What's actually in your credit report (and what most people never check)

Most people only ever look at the three-digit score at the top of their credit report and never scroll further. But lenders read the full report, and two sections matter almost as much as the score itself: your credit utilisation and your account history.

Credit utilisation is how much of your available credit card limit you're actually using, on average. Above 30% utilisation starts to work against you, even if you pay in full every month — lenders read high utilisation as a sign of cash-flow pressure, regardless of intent.

Account history looks at how long your credit accounts have been open and how consistently they've been paid. A single missed payment from years ago matters less than a lender might assume if everything since has been on time — but repeated late payments, even small ones, weigh heavily.

One line item people often miss: hard inquiries. Every time you apply for credit and the lender does a full credit pull, it's logged and can shave a few points off your score for a few months. This is exactly why a soft eligibility check — one that doesn't touch your report — is worth doing before you commit to a full application.