that's a problem. pay the bill, in full, AFTER you get the statement. the lenders report to credit agencies on a monthly basis, if you pay off the bill before the due date it's like you never used the card as far as the FICO system knows.

This is incorrect information. Utilization has no memory. Your credit report does not contain a history of your monthly balances, only the most recent balance reported. If you look at your report, you'll see the monthly notation for each account. It's either current or past due.

It should also be noted that not all credit card issuers report your monthly balance on your statement date. They are sometimes completely unrelated dates. The reporting frequency can vary too.