Your credit history can directly impact what you buy, where you live and even where you work. It can make important transitions, such as getting a new apartment or buying a home, smooth or challenging. A good credit score can even widen your dating pool. Here are five ways your credit standing can affect your life.
Buying a home
Before you start scouring open houses, know that a credit score of 740 or higher (the scale goes to 850) helps you qualify for the best mortgage rates available, particularly on conventional loans.
If your score is lower, you still have options. Federal Housing Administration loans, which are popular among first-time home buyers, let you put as little as 3.5 percent down if your FICO score is 580 or better.
Upgrading your credit card
In order to qualify for the top credit cards — with generous sign-up bonuses or amazing travel rewards — you generally need to have a good or excellent credit score. Those with bad credit still have some solid credit card choices. A secured card can help you build your credit if you focus on the two biggest credit factors: paying on time and using less than 30 percent of your limit.
Buying and insuring a car
If you have a low credit score, you will likely have to pay a higher interest rate — or worse, your car loan application could be rejected. Credit can make a difference in your insurance costs, too. Most states let insurers weigh credit scores when setting rates. In other states, drivers with poor credit pay an average of $690 more per year for auto coverage than those with good credit, according to a 2017 NerdWallet study.
