Starter Path Picker
Your first credit accounts
Answer four questions and get the starter path that fits your situation, with the exact steps.
Can you set aside 200 to 500 dollars as a refundable deposit?
Has a trusted family member offered to add you to an old card that stays at a low balance and has never had a late payment?
Do you have a Social Security number or an ITIN?
Do you have a US bank account?
Bonus: report the bills you already pay
Rent and utility reporting can add history without new debt. Read the fine print: coverage differs by bureau and score model, and some services cost money.
Experian Boost
FreeExperian only
Links to your bank account and adds on-time utility, phone, and streaming payments to your Experian file. Only lenders who pull Experian with a model that reads this data see any effect. Older FICO models, including the ones most mortgage lenders use, ignore Boost data entirely. Nothing reaches Equifax or TransUnion.
eCredable Lift
Subscription, a few dollars a monthTransUnion only
Reports utility and phone accounts to TransUnion, and can add up to 24 months of past history. A lender pulling Equifax or Experian sees no change. Check current pricing before you sign up.
RentReporters
One-time setup fee plus a monthly feeTransUnion and Equifax
Verifies rent with your landlord and reports it monthly. Past rent can be added for an extra fee. Fees add up over a year, so weigh the total cost against what a rent tradeline does for you. Rent tradelines are read by newer models like FICO 9, FICO 10, and VantageScore, but FICO 8 and the older FICO models used for most mortgages mostly ignore them.
Boom
A few dollars a month, plus a one-time fee for past rentEquifax, Experian, and TransUnion
Reports current rent monthly and can backfill up to 24 months of history. One of the few services that reaches all three bureaus. The same model caveat applies: newer scores may count rent, older FICO mortgage models mostly do not.
Piñata
Free basic planTransUnion on the free plan
Built around renters whose landlords partner with the service, with a rewards program attached. Confirm which bureaus receive your data before you count on it, and remember that many score models ignore rent data even when it is on file.