Credit Builder
How credit works in the U.S. — and how to build yours
Your credit score is built from a few plain things: paying on time, keeping balances low, and giving accounts time to age. If you've never borrowed, there's nothing to score yet — that's what "building" means. Pick where you're starting from below.
If you're building credit in the United States for the first time, this is where to start. Whether you're young and just starting out or you've recently moved to the United States, building U.S. credit matters — it's what opens the door to loans, cards, apartments, and financing for personal and business needs.
The short version of how U.S. credit works
- •Three companies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — keep a file on every loan and credit card you've had. That file is your credit report.
- •Your FICO score runs from 300 to 850. It comes mostly from paying on time and how much of your limits you're using.
- •Lenders report to those bureaus about once a month. An account only helps your score if it's reporting — that's why building starts with one small account.
- •This guide covers the U.S. system only. Other countries score credit differently.
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