There are so many reasons to try and build a strong credit score as it can help lower your financial stress in several ways.
Your score is used by lenders to decide if you’re a good person to lend money to, or potential landlords may use it as part of the vetting process to decide if they want to rent to you or not.
But what if you need a boost in your credit score? Check out some of these apps that could help you build your credit history.
If you’re over 50, take advantage of massive discounts and financial resources
Over 50? Join AARP today — because if you’re not a member you could be missing out on huge perks. When you start your membership today, you can get discounts on things like travel, meal deliveries, eyeglasses, prescriptions that aren’t covered by insurance and more.
How to become a member today:
- Go here, select your free gift, and click “Join Today”
- Create your account (important!) by answering a few simple questions
- Start enjoying your discounts and perks!
Important: Start your membership by creating an account here and filling in all of the information (Do not skip this step!) Doing so will allow you to take up 25% off your AARP membership, making it just $12 per year with auto-renewal.
What’s a credit booster app?
A credit booster or credit builder app could help build your credit history with different options.
Some apps will lend you money that you pay back over time to help build your score by reporting to the credit score agencies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — that you’re a responsible person to lend money.
Other apps allow you to pay bills through their apps and then report the payments to credit score agencies to help you build your credit history. Payment history accounts for 35% of your FICO credit score.
What are the pros and cons?
Credit booster and credit builder apps can be a good option to consider if you need to build your credit history, especially if you're applying for a car loan or mortgage application.
But it’s also important to consider some of the costs associated with these types of apps. You may have to pay a monthly service fee to use the app, or you could be agreeing to a loan from the app with a high interest rate.
Make sure you factor in the advantages and potential costs before you decide to sign up with one of these credit booster apps.
Grow Credit
Streaming services like Netflix or Hulu, for example, get paid by you each month but don’t do much to help build your credit history.
That’s where an app like Grow Credit can help. You can pay for your streaming services through Grow, and the company will report your annual line of credit to the credit bureaus.
For the basic plan, you can pay up to $17 a month in your streaming bills through Grow along with $2.99 a month or $29.99 per year for a report sent to the credit bureaus who will see that Grow has extended you an annual line of credit worth $150.
Resolve $10,000 or more of your debt
Credit card debt is suffocating. It constantly weighs on your mind and controls every choice you make. You can end up emotionally and even physically drained from it. And even though you make regular payments, it feels like you can never make any progress because of the interest.
National Debt Relief could help you resolve your credit card debt with an affordable plan that works for you. Just tell them your situation, then find out your debt relief options.1 <p>Clients who are able to stay with the program and get all their debt settled realize approximate savings of 46% before fees, or 25% including our fees, over 12 to 48 months. All claims are based on enrolled debts. Not all debts are eligible for enrollment. Not all clients complete our program for various reasons, including their ability to save sufficient funds. Estimates based on prior results, which will vary based on specific circumstances. We do not guarantee that your debts will be lowered by a specific amount or percentage or that you will be debt-free within a specific period of time. We do not assume consumer debt, make monthly payments to creditors or provide tax, bankruptcy, accounting or legal advice or credit repair services. Not available in all states. Please contact a tax professional to discuss tax consequences of settlement. Please consult with a bankruptcy attorney for more information on bankruptcy. Depending on your state, we may be available to recommend a local tax professional and/or bankruptcy attorney. Read and understand all program materials prior to enrollment, including potential adverse impact on credit rating.</p>
How to get National Debt Relief to help you resolve your debt: Sign up for a free debt assessment here. (Do not skip this step!) By signing up for a free assessment, National Debt Relief can assist you in settling your debt, but only if you schedule the assessment.
Self
Self is a credit builder that will give you a loan and allow you to repay it, building credit over 24 months to help build your credit history.
There are various levels, starting with a $600 loan that you’ll pay back at a rate of $25 a month for 24 months. Self will then report your loan payments to help strengthen your score.
Be aware that the loan has more than a 14% interest rate, so you’ll spend $89 over the two years of the loan.
StellarFi
Connect your bank account to StellarFi, and you can pay your bills as usual through the service to help build your credit.
Instead of paying a bill directly, StellarFi withdraws the cash from your checking account to pay the bill and then reports that bill paid to credit agencies.
You can choose from two payment plans that cost either $4.99 per month or $9.99 per month, depending on the features you need.
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Chime®
Chime® allows you to use a Secured Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card that you prepay, and then it will report your completed purchases to strengthen your credit.2 <p>Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services and debit card provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A. The secured Chime Credit Builder Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A.</p> 3 <p>The secured Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa credit cards are accepted. Please see the back of your card for its issuing bank. To apply for Credit Builder, you must have an active Chime® Checking Account.</p>
To start, you have to have a Chime® Checking Account. You can also add money to your account as you go along to potentially help build your credit.
Experian Boost
Experian — one of the three credit score reporting companies — allows consumers to use its on-time bill payments to strengthen their credit.
With the Experian Boost app, you can connect bank accounts, credit card accounts, or accounts you use to pay rent. The program will review your payment history to find bills you’ve paid on time.
Bills that can work as part of Experian Boost include phone, cable, internet, and water bills, online rental payments, and more.
Kikoff
Kikoff allows you to spend up to $750 in its online store in exchange for reporting your paid purchases to credit score agencies to help build your credit history.
Kikoff reports on-time payoffs to the credit bureaus to help your score with each purchase you make.
There are some catches to this app, as you have to pay $5 per month in service fees, and you can only shop with Kikoff to get credit for your purchases.
Other ways to help build your credit
There are more traditional ways to strengthen your credit history if you don’t want to use a credit builder or booster.
The most important way is to pay your bills on time. Overdue notices or overdue fees can negatively impact your score, so it’s important to stay on top of your bills.
You can also open a credit card to expand your line of credit but don’t go overboard on spending. Opening additional lines of credit still means you have to pay them on time.
Earn cash back on everyday purchases with this rare account
Want to earn cash back on your everyday purchases without using a credit card? With the Discover®️ Cashback Debit Checking account (member FDIC), you can earn 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month!4 <p>See website for details.</p>
With no credit check to apply and no monthly fees to worry about, you can earn nearly passive income on purchases you’re making anyway — up to an extra $360 a year!
This rare checking account has other great perks too, like access to your paycheck up to 2 days early with Early Pay, no minimum deposit or monthly balance requirements, over 60K fee-free ATMs, and the ability to add cash to your account at Walmart stores nationwide.
Don’t leave money on the table — it only takes minutes to apply and it won’t impact your credit score.
Bottom line
Credit builders and boosters may be good options if you need to strengthen your credit for a loan application or want better interest rates from lenders.
But make sure you understand all the pros and cons of credit builders or boosters before you sign up for one, such as fees or interest rates.
And if you want to build wealth, make sure to only spend within your means and stick to a budget.
Lucrative, Flat-Rate Cash Rewards
FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Current Offer
$200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months
Annual Fee
$0
Rewards Rate
Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases
Benefits
- Low spend threshold for its welcome offer — $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months
- Cell phone protection benefit (subject to a $25 deductible)
- Can redeem rewards at an ATM for literal cash
Drawbacks
- Foreign transaction fee of 3%
- No bonus categories
- Select “Apply Now” to take advantage of this specific offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
- Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
- 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. 19.49%, 24.49%, or 29.49% Variable APR thereafter; balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate and fee of 3% then a BT fee of up to 5%, min: $5.
- $0 annual fee.
- No categories to track or remember and cash rewards don’t expire as long as your account remains open.
- Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
- Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
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