The biggest single influence on your credit scores is paying bills on time, and historically that's meant credit bills—payments on loans, credit cards and other debts. But now credit scores can benefit from timely utility and service payments as well.
Utility companies do not report accounts and payment history to the three major credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax), and as a result, these types of bills have not historically had an impact on your credit scores.
If you keep up with your utility and phone bills and that activity is reported to credit bureaus, it could help boost your credit. But keep in mind, those bills are just one possible factor in credit scoring. And falling behind on them or other bills could have negative effects.
Utility Bills
Your electricity or gas bill is not a loan, but failing to pay it can hurt your credit score. While utility companies won't normally report a customer's payment history, they will report delinquent accounts much more quickly than other companies you may do business with.
Payment History Is the Most Important Factor of Your Credit Score. Payment history accounts for 35% of your FICO® Score. Four other factors that go into your credit score calculation make up the remaining 65%.
Paying utility and cable bills on time won't help your credit, though, because most utilities don't report to the credit bureaus. As with other recurring bills, however, if you put them on a credit card and pay on time, that builds a good payment history and helps your score.
Installment loans can give your scores a lift. If you don't have a long credit history, an installment loan, which you pay back through set monthly payments, could help you build your score. Auto, mortgage, personal and student loans are all types of installment credit.
Although ranges vary depending on the credit scoring model, generally credit scores from 580 to 669 are considered fair; 670 to 739 are considered good; 740 to 799 are considered very good; and 800 and up are considered excellent.
Generally speaking, on-time payments will help your credit score, while late payments may cause your credit score to drop. Otherwise, if the loan isn't reported to the credit bureaus, your monthly payments will have no bearing—good or bad—on your credit score.
A FICO Score between 740 and 850 is generally considered to be in the very good to excellent credit score range to buy a home. If your score falls below this level, however, you may still be eligible for some mortgage opportunities in the financial marketplace.
FICO® score ranges vary — they can range from 300 to 850 or 250 to 900, depending on the scoring model — but higher scores can indicate that you may be less risky to lenders.
One way to do this is by checking what's called the five C's of credit: character, capacity, capital, collateral and conditions. Understanding these criteria may help you boost your creditworthiness and qualify for credit.
A conventional loan requires a credit score of at least 620, but it's ideal to have a score of 740 or above, which could allow you to make a lower down payment, get a more attractive interest rate and save on private mortgage insurance.
As you make on-time loan payments, an auto loan will improve your credit score. Your score will increase as it satisfies all of the factors the contribute to a credit score, adding to your payment history, amounts owed, length of credit history, new credit, and credit mix.
Your score falls within the range of scores, from 580 to 669, considered Fair. A 595 FICO® Score is below the average credit score. Some lenders see consumers with scores in the Fair range as having unfavorable credit, and may decline their credit applications.
Will paying my phone bill build credit? The short answer: No, paying your phone bill will not help you build up credit. Phone bills for service and usage are not usually reported to major credit bureaus, so you won't build credit when paying these month to month.
There's a missed payment lurking on your report
A single payment that is 30 days late or more can send your score plummeting because on-time payments are the biggest factor in your credit score. Worse, late payments stay on your credit report for up to seven years.
An 867 credit score is excellent.
A 740 credit score is Very Good, but it can be even better. If you can elevate your score into the Exceptional range (800-850), you could become eligible for the very best lending terms, including the lowest interest rates and fees, and the most enticing credit-card rewards programs.
Your score falls within the range of scores, from 670 to 739, which are considered Good. The average U.S. FICO® Score, 711, falls within the Good range.
If you have been using credit for only six months or a year, it's unrealistic to expect a score in the high 700s. Still, it is possible to establish excellent credit — a score of 800 or higher, for example — in your 20s.