{"id":16721,"date":"2024-03-21T14:00:55","date_gmt":"2024-03-21T14:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/?p=16721"},"modified":"2026-04-08T13:54:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:54:35","slug":"how-to-build-credit-with-a-credit-card","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/credit-cards\/how-to-build-credit-with-a-credit-card\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Adding a Credit Card Improve Your Credit Score?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>One of the more confusing aspects of rewards travel is how applying for credit cards affects your credit score. If you're considering applying for a new card, you might wonder if adding a credit card can improve your credit score. Conventional wisdom has it that applying for more credit cards will negatively affect your credit score and is somehow frowned upon by lenders and credit providers. But that\u2019s not necessarily the case.<\/p>\n<p>Your credit score does take a temporary dip when applying for new cards, particularly if applying for more than one in a short period. But provided you do the other things to <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/credit-cards\/how-is-credit-score-calculated\/\" rel=\"noopener\">maintain healthy credit<\/a> \u2014 like paying your credit card accounts on time and in full every month \u2014 adding more credit cards to your points and miles arsenal can actually increase your credit score over time.<\/p>\n<div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"toc_light_blue no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Page Contents<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#How_Are_Credit_Scores_Calculated\">How Are Credit Scores Calculated?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Why_Do_Credit_Scores_Dip_When_You_Get_a_New_Credit_Card\">Why Do Credit Scores Dip When You Get a New Credit Card?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#How_Adding_a_Credit_Card_Improves_Your_Credit_Score\">How Adding a Credit Card Improves Your Credit Score<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Extend_the_length_of_your_credit_history\">Extend the length of your credit history<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Reduce_your_credit_utilization_rate\">Reduce your credit utilization rate<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#Bottom_Line_Does_Adding_a_Credit_Card_Improve_Your_Credit_Score\">Bottom Line: Does Adding a Credit Card Improve Your Credit Score?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n<h2><span id=\"How_Are_Credit_Scores_Calculated\">How Are Credit Scores Calculated?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Our post on <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/credit-cards\/tips-managing-credit-score\/\" rel=\"noopener\">how to manage your credit score<\/a> covers this in more depth, but here's a recap. Credit bureaus calculate your credit score on the following criteria for your FICO<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> score:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>35% payment history: <\/strong>Late payments represent a much higher credit risk for lenders<\/li>\n<li><strong>30% amounts owed: <\/strong>Also referred to as credit utilization rates <em>or<\/em> available credit versus how much is in use<\/li>\n<li><strong>15% length of credit history: <\/strong>Average age of revolving debt accounts<\/li>\n<li><strong>10% new credit: <\/strong>Hard pulls (credit inquiries from applications) and new accounts show here<\/li>\n<li><strong>10% credit mix:<\/strong> Ensure you have diverse types of credit, like car loans, mortgages, guarantor accounts, credit cards, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_147807\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"600\/480\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-147807 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Karolina-Grabowska-Pexels-woman-with-phone-and-credit-card-featured.png\" alt=\"a woman holds a credit card while reading information about it on her smart phone\" width=\"600\" height=\"480\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Karolina-Grabowska-Pexels-woman-with-phone-and-credit-card-featured.png 1000w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Karolina-Grabowska-Pexels-woman-with-phone-and-credit-card-featured-300x240.png 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Karolina-Grabowska-Pexels-woman-with-phone-and-credit-card-featured-768x614.png 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Karolina-Grabowska-Pexels-woman-with-phone-and-credit-card-featured-325x260.png 325w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><center><em>Credit: Karolina Grabowska\/Pexels<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<p>Essentially, lenders want to see you diversifying your credit portfolio over a sustained period, paying your bills on time, and keeping your utilization rates low. If you tick all these boxes, credit providers are often more than happy to offer you new cards and financial products \u2014 or even increase your credit limit on existing cards \u2014 as you represent a &#8220;safe bet.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>We recommend keeping a close eye on your credit score, checking it weekly via a free FICO access offered on cards like the <a data-ccid=\"520083\" href=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/credit-cards\/citi-thankyou-rewards\/citi-strata-premier\/\">Citi Strata Premier<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Card<\/a> or Amex EveryDay<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Credit Card. You also can <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/credit-cards\/free-credit-score-check\/\" rel=\"noopener\">get a free copy of your detailed credit report every week<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Alternatively, use a service like <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/creditscorecard.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Credit Scorecard from Discover<\/a>\u00a0or <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/blog\/link\/CreditKarma\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">Credit Karma<\/a>\u00a0to ensure cards and payments are updating on your credit file correctly. This way, if anything untoward pops up that gives you cause for concern, you can immediately address the issue. For even more options, check out the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Comparison_of_free_credit_monitoring_services\" rel=\"noopener\">full list of free credit score and reporting services<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Why_Do_Credit_Scores_Dip_When_You_Get_a_New_Credit_Card\">Why Do Credit Scores Dip When You Get a New Credit Card?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When you apply for a new credit card, the credit provider performs a credit check, otherwise known as a &#8220;hard pull.