Is There a Credit Card That Lets Me Pay Things Off Over a Few Months Without Messing Up My Credit?

Carrying a balance on a credit card can be a detriment to your finances, but it does not hurt your credit score as long as you meet your monthly bill and use no more than 35 percent of your credit limit. The only type of revolving account that can hurt you for not paying the balance in full each month is a charge card.

Identification

Any unsecured or secured credit card lets you pay off a balance over several months. The creditor charges a minimum payment -- usually 2 to 5 percent -- each month and interest on the entire balance. As long as you pay the minimum bill the creditor reports the account to the credit bureaus as "paid as agreed," which counts as a positive item and boosts your credit score.

Watch Out for Charge Cards

Consumers often confuse charge cards with a credit card. Charge cards offer a revolving account, but approval for purchases depends on spending habits and you must pay the bill every month, so balances do not incur interest charges. Instead, the creditor makes money from membership fees. If you miss a payment on this type of account, the creditor may report it as late to the credit bureaus, which hurts your score. As of 2011, American Express is essentially the only major card company offering charge cards.

Credit Utilization Ratio

Credit card debt is usually a bad thing to have on a credit history, because debt load counts for 30 percent of the FICO score, according to MyFICO.com. Another major part of the amounts owed is credit utilization or the percent of the total credit limit a borrower uses. Maxing out a credit card, for instance, hurts a score of 780 by up to 45 points and more as the borrower's score climbs up to the maximum of 850, according to Bankrate. Thus you should wait a few months until you have the money to pay off the purchase in full if the transaction ties up a significant portion of your credit limit. Also, you should never use more than 35 percent of their overall credit limit or the limit on any card. As credit utilization moves over 35 percent, your scores steadily drops.

Tip

If you must make a purchase you cannot afford now, figure how much money you can pay toward the credit card balance each month. Layaway may be a better alternative to putting the item on credit. On a layaway plan the store holds the item while you pay off a small amount each week until it is paid off. Stores do this for most items except perishables, such as food, and highly popular electronics.