If you want a good credit score, you must make payments on time. This often-repeated rule is more like an undeniable fact: A solid payment history is necessary for a good credit score.
Unfortunately, a perfect payment history alone doesn’t guarantee a perfect score. A number of different factors beyond payment history affect your credit score. Neglecting any one of them can leave you with a bad credit score. You can have bad credit even if you make all payments on time and have never been a day late with mortgage payments, credit card bills or car payments.
