Learn How to Establish a Solid Credit History

Your credit is important for everything from getting a loan to buying insurance. But it takes time to earn high credit scores. If you’re new to the world of credit or repairing your credit, it’s best to begin building credit as soon as possible.

There are no quick fixes. But several techniques enable you to establish credit, and with patience, you can work your way up to high credit scores.

How to Build Credit

To establish a credit history that will be attractive to lenders and others, you need to borrow money and make all of your payments on time. It’s that simple, but it’s not necessarily easy. You can certainly see improvements in a short period, but significant changes take time.

The strategies below will help you get short-term momentum and establish a solid credit history that will serve you for the rest of your life. You don’t have to move through these in order, but the easiest approaches are listed first, especially if you’re on your own (without parents or others helping). Depending on your needs and your resources, some of these options might not be a good fit.

Whatever method you use, it is essential that your lender reports your activity to the three major credit bureaus. If they don’t, your credit won’t improve. Ask your lender if they report to credit bureaus before borrowing, and then verify by checking your credit reports after at least 30 days.

Cash-Secured Loans 

One of the easiest loans to qualify for is a loan that you’ve already paid off. With a cash-secured loan, you borrow against money that you have in a savings account or certificate of deposit (CD) at your bank or credit union. Lenders take a little risk with these loans—they can just take the cash if you fail to make payments—so it’s easier to get approved. For example, you might deposit $500 at your bank and get approved for a $500 loan. You make small monthly payments on the loan, and over time, your credit improves.

Those loans go by a variety of names, including credit-builder loans.

Secured Credit Cards

A variation on cash-secured loans, a secured credit card also allows you to borrow against money that you deposit with a lender. The difference is that you receive a plastic payment card that you can use for in-person or online purchases. You can also keep your loan balance at zero (keeping a balance on the card doesn’t improve your credit any faster), which helps to minimize interest costs. Note that a secured credit card is not the same thing as a prepaid debit card.

Help From a Cosigner

A cosigner is somebody who completes your loan application with you and helps you get approved—by promising to repay your loan. The cosigner should have good credit and enough income to qualify for the loan. Essentially, the cosigner is the reason your loan gets approved (although the loan proceeds go to you). If anybody is willing to do this for you, that loan will help you establish credit as long as you make all of your payments on time. Cosigning is a huge favor, and it’s risky. If you fail to make payments, the cosigner is 100 percent responsible for repaying the loan, even though you get the money.

Authorized User

If somebody already has a credit account open, they can add you as an authorized user. You receive a card with your name printed on it, and you can use the card for purchases. However, you’re not responsible for repaying the loan. Note that this only works if the card issuer reports authorized users to credit bureaus.

Retailer Programs

Instead of borrowing directly from banks and credit unions, you can borrow through retailers, who fund loans using finance companies or banks. You’ve probably seen offers to buy merchandise on a monthly payment plan or “same as cash,” and those programs can help you build credit. The same goes for cards issued by stores and gas stations. They may be easier to qualify for than standard credit cards, but you need to make sure that the loan activity will be reported to credit bureaus.

If you go that route, be sure to pay off your balances quickly. Don’t get caught in the trap of paying minimum payments or you’ll end up paying significantly more for everything you buy.

Personal Loans

You can also apply for “signature” or personal loans at your bank, through a credit union, or with an online lender. Using an unsecured loan helps you move beyond credit cards and loans from retailers. Instead of paying as you charge, you’ll make a regular monthly payment (which the credit scoring programs like to see). With an unsecured loan, you don’t pledge anything as collateral, so the lender takes more risk and charges higher interest rates.

Keys to Building Credit

Check Your Credit

Start by making sure that your credit reports are free of any errors that will hold down your credit scores. Especially when you have thin credit or you’re recovering from a rocky past, errors prevent you from getting the scores you deserve. Fix those errors so that somebody else’s mistakes don’t stop you from getting the credit you deserve. Credit bureaus must provide at least one free credit report to you annually, and you should take advantage of that right.

