Your Credit Score Matters, But We Care More About Your Driving
Due to your low credit record, your insurance premiums may remain the same even if you are the safest driver on the road. Auto insurance will cost you a fortune if you drive carelessly. But according to a recent study, when their credit score is low, even the most careful drivers—those without a history of collisions or other motor mishaps—face substantially higher premiums.
For years, the insurance industry has used credit ratings as a justification to charge bad credit people higher premiums. It makes no difference if the consumer has a clean driving record. The information in your credit reports may have a significant impact on many aspects of your life, including your vehicle insurance. Many insurance firms, as permitted by law, utilize a credit-based “insurance score” when reviewing insurance applications.
What Does Your Credit Score Reveal About Your Driving Habits?
Credit scores are used by insurers to assess a driver’s responsibility. The evidence suggests that those with high credit scores manage their money well and are more likely to drive responsibly. Similarly, persons with lower credit ratings may be less responsible drivers, which may lead to more accidents.
There is some evidence to back this assertion, such as a Federal Trade Commission independent inquiry. It was shown that drivers with poor credit were more likely than those with strong credit to file automobile insurance claims. Although there will occasionally be outliers, this is the typical trend.
Since the goal of insurance firms is to reduce risk to themselves, they evaluate almost anything that may be used as a reliable indicator of risk, including credit ratings. The average yearly vehicle insurance rate goes up from $2,646 to $3,622 when you have poor credit, an almost $1,000 increase. However, this varies greatly depending on the state and insurance company.
Why Is Having Good Credit Important?
While it is possible to survive with poor credit, doing so is likely to be difficult and costly. For the following reasons, developing and keeping good credit will make life much easier for you.
v Lower rates on car insurance
The advantages of having a good credit score include lower vehicle insurance prices. While vehicle insurance companies cannot reject coverage based on your credit history, they can charge you extra if your credit score is low.
Credit history is one of the elements considered by car insurance providers when calculating premiums. If your credit history is bad, it implies that you manage your financial commitments poorly, which may also imply that you are a reckless driver.
Insurance companies will thus believe that you pose a higher risk and will raise your rate. You are more likely to be a responsible driver if you have a good credit history and handle your money well. Your premiums will be cheaper if you have good credit since vehicle insurance companies will view you as less of a risk.
v No security deposits
With strong credit, you may also avoid paying exorbitant security deposits when opening new accounts. When you start an account with a utility provider, you might have to pay a security deposit if your credit is bad. Electricity, cable, internet, and mobile phone companies, among others, analyze the credit ratings of their customers to assess if they can count on timely payments.
When opening an account, persons with bad credit are sometimes required to pay a security deposit; in contrast, those with strong credit will profit by avoiding such fees. These deposits make sure that, in the event that you miss or are late with payments, the utility providers will have the money necessary to settle your account. These security deposits can cost up to a couple of hundred dollars, however, the price varies.
v Better job opportunities
Apparently, having a decent credit score might impact your capacity to find work. This is one benefit of having good credit. Employers want to guarantee that they are selecting the best applicants. They carry out thorough background checks—which, for certain businesses, may also involve a credit check—to do that.
There is a risk that your credit will be reviewed, depending on the employer and the position you are applying for. Your credit history demonstrates to potential employers how careful you are with money management. Your potential employer may be concerned if your credit score is poor because they may believe that you are less likely to effectively meet work obligations or that you pose a danger for fraud or theft.
v Higher loan amounts and credit limits
A good credit score not only increases your chances of getting accepted for loans and lines of credit, but it may also help you acquire access to larger sums of money. The quantity of money you may borrow is determined by two factors: your income and your credit history. Lenders and credit card firms are more likely to award you a larger loan and credit amounts if your credit history is good.
Banks and credit card providers can see that you can effectively handle loans when your credit history is in excellent condition. Consequently, you might be able to borrow more money for a mortgage, a credit card, or a car loan, if you have good credit.
v Better housing opportunities
You’ll have greater possibilities for housing, whether you decide to buy or rent a house, which is another advantage of having good credit. If your credit is strong, home mortgage lenders are more likely to grant a loan; the amount you’ll be authorized for may also be higher. The better home you can buy depends on how much money you can borrow for a mortgage.
Rental homes follow the same rules. Most landlords verify an applicant’s credit history, especially those that manage big communities with access to a variety of facilities. Property owners want to be sure that the people they are renting to will meet their financial obligations, such as paying the rent, just like lenders do. Your application for a rental in a community with more facilities or in a desirable location is more likely to be accepted if your credit is in good standing.
v More financial opportunities
Your access to more financial options will increase if you have high credit. Financial institutions and credit card firms want to make sure that they are dealing with reliable customers who have a history of repaying their debt on schedule. One of the major advantages of having good credit is that it increases your likelihood of getting loans or credit lines if your credit history and score are strong.
If your credit history and credit score, on the other hand, demonstrate poor debt management, your chances of getting authorized for loans and credit cards will be reduced. In fact, depending on your history and score, you may be completely rejected.
v Lower interest rates
Not only does getting higher credit make being authorized for a loan or credit card easier, but having a strong credit score also makes it more inexpensive to receive more credit. When you borrow money or create a credit line, you are charged interest. An interest rate is the amount of money charged by a lender or credit card firm for borrowing money. You must not only repay the amount borrowed, but you must also pay the interest rate.
The stronger your credit, the cheaper your loan and credit card interest rates will be. Lower interest rates can save you a significant amount of money over time. Poor credit ratings, on the other hand, result in higher interest rates on loans and credit cards, as well as increased expenses.
How To Boost Your Credit
As you can see, your credit history has a variety of effects on you. You may profit from all the advantages a strong credit history offers if you manage your money well. You should be mindful to establish a strong foundation for your credit if you are just starting. If your credit history is only mediocre, you may attempt to improve it.
Here are some ideas you may utilize to develop, maintain, and recover good credit.
You must make some regular efforts over a longer duration if you want to improve your credit score.
Try to follow these steps:
- Make sure you pay all of your payments on time.
- Use no more than 30% of the available credit on your credit cards each month.
- Clear any credit card debt you may have.
- Avoid applying for new credit on a regular basis.
- Close no more than one credit card in a six-month period.
Another option to help you improve your credit is to apply for a secured credit card. These cards often have minimal credit limits and hardly pay rewards. Some additionally add on annual fees. However, card issuers accept applicants with bad credit and record payments to credit bureaus. This might raise your credit score if you make on-time payments, but it’s important to manage your expectations.
Improving your credit score overnight is impossible. Even if you follow all of the steps perfectly, it will most likely take months or even years to see a significant increase in your credit score. However, this does not imply that you must pay excessive auto insurance premiums throughout that time.
Customers with poor credit are more severely penalized by some insurers than by others. You can determine which provider will give you the best rate by comparing quotes for vehicle insurance.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that improvement in your score takes time. Therefore, it is advisable to start right away. Make today the day you battle with your bad credit score. Your score will improve with time, and you’ll be able to enjoy its benefits.