If you’re responsible about paying your cable bill on time, your cable bill likely won’t impact your credit score at all. Payments on your cable bill generally are not reported to the credit bureaus — unless they’re seriously late. In that case, if your payments are late enough to be sent to collections, you could see your score drop.
Also, if you use a credit card to pay your cable bill, it could impact your score, depending on how you manage those payments. Learn more here.
Key Points
• Cable bills typically do not affect credit scores unless unpaid and sent to collections.
• Using a credit card to pay cable bills can impact credit through payment history and utilization ratio.
• Managing a credit card responsibly to pay cable bills can help positively impact a credit score.
• Secured credit cards and authorized user status on a credit card can build credit history.
• Paying bills on time and keeping low credit card balances builds credit.
What’s a Cable Bill?
A cable bill is a statement for an unpaid entertainment service or subscription, like a cable television subscription or package plan. It might include costs like the base price of the plan or service, along with other fees.
Cable bills fall under the “utility bills” category, which includes other household expenses, like electricity, water, and gas. However, unlike those essential utilities, cable service might be one of the first expenses to cut if you’re living on a budget.
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How Not Paying Your Cable Bill Affects Your Credit
Your cable bill generally doesn’t affect your credit score — that is, unless you fail to pay it.
On-time cable bill payments won’t help you build credit, nor will they strengthen it. That’s due to the fact that cable servicers don’t traditionally report timely payments to the major credit bureaus (Experian®, Equifax®, and TransUnion®).
If you’ve missed multiple payments, servicers can do one of two things: charge off the unpaid balance or send it to collections. In both situations, your credit score will take a hit.
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How Do Late Cable Bill Payments Affect Credit Score?
Whether paying a cable bill late affects your credit depends on how late you are with payment. Typically, late payments are reported to credit bureaus when they’re at least 30 days overdue and are marked delinquent.
If you provide a late payment after your due date, but before it’s sent to the bureaus, the consequences are at your service provider’s discretion. However, if the payment was made after the late payment was reported, or you missed a payment entirely, your credit score will usually drop.
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How Long Does Late Cable Bill Payment Negatively Impact Your Credit?
Late payments that are reported to the credit bureaus have a lasting effect, whether it was one indiscretion or a chronic occurrence. Late cable bill payments can stay on your credit report for up to seven years.
As such, if you’re finding yourself routinely struggling to put aside enough for your cable bill, you might look into methods for saving on streaming services.
How to Use Your Cable Bill to Build Credit
Paying bills with a credit card is a straightforward way to establish credit when you’re new to it. If you’ve been approved for your first credit card, you might consider using it to pay for your cable bill.
Then, when your credit card bill is due, you can make a manual payment. Even better, set up automated bill payments ahead of time so you never miss a bill.
As you make on-time payments on your credit card, your card issuer will routinely report your positive payment data to the credit bureaus. Over time, with responsible credit card repayment and keeping your revolving debt manageable, you can build your credit.
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Alternative Ways to Build Credit
If you’ve never had credit or you want to take steps to positively impact your credit profile, here are a few other strategies to build credit.
• Get a secured credit card. A secured card can offer a small credit line to new credit users. It requires a deposit, which the card issuer typically sets as your credit limit. As you use your card up to this limit and repay it, the issuer reports your payment activity to the bureaus.
• Get a retail card. Store-branded credit cards, such those from department stores, gas stations, or retail brands, can be easier to get than traditional credit cards. However, they usually have lower credit lines.
• Make payments on time. When you do open a new credit card or installment loan, stay on top of monthly payments as they account for 35% of your credit score. Organize bills to identify when your due dates are, and consider enrolling in auto-pay to conveniently pay your bills on time.
• Apply for an installment loan. This might include consumer loans, like a secured personal loan or an auto loan, to help you build your credit file. If you’re a college student and need additional financial aid beyond scholarships, grants, or work-study, a student loan can help pay for your education and establish your credit profile. Always seek out federal student loans first, before a private student loan. Federal loans offer greater borrower protections and benefits.
• Ask your landlord to report rent payments. Most landlords don’t report your on-time rental payment data to the credit bureaus. However, more third-party services, including Experian’s own Experian RentBureau, are making this possible. Ask your landlord if they are willing to share your good rent payment activity with credit bureaus for your credit file.
• Become an authorized user. Ask someone with whom you have a close relationship, like a parent, grandparent, spouse, or sibling, if they will add you to their credit card account as an authorized user. Some lenders report good payment habits to the credit bureaus for all users on the account. Even if you’re not liable for making payments on the credit card, the reported data can establish your credit and build your score.
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The Takeaway
Although your cable bill typically doesn’t impact your credit score, staying in good standing on the account can help keep your credit out of trouble. That’s because seriously overdue payments can show up on your credit report, where they’ll remain for up to seven years. On the other hand, one way that you can get your cable bill payments to have a positive effect on your credit is by using your credit card to pay it and always paying your bill on time.
Whether you're looking to build credit, apply for a new credit card, or save money with the cards you have, it's important to understand the options that are best for you. Learn more about credit cards by exploring this credit card guide.
FAQ
Does paying cable bills on time build your credit score?
Cable providers typically don’t report on-time payments to the credit bureaus. Since this data isn’t shared with the bureaus, timely payments don’t directly affect your credit score. However, if you pay on time with a credit card, that could positively affect your score.
Do late cable bill payments hurt your credit score?
Late cable bills affect credit scores if they’re marked as a charge-off by your provider or are sent to a debt collector. Accounts with these statuses are reported to credit bureaus and harm your score.
Are cable bill payments reported to a credit bureau?
Cable bill payments typically aren’t reported to credit bureaus, unless you’ve missed multiple payments that have been charged-off or are in collections.
Photo credit: iStock/damircudic
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