How to take charge of your credit this year

Whatever your financial goals this year, your credit is likely to play a role in achieving them. Take a fresh approach to your credit by brushing up on the basics.

Once you have revisited the basics, sit back and enjoy the perks of good credit: a shot at rewards credit cards, lower mortgage or car loan rates and more.

Here's your crash course on credit:

The short answer: Many.

There are two major credit-scoring companies: FICO and VantageScore. They make different versions of scores that lenders, employers and landlords use to size up your credit habits. The phrase "your FICO score" refers to FICO 8, the version typically used in lending decisions. If you have used a free credit score service or seen a free score through your bank, it's likely the VantageScore 3.0. Both scores range between 300 and 850. Lenders decide which version of your score to use. That means car dealers and mortgage lenders could tap different scores.

When you are tracking your score, look at the same version each time — otherwise, you're comparing apples and oranges.

Following two rules puts you on the path to a good score: Pay bills on time and use less than 30% of your credit card limits — the lower, the better.

Other factors, such as how long you have had credit, the mix of installment loans and credit cards you have and how recently you applied for credit matter much less in your scores.

Knowing what doesn't affect your score will spare you from needless worry. For example, checking your own credit score never hurts it, whether you do it once a day or once a year.

People often think utility payments help their scores, but with most scores, they don't. These payments can only hurt them if you are over 30 days late on a payment. Then, the bill may be charged off or sent to a collector, who can report it to the credit bureaus.

Another common misconception — especially among millennials — is that having many credit cards is bad for your score. As long as you keep your credit utilization low and space out applications, having a number of cards isn't bad.

The credit report is the detailed history of how you borrowed money. You have three: one each from Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, the major credit bureaus. Your credit reports contain loan and credit card payment records, personal data to identify you, addresses and information from public records such as bankruptcies and foreclosures. While it may seem strange, credit reports don't include your credit score.

You're entitled to at least one free copy of each report annually, which you can get by going to AnnualCreditReport.com.