It is difficult to offer a definitive answer to this question as there are many personal factors to consider. Obviously the longer you have outstanding debt the more interest you will pay and you may wish to simply be rid of your debts completely. If you are striving to clean up your finances it may be preferable to pay off as many cards as possible and focus on meeting one or two monthly payments instead.

Yet it is important to realise that a credit score measures the potential profit a customer may generate rather than the potential risk they represent. A credit card company is far happier with a customer who meets their minimum payments each month on time and makes money through the interest generated, than a customer who immediately pays down all their debt leaving the bank with no interest payments and so no profits.

If you wish to be debt free or to dramatically reduce or consolidate your debts it makes sense to pay off your card in full, but if your goal is to improve your credit score then regular payments are better. Don't forget either that the proportion of outstanding debt to available debt also plays a role in your credit score. A good compromise could be to pay off the lion's share of your debt to avoid punitive interest, and then pay small monthly installments to keep the lenders happy.