What Bills Help Build Your Credit Score?
Published on: April 4, 2023
a generation of women sitting on a couch, helping to plan one of their futures with financial tasks for each decade.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Building and maintaining a good credit score is crucial for your financial health. A good credit score can help you secure loans, credit cards, and better interest rates. To improve your credit score, you must ensure you have a history of responsible credit behavior. One way to do this is by paying your bills on time. However, not all bills contribute to your credit score. Here are the bills that can help you build your credit score

Credit cards

Credit cards are one of the most important bills to help you build your credit score. Making your credit card payments on time each month is critical in determining your credit score. The length of your credit history and your credit utilization rate (how much credit you use compared to how much credit you have available) are also essential factors in determining your credit score. Using your credit card responsibly and paying your balance in full each month can help you build a positive credit history.

Loans

Loans, such as car loans and personal loans, can also help you build your credit score. Making your loan payments on time each month is crucial in determining your credit score. Additionally, the length of your credit history and the loan type can also impact your credit score. A mix of credit accounts, such as a mortgage, car loan, and credit card, can help you build a positive credit history.

Rent payments

Rent payments typically do not appear on your credit report, but some services allow you to report your rent payments to the credit bureaus. Rent reporting services can help you build your credit history by showing that you have historically made rent payments on time. However, it’s important to note that not all lenders and credit scoring models consider rent payments when determining your credit score.

Utility bills

Utility bills like gas, water, and electricity do not typically appear on your credit report. However, failing to pay your utility bills and they are sent to a collection agency can hurt your credit score. Paying your utility bills on time each month is essential to avoid any negative impact on your credit score.

Cell phone bills

Cell phone bills typically do not appear on your credit report like utility bills. However, if you fail to pay your cell phone bill and it is sent to a collection agency, this can harm your credit score. Paying your cell phone bill on time each month can help you avoid negative impacts on your credit score.

In conclusion, several bills can help you build your credit score, including credit cards, loans, rent payments (if reported), and cell phone bills. Paying these bills on time each month is key to building a positive credit history. However, it’s important to note that not all bills contribute to your credit score, and it’s essential to pay all bills on time to avoid any negative impact on your credit score.