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Should I really pay off my entire credit card balance each month or should I maintain some balance?
I think you got the message mixed up a little: Racking up big balances can hurt your scores, regardless of whether you pay your bills in full each month.   What's typically reported to the credit bureaus, and thus calculated into your scores, are the balances reported on your last statements. (That doesn't mean paying off your balances each month isn't financially smart -- it is -- just that the credit scores don't care.)   You typically can increase your scores by limiting your charges to 30% or less of a card's limit. -- from 7 Ways to Fix Your Credit Score In other words, ALWAYS pay off your balance if you can. But don't fill up your card to the max of your credit limit each month. i.e. if your credit limit is $5000, only spend $2000 each month.