 TITLE: How to Get a Small Loan With No Credit CONTENT: Why Don't I Have a Credit Score?\n--------------------------------\nNot having a credit score doesn't necessarily mean you have bad credit. It simply means the credit bureaus don't have enough information about your credit history for a credit score to be assigned. Perhaps you don't have any credit accounts, or you only have one or two and are deemed to have a thin credit file. Common reasons you might not have a credit score include:\n*   **You've never used traditional credit accounts.** Credit reports keep track of your interactions with credit and debt. If you've never taken out any type of loan and have never had a credit card, you won't have a credit history that scoring models can assess.\n*   **You haven't used credit within the past 24 months.** Credit bureaus need to see activity on your credit accounts to generate a score. Ensure your accounts remain active by using each of your credit cards occasionally and paying the bill on time.\n*   **You're a recent immigrant.** You may have had an excellent credit score in your home country—but unfortunately, that score won't transfer to the United States. You'll need to start from scratch when building your credit history as a recent immigrant. END