 TITLE: How to Improve Your Payment History CONTENT: Which Bills Count Toward Your Payment History?\n----------------------------------------------\nThe types of accounts considered for credit payment history are those that involve repaying borrowed funds, including:\n*   **Credit cards:** Paying your minimum monthly payment before the due date is essential to keeping your credit card account in good standing. Making payments greater than the monthly minimum can help you save on interest charges and potentially boost your credit score, and paying on time will spare you late fees and penalties.\n*   **Other revolving credit accounts:** Personal lines of credit, home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), and any other accounts that let you borrow against a set credit limit and charge interest only on the funds you use are known as revolving accounts. (Credit cards are revolving credit too.)\n*   **Installment loans:** Credit reports track payments on all installment loans—those with fixed monthly payments, such as mortgages, student loans and auto loans. When you finish making payments on an installment loan, it will be noted in your credit report as closed in good standing, but its payment history will continue to benefit your credit until the loan is removed from your credit report, usually after 10 years.\n*   **In-store financing:** If a merchant such as a furniture store or electronics retailer lets you buy an item on a payment plan, that's another form of installment credit. The merchant (or the finance company they work with) may report your payments to the national credit bureaus, so they'll show up on your credit reports and can influence your credit scores. END