Understanding Your Credit Score

A credit score summarizes how you have handled borrowing. The biggest factors are usually payment history and how much of your available credit you use, followed by the length of your history, your mix of credit types, and recent applications.

Cards and your score

Used responsibly, a credit card builds payment history and adds available credit, which can lower utilization. Applying for many cards at once can ding your score temporarily through hard inquiries.

Check before you apply

Knowing your score range helps you target cards you are likely to qualify for, reducing wasted applications. Many issuers and free services let you monitor it without harming your score.