| Factor | Rough weight | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Repayment history | Largest single factor | Never miss a due date. One 30-day delinquency can sit on the report for years. |
| Credit utilisation | Second largest | Keep balances under 30% of limit per card, and lower on the card you use most. |
| Credit age | Substantial | Keep your oldest card open even if unused. Do not close accounts to "clean up". |
| Credit mix | Modest | A healthy mix of secured (home, car) and unsecured (card) credit helps over time. |
| New enquiries | Modest | Space applications out. Several hard enquiries in a month reads as stress. |
Weights vary between bureaus and are not published in exact percentages - treat these as ordering, not arithmetic. What is certain is that payment history and utilisation dominate, and both are under your control.
Days 1-7. Pull your report from all bureaus. Look for errors first: a settled loan still showing as outstanding, a duplicate account, or a card you closed still reported as active. Disputes are free and lenders must resolve them, so clear errors before anything else.
Days 8-30. Set auto-pay for the full amount due on every card and loan. Paying the minimum due protects you from a late mark but keeps utilisation high, which is where most people lose points.
Same window. Cut utilisation. Pay cards down mid-cycle rather than waiting for the due date - the balance reported on the statement date is what the bureau sees. On a 30,000 limit, going from 27,000 to 9,000 of reported balance is the change that moves the needle.
Days 30-90. Freeze new applications: no new cards, no shopping-site credit offers, no "check your eligibility" forms that trigger a hard enquiry. Keep old accounts open and idle.
Day 90 onward. Apply to two lenders, not eight. Use the eligibility guide to check what you can afford before applying, and simulate the EMI in the EMI Calculator.
Closing old cards. It lowers your average credit age and raises utilisation on what remains - two negatives for one perceived cleanup.
Paying only the minimum due. No late mark, but the balance persists at a high reported level and interest compounds.
Being a guarantor. A loan you guarantee can be treated as your obligation, raising your FOIR and cutting your eligible amount.
Serial balance transfers between cards. Frequent new accounts and utilisation shifts look like dependency on credit.
Settling a loan instead of closing it. A "settled" status is materially worse than "closed" for future approvals, even if it costs less today.
How quickly can I improve my score?
Two to three clean statement cycles for visible movement. Errors, utilisation and enquiries respond fastest; credit age only improves with time.
Does checking my own score reduce it?
No - that is a soft enquiry. Only lender-initiated hard enquiries can affect it.
What score do I need for a home loan?
750 and above for the best rates at most banks; 700-750 is workable at a wider spread; below 700 expect a higher rate or a co-applicant requirement.
Personal Loan Eligibility · Get the Lowest Rate · Balance Transfer