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How Long Does It Take to Build–or Rebuild–Credit?

6 min read

Last Updated: May 7, 2025

Table of contents

Key Takeaways

There’s no quick fix to build or rebuild your credit. It’s a process that takes time and is influenced by multiple factors.
To establish your credit score, consider using a secured credit card or becoming an authorized user.
To stay on top of your credit score, always pay your bills on time and in full, if possible

Whether you're looking for your first credit card, want to take out a mortgage, or need a car loan to buy a vehicle, credit is an important part of a healthy financial life.

Your credit score helps to determine whether you get approved for credit, how much credit you can access, and your interest rates. If you have no credit history, you might wonder how long it takes to build credit. If you have a poor credit history, you might want to know how to rebuild it. How long it takes to build credit varies by person and their circumstances.

There’s no fixed amount of time you can expect to spend building credit history from scratch or rebuilding it. The process takes time and is influenced by many factors, like what type of credit you’re using, such as a credit card or a personal loan, and whether you have good credit habits.

Factors that determine how long it takes to establish credit

Everyone has a unique credit profile that can impact how long it takes to build credit history. For instance, a college student with no credit history at all may take a different amount of time to build a positive credit history than it would take someone with years of credit history and a recent dip in their score.

As you use credit, lenders report your activity to a major credit bureau–and sometimes multiple credit bureaus. Each credit bureau compiles a credit report based on that information.

Credit scoring agencies use the information from your credit report to calculate your credit score with algorithms called scoring models. One of the most common is the FICO^® Credit Score; 90% of top lenders use FICO^® Credit Scores, including Discover.¹ A FICO^® Score is comprised of five components with varying levels of importance. Other scoring models may calculate scores differently.

FICO^® Credit Scores consider the following for the general population¹:

Payment history (35%): Do you consistently make all your credit and loan payments on time? Your payment history accounts for the largest portion of your FICO^® Credit Score. Even one missed or late payment can impact your credit score.
Current debt (30%): How much of your total available credit is in use? Current debt is also referred to as your credit utilization rate. You should try to keep your credit utilization rate low to show lenders you can manage your debt. If you max out your credit limit or carry a high credit card balance from month to month, this can hurt your credit score.
Credit history length (15%): How long have you had access to credit and how have you used it? A long history of responsible credit use can positively impact your credit score. A short history can result in a lower score or no score.
Credit mix (10%): Do you have different types of credit? Creditors like to see that you can successfully manage a mix of revolving credit, like credit cards, and installment credit, like a personal installment loan or mortgage.
New credit applications (10%): How often are you applying for credit? Each new credit application usually comes with a hard credit check. Too many hard inquiries in a short timeframe can negatively impact your credit score.

How long does negative information impact credit scores?

Whether you’re trying to build your credit from nothing or rebuild your credit after a decline, it’s important to consider how negative credit information can impact your credit score.

According to Equifax, some negative information, including late and missed payments, can stay on your credit report for seven years. A bankruptcy can stay on your credit report for up to 10 years.

Methods that may help build or rebuild credit

While there's no magic trick for building or rebuilding your credit fast, it’s possible with patience, consistency, and good credit habits. If you’re just starting on your credit journey, you have a few good credit-building options.

Building credit history with a secured credit card

A secured credit card functions like an unsecured credit card but requires you to put down a cash security deposit before you're able to open an account. Secured cards are typically easier to get approved for than other cards because the deposit offsets some of the card issuer’s risk. After you demonstrate consistent responsible credit card use and build good credit history, your credit card issuer may upgrade your secured card to an unsecured credit card account and return your security deposit.

Did you know?

With a secured credit card from Discover, get your deposit back after six consecutive months of on-time payments and maintaining good status on all your credit accounts. If you qualify to get your deposit back, you’ll automatically be considered for a credit line increase.²

Learn More

Become an authorized user

As an authorized user, you can make purchases using someone else's credit account. The owner of the credit card account, known as the primary user, is entirely responsible for the account. As an authorized user, you typically get your own credit card that is linked to the primary cardmember's account. You can use it to make purchases, but you have no authority to make changes to the account or make payments.

You can use your status as an authorized user to establish your credit history as long as the credit card issuer reports authorized user activity to a credit bureau. You can ask the primary cardmember to reach out to their credit card issuer to confirm if they report to the credit bureaus.

Before becoming an authorized user, ensure the primary cardmember has a good to excellent credit score and a history of paying their bills on time. If they have bad credit habits, that could impact your score. Keep in mind that your credit habits may also affect their credit score. You should try to keep your spending well below the credit limit.

Ways to rebuild your credit

If your score has recently declined or you have poor credit, and you want to work on rebuilding, there are methods you can use to influence your credit score.

Pay bills on time. To stay on top of your credit score, you must consistently pay your bills on time. Even one late or missed credit payment can have a negative impact on your credit score.
Pay down credit card debt, in full if possible. Paying your credit card debt off in full each month demonstrates you can manage your credit and keep your credit utilization ratio low.
Only apply for credit that you need. Applying for credit requires a hard inquiry, which can negatively impact your credit score. Having credit available that you don't need can also create a situation where you might spend beyond your means.
Get a secured credit card. Just as a secured credit card can help someone who wants to establish credit, it can also act as an effective way to rebuild your credit.

The bottom line

Building credit may be important for your financial future, and it takes time. By understanding what factors can influence your credit score and methods that can help it, you can take the first steps toward a positive credit history.

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