage, but maybe I’m missing something besides her comfort.

Credit-Card User

Related: I received an inheritance from my father’s estate, but the executor wants me to give it back. What should I do?I’m a little fazed by the scrutiny she is being subjected to for such seemingly diligent practice. - MarketWatch illustration

Dear Credit-Card User,

Your interest in your girlfriend’s credit-card habits is intriguing.

On the one hand, it’s good that you’re taking an interest in her financial behavior and habits and want to help her. On other hand, I’m a little fazed by the scrutiny she is being subjected to for such seemingly diligent practice (but only a little). It would be a lot worse if she was spending recklessly, racking up debt on her credit cards and not paying them off every month. Paying off her cards on an almost daily basis is unusual, granted, but not of immediate cause for concern.

There could be, for the record, a few minor downsides to your girlfriend’s meticulous credit-card payments: By paying off her balance every day, she is reducing her credit-utilization ratio to virtually zero. Having a low but healthy credit-utilization ratio — say, 10%, but below 30% — shows the credit bureaus that you are using your credit card responsibly. Your girlfriend may be showing up with a 1% or 0% credit-utiltization ratio, and thereby depriving the credit bureau of seeing her regular spending habits.

The other snag: If you’re paying off your credit card every day, you may risk losing track of how much you spend. All of your transactions will, of course, show up, but your statement balance will likely be a big fat zero. How many times would you have to go through your bank balance to get an accurate sense of how much you have spent every month, if you did not have a starting and ending balance every month or quarter? Credit cards earn points and boost your credit score, if used correctly.

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Some people wash dishes as they cook; others pay off their credit cards after every transaction. She’s not alone. As one member of the Moneyist Facebook group writes: “I choose to get an alert from my credit cards whenever the balance is over $X and make a payment then. I also have a calendar reminder to make a payment just before the due date. Typically, I end up making two payments a month. As a backup/failsafe, I have an automatic payment set up for the statement balance on the due date.”

Related: ‘I’m stumped’: I put $3,000 on my credit card during a vacation and my credit score plunged. Why is it so volatile?

The main credit bureaus — Equifax EFX, Transunion TRU and Experian UK:EXPN EXPGY) — don’t calculate their scores in exactly the same way, so people’s scores are typically dinged at different times and for slightly different reasons depending on the bureau. For instance, a FICO FICO score has five categories: payment history (35%), amounts owed (30%), length of credit history (15%), new credit (10%) and credit mix (10%). In other words, FICO values consumers who stay on top of their finances.

For anyone with several credit cards, there are ways to cancel them in order to limit the temporary hit to your credit score.You should close cards with the shortest credit history and get rid of cards with high annual fees, unless you’re planning to get rid of a card that, say, gives you extremely generous travel rewards. Also, cancel cards with points that overlap, and close cards that are costing you an annual fee. In most cases, it’s wise to axe store cards, which frequently have punitive interest rates.

There is never a good time to rack up credit-card debt. This is not an ideal time, given the uncertainty around the labor market; the government shutdown; the Federal Reserve’s caution about cutting interest rates as deeply as the White House, among others, might like; President Donald Trump’s ongoing negotiations with other major economies over tariffs, and the impact increased tariffs will have on inflation; and geopolitical unrest in the Middle East and Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Ultimately, your 40-something girlfriend is displaying white-flag behavior. It’s hard to wave a red flag over someone who keeps on top of their credit-card debt. Speaking of which, credit-card balances rose by $27 billion during the second quarter of 2025 and now top $1.21 trillion; that’s almost a 6% increase over a year ago. Does your girlfriend have an emergency fund, a well-paid and secure job, a 401(k) or IRA, high-yield savings accounts, and a road map to retirement? Do you?

Sometimes, the best financial advice starts at home.

Related: My son’s credit-card company will write off $10K on a $25K debt. Should he accept or declare bankruptcy?

Previous columns by Quentin Fottrell:

‘I fear a significant decline in the S&P 500’: Do I sell my tech stocks?

‘Luckily, I did not mix our finances’: My husband is 7 years younger and has dementia. What happens now?

‘I’m in the home stretch’: I’m 80. Do I leave my kids a ‘Magnificent Seven’ dynasty trust or a brokerage account?

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