Your credit score is one of the most powerful numbers in your financial life. It can decide if you’re approved for a loan, the interest rate you pay, or even the insurance premium you’re offered. A good score can save you thousands over time. A weaker score can make everyday life more expensive. That’s why it’s so important to understand how your score is built — and how recent changes in credit reporting and scoring could affect you.
This year, we’ve seen updates in what gets reported, how scores are calculated, and how lenders use them. Many of these changes are good news, but only if you know how to take advantage of them.
2025 Credit Score Changes Every Member Should Know
1.) Medical Debt Reporting Rules in 2025
What Changed for Medical Debt and Your Credit Score
Earlier this year, a federal rule was set to remove all medical debt from credit reports. That plan was overturned in July. The good news: the credit bureaus’ voluntary changes are still in place:
- Paid medical collections are gone.
- Unpaid medical debt waiting period is extended to one year.
- Medical debts under $500 aren’t reported.
How to Check and Dispute Old Medical Debts
If you’ve paid off a medical collection or had a small one in the past, your score may have improved without you realizing it. Check your report at AnnualCreditReport.com to confirm old medical debts are gone and dispute any that remain.
2.) New Credit Score Models for Mortgages
What VantageScore 4.0 and Bi-Merge Mean for Borrowers
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are beginning to allow VantageScore 4.0 and bi-merge credit reports (two bureaus instead of three) for mortgage underwriting. These changes will roll out gradually but will matter more in the years ahead.
Steps to Prepare Your Credit Before House-Hunting
Different scoring models weigh your history differently. If your score is stronger with one bureau than another, a bi-merge could help — or hurt. Check all three bureau scores (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) and work on improving your lowest one so you’re ready no matter which are used.
3.) Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) and Credit Reporting in 2025
Why BNPL Payments May Not Boost Your Score Yet
Some BNPL lenders now report payments to the credit bureaus, but most scoring models still don’t count them toward your score. Even so, you’ll want to treat BNPL like a credit card: track every payment and avoid juggling multiple plans.
How Missed BNPL Payments Can Still Hurt Your Credit
While on-time BNPL payments may not help your score, late ones can still damage it — and the impact can happen quickly. It’s easy to lose track of multiple BNPL plans, and a dispute or return gone wrong could leave a negative mark.
4.) Student Loan Payments and Credit Reporting After the Pause
Why Student Loan Delinquencies Are Back on Reports
The pause on pandemic-era reporting of federal student loan payments ended in 2024, and missed payments are now showing up again in 2025.
How to Avoid a Credit Score Drop from Student Loans
Even one late student loan payment can lower your score for months. If you can’t make a payment, enroll in an income-driven repayment plan before it’s late.
5.) How Rent Payment Reporting Can Boost Your Credit
Why Rent Isn’t Automatically in Your Credit File
More lenders and scoring models now include rent payment history, which is often your largest monthly expense. However, a good history of on-time payments only builds your credit if it’s reported.
How to Get Your On-Time Rent Payments Counted
Ask your landlord or property manager if they report rent. If they don’t, you can use a rent-reporting service to add it to your credit file.
6.) Automated Lending Decisions and Credit Score Consistency
How Automated Systems Approve or Decline Applications
More lenders now use automated underwriting systems to instantly approve or decline loan applications based on your credit score and report. A human may only step in if something unusual or complex appears.
Why It Pays to Keep All Three Bureau Scores Strong
If your scores vary widely between bureaus, you could be approved by one lender but denied by another. Check all three reports, correct errors, and keep your positive activity balanced across all accounts.
Common Credit Score Myths (and the Truth)
- My score is the same everywhere. Not true — lenders use different models and bureaus.
- Closing old cards helps my score. Usually false — it can shorten your history and raise your utilization.
- Checking my score hurts it. Not when you do it yourself — that’s a “soft” inquiry.
3 Quick Credit Score Wins for 2025
- Pull your free credit report and check for mistakes.
- Automate at least one bill you’ve been paying manually.
- If you rent, get it reported — or at least track it in a way you can show lenders.
Bottom line
Your credit score isn’t just a number — it’s a key to opportunity. The changes happening in 2025 give you new ways to strengthen that key. The sooner you act, the more you can open doors in the future.
Chartway’s Financial Education resources and our partner GreenPath can help you take the right steps now, so your score works for you when it matters most.
For more helpful information about your credit score, read last year’s blog: Unlock the Secrets to Skyrocket Your Credit Score and Conquer Debt