Effects of credit cards and loan accounts can be positive. For example, retail charge cards can be a good way to establish or improve your credit. Because the card limits are generally low, you may pose little risk to the creditor. So, you may be approved with little or no credit history. Using these cards responsibly may help establish your creditworthiness for more significant credit (such as a vehicle loan or a mortgage) in the future. Unfortunately, the interest rate on charge cards is much higher than regular credit cards because of the higher risk involved. Use these types of cards sparingly.

Like retail charge cards, secured cards can be the first step toward repairing your credit history. With secured credit cards, you are required to deposit money with the issuer of the secured card that partially or completely covers the amount you may charge on your card. If you default on your card payments, the creditor may withdraw the money you have on deposit to repay the debt. In some cases, however, the card may be converted to an unsecured card if you make satisfactory payments for a specified length of time. Your secured card will help you establish or improve your credit only if you make the payments in a timely manner. Even though you have money on deposit with the card issuer to secure the debt, you must pay at least the monthly minimum to keep your credit history from looking even worse.

On the other hand, loans and credit cards can have a negative impact. First of all, applications for credit are reported to credit bureaus as an inquiry and remain on your report for 24 months. Lenders may become suspicious if they see numerous credit applications within a short period of time. Fearing that you may become overextended on the amount of debt you can handle, they may deny you credit simply because you've applied for too much.

Furthermore, late and missed payments will appear on your credit report. For each credit account you have, your credit report will contain a detailed history of your payment record over the last 12 to 24 months. Derogatory information may remain there for seven years or longer, depending on the type of notation. Each time you're late making your credit card payment or miss a payment, you're undermining your credit history and weakening your chance to obtain loans in the future.

Finally, all open accounts with no balances also appear on your credit report, even if you don't use them. Because they increase your potential debt-to-income ratio, open but currently unused accounts can prevent you from obtaining new credit. To prevent this situation, get a copy of your credit report. If your report shows that you have cards you no longer use, call the issuing companies to cancel them.