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Getting a new credit card and transferring balances will change your credit score in a positive or a negative way. Which way your credit score will be affected depends on many factors. Of course the utilization ratio is one of them. When your FICO score is calculated the overall utilization ratio and each card credit utilization ratio are taken into account. If you do not close your old credit cards and continue making minimum payments on them (if there are any), it will help you keep your credit more or less at the same level. Paying off the transferred balances will help you build good payment history provided you do not miss payments. Payments history makes 35% of your FICO credit score, so you will be able to improve your credit. You can use our credit score simulator to see how this or that financial decision can affect your credit score.