How to Increase Your Credit Score by Paying Rent Online

We have some great news for you: You can boost your credit score by paying rent online! As you pay your rent on time every month, credit bureaus see how trustworthy you are and often give your score a boost. One study by TransUnion found that paying rent online improved renters’ scores by as much as 16 points within six months, with the greatest increase happening for those who started with a credit score below 620.

When you pay rent online with AMC, your payments get reported to credit bureaus, it checks the boxes for a responsible borrower, and it can help you boost your score even more when combined with credit card payments.

Getting Reports to the Credit Bureaus

“Simply paying your rent will not help you build credit,” says Bev O’Shea at NerdWallet. “But reporting your rent payments can help you build credit—especially if you are new to credit or do not have a lot of experience using it.”

Not all apartment companies report rent payments to credit bureaus, but at Corona Pointe Resort and Townhomes, we do! We can’t report those payments, though, unless the transactions are completed online. We send a record of your on-time rental payments to the credit bureaus that take them, and that contributes to your good credit.

In order to opt in for the credit reporting, follow these steps:

Checking the Boxes for a Responsible Borrower

What goes into a credit score? And does paying rent online count for any of it? For one example, Experian determines credit scores through your use of credit cards, payment history, and applications for new loans and credit. When you pay rent online, those payments become part of your payment history, and as you keep paying on time and online, your history gets longer and stronger.

And for an Even Higher Score . . .

. . . consider paying your rent with a credit card!

LaToya Irby, a credit expert for The Balance, suggests that you “open a credit card and use it to pay your rent . . . then pay your credit card balance in full each month. The timely credit card payments will help boost your credit score.” Whether or not you pay with a credit card is up to you, but it can be a nice boost to your credit score on top of the benefits of paying your rent online.

Ready to boost your credit score? Next time rent comes due, consider paying rent online by heading to the resident portal ! We’ll report your payments to credit bureaus, and after a while, you might just see your score increase. And if you choose to pay with a credit card, you may increase your score even more.