CHASE MONEY SKILLS®
Understand your credit
Learn what impacts your score and how to improve it.
What your credit score means for you
Creditors use it to assess your credit worthiness. A strong score can expand your options and may help you qualify for better rates.
What is a credit score?
A three-digit number that helps lenders see how credit responsible you are.
What affects your score?
Your credit history, different types of accounts and credit card usage all impact your score.
Why does your score matter?
Your score can affect your interest rates and loan approvals, among other factors.
WHAT TO KNOW
Understanding credit and your credit score
How is your credit score calculated?
Credit scores are calculated by credit bureaus: Experian®, Equifax™ and TransUnion®. They all use a combination of multiple factors and the VantageScore 3.0 model, as of May 2026.
- Payment history (40% of score)
- Credit history (21% of score)
- Credit usage (20% of score)
- Total balances (11% of score)
- Credit check (5% of score)
- Available credit (3% of score)
Get to know the language of credit
Knowing key terms people use to talk about credit can help you understand your options and make better credit decisions.
Benefits of building credit early
Your credit history shows lenders how you manage money and can affect loan approvals, interest rates and rental applications. This article explains how building credit early can open more opportunities over time — and how good habits today can support your goals tomorrow.
MAKE A PLAN
Using, building and improving credit
Tips to build a good credit score
Improving your credit score can take time, but these do’s and don’ts can help you move in the right direction.
Do's
- Do pay your bills on time, every time
- Do pay down your debts
- Do set realistic score goals
- Do build a long credit history
- Do regularly check your credit score
Don'ts
- Don’t make late payments
- Don’t carry high balances from month to month
- Don't wait to practice healthy financial habits
- Don’t apply for too much new credit within a short period of time
- Don't make assumptions about your score
MAKE IT HAPPEN
Monitor and protect your credit
Chase Credit Journey® gives you all this and more for free:
- Free credit score: Get your free score anytime without impacting your credit. It’s free for everyone. No Chase account required.
- Improve your score: Choose a score plan to help you achieve your financial goals and get a personalized plan, provided by Experian™.
- Protect your identity: Enroll in free identity monitoring to get alerts if your personal info is found in a data breach or exposed on the dark web.
Account Alerts
We’ll make sure you don’t miss a beat. Monitor your account activity and receive notifications for payments, large transactions, low balances and more.
Chase Online℠ Bill Pay
Making on-time payments can help build your credit score. We can help you set up recurring payments, pay bills and transfer money — all from chase.com or the Chase Mobile® app.
Tackle your debt
Use our Debt Management Calculator to learn if common payoff methods can help you reach your debt payoff goals.
Not a Chase customer?
Learn more about our accounts.
Chase credit cards
Choose from our wide variety of credit cards with the rewards you want. Find the Chase card to fit your lifestyle, from travel to cash back and more.
Chase Auto
Learn how much you can borrow with no impact on your credit score with the prequalification tool, find a car from one of our trusted dealers and then apply for financing.
Chase home lending
See how your credit score impacts your ability to get a mortgage. If you’re ready to begin your homebuying journey, take the first step and start your preapproval application today.
