How Long Does It Take To Get a Credit Score? [Simple Tips to Follow]

Most people wonder how long does it take to get a credit score, especially when they’re starting with no experience. To help, this article will talk in detail about the time needed, what is a good credit score, factors that influence credit, the process of starting out, and several tips on building a good credit score.

How Long Does It Take To Build Good Credit?

The time needed to build up a credit score depends on several factors. It is not a one-and-done event, but a process that requires discipline and responsibility over a long period of time. Before discussing these attributes, though, it is important to distinguish between the two most popular types of credit scores: VantageScore and FICO score; It’s equally necessary to be able to answer how long does it take to build good credit.

• On average, it takes one to two months to build a good VantageScore. The company was established to help people with limited credit history and is mainly based on short-term credit history.
• A FICO score, on the other hand, takes about six months. A lender will usually accept this score, as it provides a more detailed and prolonged credit history to help calculate a risk.

What Is a Starting Credit Score and What Is Considered a Good Credit Score?

While people may assume that credit scores start at 0, that’s not the case; It is actually calculated over time by determining your financial habits. The number does not start at the lowest score, nor the highest, for this reason. Most people begin with a starting credit score of 300.

Here is a list explaining generally good, bad, and excellent scores for reference.

DID YOU KNOW? Many people have never considered what a bad credit score is. Taking time to understand different types of credit scores will help you become financially intelligent.

Factors That Influence Your Credit Score

There are a number of variables that help to establish a credit score. Learning about these factors can provide you the best way to build credit from scratch.

Number of Credit Lines

The number of credit lines you have can lead to both positive and negative impacts on your credit score. On average, three credit lines are considered good and don’t reflect badly; opening more than three can impact the score negatively.

Credit Utilization

Credit utilization is the amount of credit you owe divided by your total credit limit. For example, if your credit limit is $1000 and you have a balance of $500, then your credit utilization rate is 50%. A lower utilization rate is preferred by a credit agency as it depicts good spending habits.

Payment History

This is simply a record of all financial transactions between you and a lender. It includes missed payments and payments made on time. Payment history determines 35% of your FICO score, so a smart way to build credit would be to pay your monthly dues on time. If you pay all your debts regularly, for example, it can increase your score, but if you fail to pay on time on multiple credit lines then the impact would be completely negative.

Length of Credit History

A person with a longer and responsible credit history will have a higher score than someone just starting out. The longer the history, the more a person, more often than not, has a financial discipline and is able to manage credit well. It counts for about 15% of the credit score.

New Credit

New credit accounts for 10% of credit scores on average. While using new credit lines can improve your score, applying for different loans regularly can penalize you by indicating low cash flow.

Credit Mix

Credit mix refers to different types and accounts of loans you have, and if you’ve paid them regularly. A person who pays mortgages, student loans, and auto loans regularly will have a much better credit score than someone just paying only a mortgage. It indicates that the person can handle various types of loans responsibly.

Key Takeaways

How to Build Your Credit Score

Good credit history can help you in many ways. While the entire process may seem complicated, here are a few simple ways to start building your credit score.

Get a Secured Loan

Secured loans require the borrower to provide an asset as collateral to the creditor. In case of non-payment, the creditor has the right to seize the collateral asset. This helps in building credit scores as the weightage of secured loans is very high while calculating credit scores. Moreover, timely payments reflect positively on credit history. Just so you know, there are lenders that offer mortgage loans, which are a type of a secured loan.

Below we’ve provided additional information on secured loans, as well as a detailed explanation of secured vs unsecured loans.

Get a Credit Builder Loan

As the name suggests, a credit builder loan is specially designed to build credit for beginners. These loans do not require prior credit payment history and are majorly dependent upon the income of the borrower. They help in building score, as successful loan payment can increase the credit score by 60 points on average. It can be an easy way to start credit building. You can check out our article on credit builder loan for more details, and then find a lender that offers credit-building loans.

Become an Authorized User on Someone’s Credit Card

Becoming an authorized person to use someone else’s credit card can also increase your credit score. Ideally, you should choose someone with an excellent credit score to increase your credit score as well. It also allows people to become financially responsible since they are not using their own credit cards.

Utility Bill Payments

Although timely payment of utility bills does not increase the credit score, there are some exceptions. Check with credit bureaus on whether any of your utilities can be considered. If any of the things can be included, be sure to pay the bills on time and monitor your credit score.

While it is important to become financially educated by following these methods, some people require professional help from credit repair companies. They can guide you towards building an excellent credit score.

Additional Credit Tips

It is imperative to remember that obtaining any kind of loan will not make a difference by itself. To build and maintain a good credit score, you need to do the following:

Making Payments on Time

It is important to make timely payments in order to ensure that your credit score goes up. Payments made on time have a huge impact on scores and imply that a person can take on financial responsibility. It can also play a huge part in building credit from scratch.

Spend Only What You Can Afford

Credit cards allow us to spend money we don’t really have. Spending irresponsibly can land you in credit card debt, impacting your credit score severely. A huge credit card debt can also lead to filing for personal bankruptcy, although there are ways to avoid it.

Don’t Take on New Credit Lines if You Can’t Handle It

Taking on different credit lines in a short period of time indicates low cash flow and more debt. Moreover, owing in multiple places can put you in a difficult position financially, as you’ll eventually be caught in a debt trap. Only take multiple loans if you have the cash flow to repay them back on time.

Don’t Close All Your Credit Lines

Keeping credit cards, even when you’re not using them, can be beneficial towards managing your credit. They help in providing longer credit history and more available limits.

Monitor Your Credit Score

Lastly, you must remember to continuously monitor your credit score as it changes. This will keep you updated and help you establish better financial habits in the event it decreases.

Instead of focusing on how long it takes to build good credit, good financial habits should be considered first, as establishing credit requires a lot of time and patience.

Conclusion

To figure out the answer to how long does it take to get a credit score, it is necessary to focus on what affects it. Payment history, credit utilization, credit mix, and new credit are just some of the factors that influence credit scores. A few methods to build a credit score include getting a secured loan or a credit builder loan. Managing someone else’s credit card effectively can also increase the credit score.