Credit
What Is a Credit Score?
A credit score is a number that lenders and some other businesses may use to help assess how likely you are to repay money you borrow.…
Category: Credit
Plain-language guides on credit reports, credit scores, and credit cards for US readers.
Credit
Secured vs. Unsecured Credit Cards
A secured credit card requires a refundable security deposit under the card agreement. An unsecured credit card generally does not require that deposit. Both are credit…
Credit
Statement Balance vs. Current Balance
The statement balance and current balance on a credit card describe different points in time. The statement balance is the amount shown when a billing cycle…
Credit
How to Check Your Credit Report
Checking your credit report means reviewing the information that consumer reporting companies maintain about your credit history. It is one of the most direct ways to…
Credit
Minimum Credit Card Payments Explained
A minimum credit card payment is the least amount the card issuer requires by the statement due date to keep the account current under its terms.…
Credit
How to Build Credit From Scratch
Building credit means establishing a record that can be reported to consumer reporting companies and then managing that account responsibly over time. For someone with little…
Credit
How Credit Card Interest Works
Credit card interest is the cost of borrowing under your card agreement. It can apply when you carry certain balances past the relevant payment deadline, use…
Credit
How to Dispute a Credit Report Error
If information on your credit report is wrong or incomplete, you can dispute it. A dispute asks the consumer reporting company to investigate a specific item…
Credit
How Credit Utilization Works
Credit utilization describes the relationship between a reported credit card balance and that card's reported credit limit. It is often discussed because some scoring models may…
Credit
Credit Report vs. Credit Score
A credit report and a credit score are connected, but they are not the same thing. A credit report is a file containing information about credit…