How new FICO changes may lower — or boost— your credit score (2024)

FAQs

How does new credit affect credit score? ›

This part of your score is made up of your "oldest" account and the average of all your accounts. Opening new credit lowers the average age of your total accounts. This, in effect, lowers your length of credit history and subsequently, your credit score.

New credit.

Changes to these and other factors on your credit report are what result in adjustments to your credit scores. That data could also include balance changes, the opening of new accounts, payments on existing accounts or closed accounts falling off your credit report after a period of time.

The FICO 10T credit score includes trended data, which looks at individual consumers' payment and debt history for the previous 24-plus months to help calculate their credit scores. According to FICO, the new model is the most comprehensive scoring model created by the company to date.

Since the new credit scoring models take into account alternative credit data (rent, utilities, telecom payments, etc.), they can give these otherwise credit-invisibles a chance to show off their on-time payment histories and enhance their mortgage eligibility.

When you open a new credit account, it lowers the overall age of your credit. In addition to the age of credit, opening up any new credit account generally requires a hard inquiry, which could ding your credit score a few points temporarily. After about two years, the inquiry should drop off.

It's possible that you could see your credit scores drop after fulfilling your payment obligations on a loan or credit card debt. Paying off debt might lower your credit scores if removing the debt affects certain factors like your credit mix, the length of your credit history or your credit utilization ratio.

Reasons why your credit score could have dropped include a missing or late payment, a recent application for new credit, running up a large credit card balance or closing a credit card.

Credit scores can drop due to a variety of reasons, including late or missed payments, changes to your credit utilization rate, a change in your credit mix, closing older accounts (which may shorten your length of credit history overall), or applying for new credit accounts.

Highlights: While older models of credit scores used to go as high as 900, you can no longer achieve a 900 credit score. The highest score you can receive today is 850. Anything above 800 is considered an excellent credit score.

Is FICO your true credit score? ›

Is "credit score" the same as "FICO^® score"? Basically, "credit score" and "FICO^® score" are all referring to the same thing. A FICO^® score is a type of credit scoring model. While different reporting agencies may weigh factors slightly differently, they are all essentially measuring the same thing.

You can generally expect your credit score to update at least once a month, but it can be more frequently if you have multiple financial products. Each time any one of your creditors sends information to any of the three main credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — your score may refresh.

For most people, increasing a credit score by 100 points in a month isn't going to happen. But if you pay your bills on time, eliminate your consumer debt, don't run large balances on your cards and maintain a mix of both consumer and secured borrowing, an increase in your credit could happen within months.

Your credit score is a major factor in whether you'll be approved for a car loan. Some lenders use specialized credit scores, such as a FICO Auto Score. In general, you'll need at least prime credit, meaning a credit score of 661 or up, to get a loan at a good interest rate.

At first, the VantageScore used a very different scoring range, 501–900, but in 2013 it changed its range to be the same as FICO: 300–850. Both use similar scoring factors, although the VantageScore places more weighting emphasis on the length of an individual's credit history.

When you apply for and accept a new loan or credit account, your credit scores typically decline a few points. This impact is short-lived, however, and scores typically rebound within a few months. Eventually, they may even wind up better than before as you demonstrate your ability to responsibly manage your new debt.

Having no credit is better than having bad credit, though both can hold you back. Bad credit shows potential lenders a negative track record of managing credit. Meanwhile, no credit means lenders can't tell how you'll handle repaying debts because you don't have much experience.

New credit applications—like for credit cards or auto loans—can have an impact on your credit scores. That's because a new credit application generally creates a hard credit inquiry, which can cause your credit scores to drop by a few points.

Answer: Opening another credit card could help the score a little (about 4 to 6 points). Scenario: You have less than 4 accounts, (1 credit card, 1 car loan and 1 utility account). Answer: Adding a 2nd credit card account will substantially improve your score (about 7 to 15 points).