What are the 5 most important factors that impact your credit score?
Andrew Campbell
Updated on February 13, 2026
Top 5 Credit Score Factors
- Payment history. Payment history is the most important ingredient in credit scoring, and even one missed payment can have a negative impact on your score.
- Amounts owed.
- Credit history length.
- Credit mix.
- New credit.
What is the most important thing to remember if you want to keep a good credit score?
Since payment history is the most heavily weighted factor in your score, never missing a payment is the most important way to maintain good credit. Ideally, automate your bills—including credit card bills, loan payments, utility payments and insurance bills—so that you’re never late.
What should I look for when getting credit?
Here’s a checklist of some things to look at when you choose a credit card:
- Annual Percentage Rate (APR). This is the cost of borrowing on the card, if you don’t pay the whole balance off each month.
- minimum repayment.
- annual fee.
- charges.
- introductory interest rates.
- loyalty points or rewards.
- cash back.
What is the most important thing about credit?
Your credit score is a number between 300 and 850, with the higher score being better. It represents your level of credit risk to potential lenders. On the other hand, your credit report is a history of your financial life. It can include things like missed payments, tax liens and even overdue child support payments.
What are 2 things that can help your credit score?
Steps to Improve Your Credit Scores
- Build Your Credit File.
- Don’t Miss Payments.
- Catch Up On Past-Due Accounts.
- Pay Down Revolving Account Balances.
- Limit How Often You Apply for New Accounts.
What should my credit score be before I get a credit card?
Most in the U.S. start at 300, and sometimes lower, depending on the scoring system — so you can’t have a credit score of zero. Some credit scores, such as Bankcard and Auto scores, can range from 250-900. Before your information appears in a credit bureau file, your credit history simply doesn’t exist yet.
Why is it important to know your credit score?
Credit Score Analysis Credit score analysis is the process through which different companies evaluate an individual’s or a company’s credit score to help determine how creditworthy the entity is. A credit score is significant because it takes into account how many times credit was used and how efficiently it was repaid.
What are the factors that affect your credit score?
Payment history, debt-to-credit ratio, length of credit history, new credit, and the amount of credit you have all play a role in your credit report and credit score.
What can I do to build up my credit score?
There are many ways to build up your credit score. Applying for a no-fee credit card can be a good place to begin, which can include a secured credit card ( like a Discover it ® Secured Card), or becoming an authorized user. There’s more info on both of these options below, but here are some other things you can do.