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How long will it take to go from no credit to good credit?

Building good credit can take longer than you think, so start early and use your credit wisely.

When you have no credit, working your way up to a聽聽can make you feel like an impatient child on a long road trip, asking, 鈥淎re we there yet?鈥� The difficult thing about credit scores is that they take a long time to build up but mere seconds to ruin.

If you start with zero credit and get a loan or a credit card, you鈥檒l have a credit history but not a聽. This can make it tough to qualify for聽. After six months of having a line of credit, you鈥檒l have a FICO score, but聽. If you make all your payments on time and borrow wisely, though, you could have a score over 700. (It won鈥檛 take as long to generate a credit score from聽, FICO鈥檚 competitor.)

If you鈥檙e having trouble qualifying for a loan or credit card, a聽听辞谤听聽might help you get a foot in the credit door.

What can I do to improve my score right now?

Here are some ways you can give a聽limited credit history a boost:

Inherit your parents鈥� good credit.聽If your parents have good credit and one of their cards reports authorized user activity to the three major credit bureaus, ask if they鈥檒l add you as an authorized user. If they do, it may聽help diversify the types of credit on your report and聽.

Learn what counts.聽If you just got a credit card, take the time to learn how credit scores are calculated so you won鈥檛 make a rookie mistake, like forgetting to make a payment or hitting your limit.

Keep up the good work.聽Unlike bankruptcies and聽, a good credit history stays on your credit report forever, as long as the accounts stay open. Make sure you鈥檙e putting your best foot forward, even when no one鈥檚 pulling聽.

Age matters for credit scores

There鈥檚 one thing that all borrowers with great credit聽scores have in common and younger borrowers lack: age.

Among the 0.2% of credit card users who have an 850 credit score, the average age was 61, according to a聽聽by SubscriberWise, a risk management firm. These elite borrowers had credit card files that were 30 years old, on average.

If you just got your first credit card, you鈥檙e not going to have a score over 800, no matter how hard you try. Instead of getting frustrated, make聽聽a long-term goal.

Keep accounts open 鈥� even ones you don鈥檛 use that often 鈥� so lenders can see your good borrowing behavior over time. Pay your bills punctually. Use less than聽. By starting all these good credit habits early, your credit score will improve down the road.

This article first appeared at .