Editorial standards

Answer first

Every guide starts with the short answer to the question you searched for. The detail comes after.

Primary sources

Rules, numbers and time windows come from primary sources: FICO, VantageScore, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, the three credit bureaus and the card issuers themselves. Each guide lists its sources. Product details that change, such as which issuers accept an ITIN, carry the date we last checked them.

Reviewed by a person

Guides are drafted with help from software and then reviewed by our founder, a former member of the Credit Karma credit score team. A guide is only listed in search engines after that review.

What we won't do

• Promise that your score will go up by a certain amount or by a certain date.
• Tell you accurate negative information can be removed. Disputes are for mistakes.
• Send you to credit repair companies. You can dispute errors yourself, for free.
• Tell you that you are "pre-approved" for anything.
• Give investment advice.

Corrections

If you spot a mistake, tell us and we will fix it and update the date on the page.