Borrowing money enables people to make purchases without paying cash. Buying a home, purchasing a car, or taking care of smaller day-to-day expenses are just some of the things people use credit for. However, credit works similarly to loans and must be paid back in full. One major difference between a loan and a credit card is that the cardholder chooses how much to spend their money on, and then they must pay back the amount spent. On the other hand, loans are a fixed amount of money that is repaid over a selected amount of time. So how does credit work?
A credit report thus tracks whether a person is reliably paying off his or her debt when payments are due, or if s/he fails to make the payments on time. Most individuals who have student loans, have purchased a home or car, and/or have used a credit card have a credit score. Essentially, your credit score communicates to lenders how likely you are to pay back your debt, as well as how likely you are to pay it back on time. So now you know what it is, you’ll want to know the answer to the question of how does credit work?
Why is it important to know your credit score?
A good credit score can make it possible for you to receive better terms and conditions when taking out a loan. Additionally, it may even impact the interest rates of those loans. Therefore, it is important to know what your credit score is, as well as understand what it means.
- Excellent credit: 750 and above
- Good credit: 660-749
- Fair credit: 620-659
- Poor credit: 619 and below
An excellent credit score gets you the best financing terms available when you borrow money. For example, if you are buying a house with an excellent credit score, you will qualify for the lowest interest rates out there. In the span of a few years, the low-interest rates can save you thousands of dollars.
With a good credit score, on the other hand, interest rates will be a little higher if you wanted to borrow money. It might be a good idea to try and repair your credit score before taking out any loans.
Bad credit can make it difficult to qualify for many loans. Though there are loans available for people with poor credit, the interest rates can be very high. Luckily there are things you can do right now to help you raise your credit score! For example, you can pay off debt, ensure payments are made on time and use your credit. If you use your credit and then pay it off on time, you can actually raise your score.
Where can you find your credit score?
If you don’t know what your credit score is, don’t fret. There are a number of places where you can find your credit score. You can check with your credit card holder, use a credit score service, or use a variety of other options.
If you discover your score isn’t what you want it to be, contact Go Clean Credit. We know it can be scary to have poor credit, but we are dedicated to helping people raise their score in a way you can trust.