Difference between Credit Score And CIBIL Score

Lenders are enhancing the importance of your credit score day by day. Whether it is a bank, financial institution, NBFCs or any other form of lending institution, you will get credit or any other form of debt only and solely on the basis of your credit score. As this term is used widely, it is important to know the difference between certain associated terms. Many of you define both the credit scores and a CIBIL score as the same term. However, both these terms have a slight difference. Let us understand the terminologies behind both these terms in a detailed way. 

What is a credit score?

A credit score is a mathematical or a numerical representation of your creditworthiness. It gives a score to your creditworthiness that ranges from 300 to 900. The higher your score is, the higher is your credibility and lenders will find it easier to provide you with a debt. This is because they will get assured that you will be able to repay your loan on time, as represented by your credit history. 

A credit score defines your credit history, credit usage, determines the combination of secured and unsecured loans in your credit report and many other points to be considered. This helps lenders to go deeper into your credit life and look what type of a borrower you are. If you want to obtain any loan or credit, you will need a credit score of 700 and above. 

What is a CIBIL score?

A CIBIL score is a credit score provided specifically by the CIBIL bureau. There are four credit bureaus in India and CIBIL is one of them. The other three credit bureaus are Experian, Equifax, CRIF Highmark. CIBIL stands for Credit Information Bureau (India) Limited, and is also known as TransUnion CIBIL Limited. CIBIL is a credit bureau that records, analyses and maintains all the information that are related to credit activities, for both the individuals and the companies. 

Therefore, we can conclude that a credit score is a score that can be provided by any of the credit bureaus whereas a CIBIL score is a credit score that is authorized by the CIBIL department. 

How to check CIBIL score on the official website?

You can also check the CIBIL authenticated score on other partner websites as well. However, if you want to check CIBIL score on the CIBIL’s official website, you can fill in the details on the website. 

You can check the CIBIL score for free once a year or you can also access the subscription plans on the website. The paid plans also provide you with some of the additional features. 

Maintaining a good credit score

Many of the borrowers underestimate the importance of a good credit score. A strong financial health forms with a good credit base, that means, a good credit history. It is important to maintain your credit score if you want to obtain any form of debt. The most important thing that should be considered if you want to maintain your credit score is to pay your bills on time and maintain consistency. If you miss any of your EMIs, your credit score can be dropped by 100 points. It usually takes from six months to a year to gradually build your credit score. 

The Bottom Line

There is not much difference between CIBIL score and a credit score. Both of these terms represent your creditworthiness. A credit score can be a score from any of the credit bureaus. However, a CIBIL score is a score authorized by CIBIL. To avail a loan or best credit cards in India, you should have a minimum CIBIL of 700. Banks consider scores below 700 risky to provide the borrowers with any debt. 

Consistency is a key to building your credit score. You should maintain your credit utilization ratio under 30% and pay your credit card dues on a timely basis. You can also enhance the usage of your credit card to increase your credit utilization ratio. Remember to have a balanced mix of secured and unsecured loans so as to avoid the image of a credit-hungry applicant. You can also go for a free CIBIL score check as there are many third-party websites which are providing the free CIBIL scores facility.