Which one of these factors helps your credit the most?

Paying your bills on time

Having a high income

Keeping the same credit cards for a long time

FICO scores range from 300 (lowest) to 850 (highest). The median score (the person right in the middle) has a score of:

650

675

700

725

If you want one of those prime rate credit cards, you probably should have a score that's at least:

650

700

800

At any given time, your core FICO score will fluctuate:

plus or minus 5 points

plus or minus 10 points

plus or minus 25 points

If a husband's credit is not so good while the wife's is stellar, the card company will:

Give more weight to the bad score

Give more weight to the good score

Give more weight to the primary card holder

There's no telling

To get one of those low-rate cards, what the company wants to see most is:

High income

High credit score

Lots of assets

Stable job history

Being an authorized user on another person's card:

Could help your credit

Could hurt your credit

Could have no effect on your credit

All of the above

Credit card companies analyze your credit habits:

When you apply for a card

Once a year

Constantly

There are three credit bureaus. Your score:

Should be exactly the same at all three

Could vary from bureau to bureau

If you apply for a credit card, it will go on your credit report:

Only if you are declined

Only if you are approved.

Regardless of whether you're approved or declined

You've been paying one credit card on time, but have been a little late with payments on a second card. Your ''favored'' card will probably:

Ignore your behavior with the other card. (Hey, as long as we're getting paid, that's not our problem.)

Punish you by increasing your rate or lowering your credit limit. (If you do it to them, you'll do it to us.)

Throw some nice incentives your way. (We're first in your wallet -- and we want it to stay that way.)

You have five credit cards and two are maxed out. Your best move for your FICO score is:

Close out some of the unused accounts so that you don't have the specter of all that potential debt.

Keep everything open and pay down the balances.

Apply for additional credit.