Always Pay on Time

One of the most critical pieces of your credit score is your payment history. If you pay on time, your credit will improve. Late payments on loans will hurt your progress, so it’s probably best to skip borrowing altogether unless you’re confident about making payments.

Set Yourself up for Success

Get financially prepared to ensure that you can afford your payments and get them in on time.

• Open checking and savings accounts, if you don’t already have them, and set up online bill pay.
• Understand your income and your expenses, and build a budget so that you stay on track.
• Balance your checking account regularly to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

Borrow in Moderation

There are several reasons to borrow less than your lender approves you for.

1. Credit utilization. Credit scores evaluate how much you’re currently borrowing compared to how much you’re allowed to borrow (your maximum credit limit, for example). It’s best to use only a small percentage of your available credit—less than 30 percent or so. If you consistently max out your credit accounts, it can look like you’re struggling financially, and your credit scores may drop. Even if you pay off your credit card every month, running up the balance can be problematic.
2. Borrowing costs. You pay interest and other finance charges when you borrow, so you effectively pay more for the things you buy on credit. In some cases, you pay more in interest than the item’s purchase price. Borrowing can make sense when it brings a long-term improvement in your life or your finances, but borrowing for “wants” is dangerous.

Diversify Your Loans

As you build credit, use different types of loans. Credit scoring models reward you for having a variety of loans for different purposes, including revolving credit (credit cards), auto loans, home loans, and student loans. Don’t take on debt for the sake of diversifying, but use the right type of debt whenever borrowing makes sense.

Why You Need Credit

If you don’t have a credit history, nobody knows whether or not you have repaid loans in the past. Lenders are understandably hesitant about lending to somebody they don’t know anything about. But building your credit can help, whether you’ve never borrowed before or you’re cleaning up after having fallen on hard times.

Borrowing

The most common use of credit is for loan approval. When you apply for a loan, lenders primarily look at your borrowing history and your income available to repay the loan. If you’re an experienced borrower with a consistent history of paying on time, it’s easier to qualify for a loan. Over time, you should be able to get approved for increasingly large loans, including home loans.

Renting

Good credit can help you when renting a house or apartment. Landlords don’t know you, so they use credit scores to evaluate you as a renter. That may not be a fair or accurate gauge, but some landlords put a lot of faith in those scores. As a result, you’re better off with good credit—or at least a lack of negative items in your credit history.

Some landlords use specialized scores, which evaluate more than just the traditional borrowing history and public records that standard credit scores use. Instead, they use “alternative” data like any available information on your history of rent and utility payments.

Applying for Jobs

Credit can also affect your ability to get a job. For many positions, your credit isn’t an issue. But if you want to handle funds or work on high-security projects, bad credit can hurt your chances of getting an offer.

Insurance Scores

When buying auto insurance, your credit can affect your ability to obtain coverage and the rates you pay. As with renting, there isn’t a direct parallel between your credit and your driving behavior, but insurance scores are a reality. The reasoning behind it can be the behavioral assessment that you an excessive risk-taker vs. someone who acts responsibly towards credit, bills, and driving.

Who Needs to Build Credit?

To live in the mainstream modern world, you need credit. Sure, you can live without a credit score, but certain things will be more difficult, and if you change your mind someday, you’ll have to start from scratch. There’s no need to borrow unwisely or pay more interest than you need to—credit and borrowing are simply tools that you have available to use when appropriate.

No History 

If you’ve never borrowed in the past, or your previous loans are not on file with the three major credit reporting agencies, you need to establish a credit history. This may be the case if:

• You’ve never borrowed before (whether you’re young or you’ve just avoided debt).
• You’ve recently arrived in the United States.

Negative Items in Your History

If you’ve borrowed in the past—but you missed some payments or even defaulted on loans—you can improve your credit using the same techniques as somebody who’s starting out. Collection accounts, foreclosure, and bankruptcy can all be overcome. The key is to start rebuilding and add positive items that eventually outweigh those negative items.