Avoid The
Credit Wreckers

It might be shockingly easy to wreck your credit score, but it‘s far less likely to happen when you know exactly what to avoid.

Costumed character of a talking slice of bread with big eyes and a wide smile, holding a credit card in one hand and a piece of paper in the other, standing by a red car.

MAX OUT

Max Out’s eyes are bigger than his wallet. When he sees something he wants, he buys it… and his credit score pays the price. He frequently buys himself little treats, but even small purchases can easily add up to big balances, pushing his credit card limits. What Max Out doesn’t know is that using his full credit limit can lower his score. If only he knew he might be able to set balance alerts to keep his credit utilization under 30%.

Stay Below 30% Credit Limit Utilization

MISS PAYMENT

Miss Payment means well, but more often than not she misses her monthly credit card payments, and each one missed can stay on her credit report for up to seven years! She could be using AutoPay, but she’s afraid of overdrafting her bank account. If only she knew she might be able to schedule her due date to better align with her payday.

How Not To Miss A Payment

CANCELINA

Watch out for Cancelina. She just loves canceling her unused credit cards once they’re paid off. But what she doesn’t know is that canceling them can decrease the length of her credit history and hurt her credit mix.

Don't Cancel Your Old Or Unused Credit Cards

one track jack

One Track Jack only has eyes for one... one type of credit, that is. But what he doesn’t know is that by focusing all of his attention on only one type of credit, he isn’t building a more robust credit mix — which could limit his credit growth.

Why You Should Diversify Your Credit