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# Common Credit Mistakes

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/t3wblCrz.m3u8" -->
## Video: Common Credit Mistakes

[Watch (HLS stream): Common Credit Mistakes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/t3wblCrz.m3u8) (1:40)

![Common Credit Mistakes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/t3wblCrz/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2016-02-26. Stefanie O'Connell clears up some mistakes surrounding credit._


---

Jul 27, 2023 7:40 PM UTC

---

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---


## Transcript

[ MUSIC ] What do even responsible young people get wrong about credit? Well, the thing about credit is that it's a measure of how well you borrow money. So in order to build credit, you have to be borrowing money through a credit card, for example, not a debit card, where you're just having the money withdrawn from your account. Even if it says Visa on it. That's right. Or MasterCard. Visa, MasterCard, no. You need Credit card, not debit. That's the key word, not the logo. In order to build credit. Exactly. So let's say you've built up credit, you have a credit card, now trying to understand your credit card.

Maybe you're paying your card on time. What are some other mistakes you might make? Well you don't wanna use up your total credit line at any given point, so if you get your credit score checked and you're using over 30 % of your current credit line, so that would be over $ 300 on a $ 1, 000 credit line, for example that shows that you look a little bit desperate to borrow. Why is this person trying to use so much of their credit line? Is it because they can't afford to pay back what they already owe? And that might not be the case, of course, but if that's when your credit gets checked, that's what it looks like to the lender.

So, you always want to keep your credit utilization below that 30 % Mark. Right. So even if you pay your card on time, your score can look bad, essentially. Exactly, exactly. You think you're being responsible, but if you know you're gonna get a credit check. For example, if you're applying for an apartment or for a loan or a mortgage, pay off all your balances then, even if your due date's not for another 10 or 20 days. [ MUSIC ]

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