&#8221; A hard pull gives the potential lender access to your entire credit report, which can help them decide whether you\u2019ll receive approval for the card, the amount of credit you'll be provided, and the interest rate on the card. Hard pulls or credit inquiries cause a small, temporary drop in your credit score. Expect an immediate drop of two to five points per inquiry. However, this could be higher if you have limited credit, such as those applying for their first credit card.<\/p>\n<p>Too many inquiries in a short timespan will cause a more pronounced dip in your credit score; that's one of the reasons <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/credit-cards\/rewards-card-application-rules\/\" rel=\"noopener\">we recommend spacing applications out over a longer period<\/a>. The dip in your credit score starts to fade within weeks of the application. Typically, you'll see the impact from that inquiry fade within six months; at the 12-month interval, that hard inquiry likely has no impact on your credit score (depending on the exact scoring model and version used).<\/p>\n<p>From this point on, provided you follow the credit card best practices set out above, adding a credit card can improve your credit score, helping to increase your credit score over time. That's because you'll have more available credit and additional accounts showing good behavior on your credit report.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"How_Adding_a_Credit_Card_Improves_Your_Credit_Score\">How Adding a Credit Card Improves Your Credit Score<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Opening a credit card account can improve your credit score by lengthening the combined age of your credit accounts, lowering your credit utilization rates, diversifying your credit portfolio, and showing your ability to manage a significant amount of revolving credit responsibly. These are all factors that play key roles in calculating your credit score.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_138892\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"600\/480\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-138892 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/2-people-looking-at-smart-phone-credit-card-information-featured-300x240.jpeg\" alt=\"2 people looking at smart phone to read credit card information\" width=\"600\" height=\"480\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/2-people-looking-at-smart-phone-credit-card-information-featured-300x240.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/2-people-looking-at-smart-phone-credit-card-information-featured-768x614.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/2-people-looking-at-smart-phone-credit-card-information-featured-325x260.jpeg 325w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/2-people-looking-at-smart-phone-credit-card-information-featured.jpeg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><center><em>Credit: Bank of America<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<h3><span id=\"Extend_the_length_of_your_credit_history\">Extend the length of your credit history<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>One of the key factors credit agencies look at when calculating your credit score is how long accounts have been open. Having just one or two accounts open for a short length of time may count against your score initially, but over time it adds to the overall length of your credit history, gradually increasing your credit score. One of the reasons <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/credit-cards\/when-should-i-downgrade-a-credit-card\/\" rel=\"noopener\">we recommend downgrading credit cards<\/a> instead of canceling them outright is that credit lines with a long history can help improve your credit score. Opening a card now won't help in this area, but keeping it open for years to come will.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Reduce_your_credit_utilization_rate\">Reduce your credit utilization rate<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Credit utilization plays a huge role in determining your credit score. Almost a third of your credit score is calculated by your use of existing lines of credit, with lower utilization rates looked upon more favorably than high ones. So, how do more credit cards help lower your utilization rates?<\/p>\n<p>The more credit cards you have, the higher your total available credit, which lowers your utilization rate, as long as you keep the same spending habits. Here's a simple example of how that could work:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>If you have one credit card with a $10,000 limit and you spend $3,000 per month,<\/strong> your utilization rate is 30% ($3,000 \/ $10,000).<\/li>\n<li><strong>If you get a second credit card with a $10,000 limit and still spend $3,000 per month on cards,<\/strong> your utilization is now 15% ($3,000 \/ $20,000).<\/li>\n<li>Imagine if you have <strong>five credit cards, each with $10K limits ($50K total) and you still spend $3K per month<\/strong>. Your utilization rate is now 6% ($3,000 \/ $50,000).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span id=\"Bottom_Line_Does_Adding_a_Credit_Card_Improve_Your_Credit_Score\">Bottom Line: Does Adding a Credit Card Improve Your Credit Score?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>So, does adding a credit card improve your credit score? Absolutely! If used responsibly and paid off in full each month, rewards-earning credit cards can not only help push your credit score higher but can provide access to amazing travel experiences for pennies on the dollar. And, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/credit-cards\/how-is-credit-score-calculated\/\" rel=\"noopener\">higher credit scores mean you can be approved for better cards.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>If you want to live in the points and miles world for the long term and exchange credit card rewards for excellent travel adventures, you need to look down the road \u2014 not just at the present. Mix up the types of credit you access, don't apply for too many cards in a short time period, keep your credit utilization rate low, and pay your accounts off in full each month. And make sure any card you pick up helps you <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/travel\/beginners-travel-rewards-strategy\/\" rel=\"noopener\">focus on your travel goals<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the more confusing aspects of rewards travel is how applying for credit cards affects your credit score. Conventional wisdom has it that applying for more credit cards will negatively affect your credit score, and is somehow frowned upon by lenders and credit providers. But that\u2019s not the case. A strong credit file with many credit accounts and a proven history of on-time payments is exactly what creditors want.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":156534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12055],"tags":[12519],"coauthors":[36404],"class_list":["post-16721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-credit-cards","tag-application-strategy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<title>Does Adding a Credit Card Improve Your Credit Score?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Believe it or not, adding a credit card does improve your credit score over time. 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