I have a $200 limit Target card. I use it every month and pay it in full every month before the statement date to keep the $0 balance. We had a baby the other day, our third son incidentally, so I missed the statement date with all the pre-delivery confusions. So I had a $182 balance report this month to the 3 CRB's. I just got a notice from myFICO that my score went UP 7 points.
Maybe your history lengthened enough to up your score, and the downward offset for the balance was offset by it. Also, how much of your TOTAL credit is being used? That has an impact, too. And a zero balance all the time may not help your score. Some have observed that carrying a small balance may increase your score more than a zero balance.
