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Why does nobody talk about how long it actually takes to build credit from zero
I'm 26, never had a credit card because I was scared of debt. Got my first one 6 months ago, a secured card with a $200 limit. I've paid it off every single month on time, never carried a balance. Just checked my credit score for the first time and it's 647. That's it. 6 months of perfect payments and I'm still deep in the "fair" zone. My buddy who makes $15 an hour and missed two car payments last year has a 720. What's the point. Has anyone else started from scratch and felt like the system is rigged against people who never messed up?
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the_wendy2mo ago
That sound about right, my cousin's credit score was higher after one careless weekend with a store card than my two years of perfect payments.
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irisowens2mo ago
My first secured card was $300 limit. Took me 14 months to crack 700. What changed was getting a second card and putting one small recurring bill on each - my Netflix on one, my phone bill on the other. Set autopay for the full balance. That utilization rate dip and the extra account helped more than the perfect payments alone.
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