Dear Prism experts,

Not many people know about this, but, with the rise of the use of credit in the past decade, the credit reporting agencies are now using utility bill history to calculate credit scores. So, if your utility bills are a bit messy, they can hurt your credit score.

Using Prism helps you stay on top of your utility bills, but what are some steps that you can take to stop your utility bills from hurting your credit score?

Keep the number of times you switch utility providers to a minimum. For instance, try sticking with only one internet provider for at least a year or two before switching to a new one. By doing so, the amount of times your credit reports will be pulled will be kept to a minimum.

Try and bundle your services. If you use two separate providers for your phone and cable services, try to find a provider that offers both services. Doing so is often more affordable and you will have only one bill to pay each month, minimizing the risk of damaging your credit score.

Monitor your bills from month to month. You'd be surprised how many people out there set their bill payments on auto-pay, only to discover added fees, months later, that ended up costing them hundreds of dollars.

Check with your utility companies to see if they offer a fixed average payment plan. This way, you can avoid the seasonal fluctuations on your utility bills each month, allowing you more room to better budget your bills. This is especially relevant if you live up north and the heating costs break through the roof in the winter.

Just remember – your credit score can be the key to your financial success, so guard it at all times!

See also: 7 Things You Didn't Know Affect Your Credit Score