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There is no doubt that how you manage your credit (paying your bills as agreed) has a very substantial effect on your credit score regardless of the type of credit (automobile loan, mortgage, credit card, etc.) that makes up your credit file. In fact, a common credit score fallacy is the assumption that missing a payment on your mortgage loan has a more substantial impact on your credit score compared to missing a payment on a credit card. Not true, holding all else equal. The score focuses on the recency, frequency and severity of the missed payment, not the type of credit for which it has occurred.
[Related Article: Good Debt Versus Bad Debt]
While I don’t tend to categorize types of credit as of “good or bad,” the type of credit one has or uses can have a degree of impact on the credit score—some examples to consider:
While there are areas where the type of credit has a different impact on score, I would caution against trying to alter your credit profile with this insight as a means to increase your score. The key to having good credit is to consistently pay your bills on time, keep your credit balance low and only seek new credit when you really need it.
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