Does Applying For Paypal Credit Affect Score?
PayPal Credit, originally called Bill Me Later, is a service that lets you finance purchases you make online and pay for them in installments with no interest. It can be a helpful funding method, yet you may ask yourself how it affects your credit once you apply. In this article, we will discuss with you how this application might impact your score and several other factors to consider.
What is PayPal Credit?
Since PayPal Credit is a line of credit that lets you buy now and pay for it later at millions of PayPal-approved stores, it functions much like a credit card. If you miss the due date, you may still make purchases and pay the whole amount at a later date as long as you pay a minimum amount every month with interest.
Important knowledge about PayPal Credit:
- Credit line restrictions range from $250,000 and upwards.
- The range of promotional financing is 624 months.
- There are no penalty rates for late payments and no yearly fees.
Synchrony Bank provides services like PayPal Credit. Applying for credit involves a mild draw on your credit record to produce an instantaneous credit decision free of effect on your score. Should the credit be approved, you may use a PayPal Credit account wherever PayPal is accepted.
Is There Any Consequence of Applying for PayPal Credit?
Whenever you apply for a new credit such as a credit card, personal loan, or even PayPal Credit, the provider must first pull your credit report and score to assess whether you qualify for credit. This raises another important question on whether applying for PayPal Credit affects credit rating.
To put it in simple terms, when you apply for PayPal Credit, it is considered a soft pull, meaning your credit score remains unaffected. Here are some key points about PayPal Credit and credit checks:
Soft Check Only: During the application process, PayPal Credit/Synchrony Bank will pull a soft credit check to look at your credit report and your application. Soft credit checks do not appear on your credit report or have any negative impact on your credit rating.
If Approved - Hard Check Occurs: If you do, Synchrony Bank will run a hard credit check to verify your identity and complete the account creation process. The impact of hard inquiries can lead to a slight temporary decrease in the score, usually not more than 5 points.
Additional Hard Checks If Denied: If your application gets rejected after the first soft inquiry, do not apply again as it will result in new hard inquiries from Synchrony Bank to verify your identity. Several hard checks within a short period mean credit seeking and a given credit record is likely to have a larger detrimental effect.
In conclusion – as for the fact that 1 hard credit check might cause a very small temporary decline – the convenience of having an open-ended credit line usually compensates for the adverse effects it could have. Just make sure not to apply for the same one many times to avoid many hard checks.
How to Apply for PayPal Credit While Minimizing Credit Exposure
If you’re interested in opening a PayPal Credit account but also want to keep credit inquiry impacts low, consider the following tips:
- Start by going through your reports from the three main credit bureaus; Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion for any inaccuracies that may have a negative influence on your approval. Argue with any of the scorereducing data before applying it to get the best score possible.
- Only apply for credit accounts that are necessary and can be utilized well. Lenders are wary when they notice an individual applies for so many accounts within a given period.
- Instead, politely request your credit card company to raise your credit limit. Sometimes you may be able to increase your limits without having to undergo new hard credit checks.
- It is advisable to use the balance transfer offers from existing credit card companies before applying for a new credit card with hard inquiries. These are ways that do not require the use of new accounts to open to allow credit access when one transfers existing balances.
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, applying for PayPal Credit itself should not negatively affect your credit as long as you are approved after the soft inquiry. However, if your application is declined, reapplying and getting declined results in making further hard inquiries which affects credit.
Pay attention to your reports, do not apply for too many accounts, and apply only for the accounts you consider using. If you make the above extra efforts, you can apply for PayPal credit while maintaining your credit score.
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