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Do Utility Payments Affect Credit?
How Utility Bills Affect Credit Scores

By , About.com Guide

In general, utility bills (if they're paid on time) do not affect credit.

Most utility companies have no effect on your credit unless there’s a problem (like if they’ve sent your account to a collection agency that reports to the credit bureaus).

However, there are a few ‘alternative’ credit scoring models out there, and those models may be based on your utility payments (gas, electric, mobile phone, cable, etc). These credit scores are useful for people who have not built a rich credit history, but have responsibly paid their utilities for years.

Return to the main page on factors that affect credit.

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