Credit Center
How credit scores work, how to read your report, and what to do when something goes wrong. Your credit reports are free at AnnualCreditReport.com .
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How your score is calculated
The five factors that make up your score and the small habits that move it.
Read your credit report line by line
Go section by section: personal info, account history, inquiries, and public records.
Lower your credit utilization
Utilization is about 30% of a FICO Score, and it’s one of the fastest factors to change.
Guides by topic
Scores and reports
- What impacts your score most
- How often to check your report
- Hard vs. soft inquiries
- Credit mix
- Being an authorized user
- Credit myths that hurt your score
Fixing problems
- Recovering from a score drop
- Removing a collections account
- Medical debt on your report
- When a card application is denied
- Freezing your credit
- Handling credit card fraud
Using cards well
- How credit limits affect spending
- Closing an account
- Missing a grace period deadline
- Hidden credit card fees
- Negotiating a lower APR
- Using cards to build credit
- Secured vs. unsecured cards
- Credit builder loans
Rewards and card types
Calculators
Credit utilization calculator
See your overall and per-card utilization and how much to pay down.
Finances payoff calculator
Compare snowball and avalanche: your debt-free date and total interest for each.