No open bankcards in your credit file

VantageScore code numbers

Code numbers can differ by bureau and score version. The wording of the statement is what to match.

What puts this reason on your score

A bankcard, in VantageScore's terms, is a credit card or charge card from a bank. It lets you carry a balance, and the monthly payment changes with it. A large share of the VantageScore 4.0 codes deal with how those balances and limits behave, so a file with no open card leaves a gap.

Watch the numbers here. In 3.0, code 47 covers this situation. In 4.0, code 47 means no open retail accounts, and code 90 means no open revolving accounts of any kind.

What to check on your credit report

• Whether any card shows as open on each report
• A card you still use that's wrongly shown as closed
• A card the issuer closed for inactivity

What you can do about it

• Open one card you can qualify for, such as a secured card, and use it lightly.
• Pay the statement balance in full each month.
• If an open card shows as closed, dispute it with the bureau.

How soon a change can show

A new card shows after its first report, usually within a billing cycle or two. The code clears once an open bankcard is on file.

If you are applying for a mortgage

If you plan to apply for a mortgage, open the card well ahead, several months or more, so the inquiry and the new account have time to age.

Guides that go deeper

• How secured credit cards workHow a secured card's deposit, limit and bill fit together, what scoring models see, how small limits inflate utilization, and how to get your deposit back.
• How to build credit from nothing, with a month-by-month planNo credit history at all? How a credit file starts, which first account makes sense, when a score appears, and a 12-month plan with the math shown.
• How to keep an unused credit card from being closedIssuers can close an unused card with no warning, and the lost limit pushes utilization up. Cheap, low-effort ways to keep a sock-drawer card active.
• How much credit mix counts in your scoreCredit mix is 10% of a FICO Score, and FICO says you don't need one of each account type. The math on taking a loan just to improve mix rarely works.
• What your credit score reason codes are telling youReason codes list what held your score back the most, in order. What the common ones mean, which you can act on, and which to leave alone.