When Will You Be Reported to Credit Companies | Revealed

Do you want to manage your credit activity efficiently and know when will you be reported to credit companies?

Let us guide you through all the facts you need to know regarding credit card companies reporting your activity to credit bureaus.

We will give you a full insight into the activity that they report, how frequently, and how it affects your credit score.

Most importantly, you will learn how to track your credit score and make sure the information that appears on your credit report is true.

Let’s have a look!

When Do Credit Lenders Report to Credit Companies?

Even though there’s no single accurate answer to the question of when do credit card companies report to credit bureaus, we will list and explain the important facts that influence when will some activity appear on your credit report:

Credit lenders are not obliged by law to report to credit bureaus.

If they want to, however, they have to pay for it. That being said, they also have a choice when it comes to which of the major credit bureaus they will report to. Some credit card companies report to multiple credit agencies, while others use one or none at all.

Every credit lender reports the credit activity to the credit bureaus at their own schedule.

There are no obligations regarding the date or schedule on reporting to credit bureaus either, so it’s up to the lenders to decide their pace, as long as they follow basic guidelines. Most often they report monthly, while some do it more frequently. Also, different lenders don’t report on the same day, so your credit report is always updated.

Most credit lenders report your credit activity soon after it’s made or at least once a month.

When your credit activity will be reported depends on when it happened regarding the reporting date. For example, if the activity happened a few days before the credit card reporting date it will be reported in a matter of days, as opposed to if you made it just after the reporting date. Then it will take almost a month for the lender to report it.

Credit lenders do not necessarily report your credit activity to all three credit bureaus and even if they do it probably won’t be on the same day.

Because there is a cost involved, some lenders may decide to report to only one of the credit bureaus. Even if they report to all three, they can do it on different schedules, so not every credit bureau will receive information about your credit activity at the same time. It’s important to know if the issuers of your credit card report to any credit bureau.

“Date Updated” will tell you the most recent day the account information was provided to TransUnion.

According to TransUnion, one of the major credit agencies, the credit reports are updated as the new information is received. The date of the last credit report update is visible on your credit report.

Late payments only get reported once you’re at least 30 days past your due date.

In such a case, you can expect it to appear on your credit report within a month or two.

When will you be reported to credit companies after not making a payment on time is very important to know. It will help you organize your payments more efficiently and avoid damaging your credit score.

It also depends on when your billing cycle ends and when the lender reports to the credit bureaus, so sometimes you can be almost two months behind your payment until it’s reported.

When Do Credit Bureaus Update Your Credit Report?

There are three major credit bureaus – TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax and they can all update your credit report by different schedules. The update of your credit report is in part dependent on when do credit card companies report to credit bureaus.

Also, the credit bureaus collect information from governmental agencies and public records other than just relying on banks, credit card companies, and other lenders. Do note that there is some information in your credit report that credit bureaus delete after the stated amount of time has passed.

Credit bureaus usually update credit reports every 30 to 45 days.

Bear in mind that there are different dynamics with credit lenders who report to credit bureaus. Also, note that not all of them report to all of the major credit bureaus. Sometimes, the credit agencies may have a different updating schedule than the lenders reporting to them. All this may affect your credit score update frequency.

Your credit scores are calculated based on the data in your report every time a creditor requests them.

Depending on the data a certain credit bureau has at a specific moment, your credit score is calculated based on your current credit report and presented to the credit card company or another lender on its request.

Why Should You Monitor Your Credit Score?

Credit score is one of the main factors used to determine your overall financial health and the way you manage your debt. It’s important to follow up on all of your credit report changes for several reasons.

You may need to get a loan and you have to know in what shape your credit score is.

Every loan application is followed by the requirement of your credit score from credit bureaus. Applying for too many loans can harm your credit score, so knowing it will help you determine whether you qualify for a certain solution, or need to look for other options more suitable for your credit score to have better approval chances.

Also, make sure to pay attention to data reported on the credit report to make sure all your activity is listed. You can see when your last credit report update was on the report itself under the date updated.

Not all credit card companies report to all credit bureaus, so sometimes your credit reports may not match.

It’s important to know which of three major credit agencies your credit lender reports to because the ones who don’t receive certain data will have different information on your credit report.

If you’re on a mission of building credit, it will be great to choose from credit cards that report to all 3 credit bureaus and follow additional advice on how to fix your credit score.

Fluctuations in your credit score can be crucial when you’re shopping for a loan.

Even a small negative change can push you into a higher credit risk profile, which could increase your interest rates or even hurt your approval chances. Sometimes, it can even mean the difference between having to settle for secured vs unsecured credit cards.

The best advice would be to avoid high fluctuations, especially when it comes to sudden increases in credit utilization ratio, which may have a negative impact on your credit score.

Errors are common on credit reports.

Make sure to always double-check your credit card reports and dispute them if anything seems off.

The same goes for credit reports in general, just make sure to file a complaint to the credit bureau or the credit lender who provided the inaccurate information, as soon as you notice a mistake. They have the obligation to investigate and remove any inaccurate data from your credit report.

How to Keep Track of Your Credit Score?

You have learned how important a credit score is, so now we will list a few useful ways on how you can keep track of it and stay on top of your game.

Get an annual credit report from every credit bureaus at annualcreditreport.com.

This is a service that gives you insight into your credit reports from all three credit card reporting agencies. By April 2022, you can get a weekly credit report.

Bear in mind that your credit report shows your personal and account information but not your credit score. Nevertheless, having insights in your credit reports allows you to notice any mistakes or unusual activities and respond on time, which is very important.

Subscribe to TransUnion Credit Monitoring to get access to daily credit reports, score refreshers, and update alerts for your accounts.

This is a paid service, but it allows you to have greater insights into your credit score and make regular credit update reviews. This is a highly reliable and responsible way to keep track of your credit activity.

Use rapid rescoring in urgent cases.

When you’re just a few points short to fall into the category that pays lower interest, you should pay your balance to lower your credit utilization ratio. Then use rapid rescoring for the new positive change to be visible and improve credit score in a matter of days. Do note that this is a paid service and you can’t request it on your own.

Have credit freeze.

It’s a great way to prevent identity theft and errors offered by all three major credit bureaus and it’s free. You will still be able to keep track of all credit bureaus changes, but lenders won’t be able to access your credit reports and scores. That way you will keep them from granting you loans and opening accounts in your name, which is great protection from any fraudulent activity.

A Word of Advice to Maintain Your Credit Score in Good Standing

Maintaining a good credit score is maybe easier said than done, but having in mind how important it is, we give you a few simple pieces of advice to keep your credit score working in your favor:

• Have one or multiple credit accounts, but always make sure you’re keeping your credit utilization ratio low.
• Make your payments on time and avoid paying the minimum amount.
• Always make sure to check your monthly credit report and dispute any mistakes.
• If you need more money to make a bigger purchase, rather than using a large amount of your limit, try to get a bigger limit from your lender.

You should know what’s a bad credit score and avoid it by all means because it can seriously decrease your approval rate or chances of good conditions from credit card companies and lenders.

If you’re not in a good place when it comes to credit scores, you can build your way up with some of the credit builder loans.

When working to improve your credit score, always make sure to use trustworthy credit repair companies.

Conclusion

So, when will you be reported to credit companies? This isn’t a question that has an easy straightforward answer. You are now more informed about the dynamics that different credit card companies and other lenders have regarding reporting on your credit activity.

Keep in mind that all changes are not visible instantly and in most cases, there is a gap of approximately 30 days before you have to pay any late balance. Otherwise, it gets reported to credit bureaus and stays on your credit report for years.

Use this information wisely and keep up a good credit score.