Although your credit score is a mere three digits, it’s an extremely powerful number. Just a few points could cost or save you tens of thousands of dollars when you buy a home or car.

Even if you aren’t in the market for a big purchase right now, your credit score can also impact your ability to qualify for a credit card, rent an apartment or even afford car insurance.

If it’s been a while since you’ve checked in on your credit score, don’t fret. You can explore some of the best apps to build credit right here. Just make sure you sign up for them through KashKick so you can earn a reward!

Want a credit score primer before diving in? Learn why good credit is so important.

How Credit-Building Apps Work

Credit-building apps are designed to help you establish or improve your credit score. Each app has its own approach, but most of them work in one of the following ways:

Credit-Builder Loans

Some apps let you take out small loans that you repay in fixed monthly installments. These on-time payments are then reported to the major credit bureaus, which helps demonstrate responsible borrowing and on-time payment history.

Unlike traditional loans, you don’t usually get the money upfront when you take out a credit-builder loan. Instead, it’s held in a secured account until you finish paying.

Secured or Credit-Reporting Cards

Another way to build credit is to get a secured card or virtual credit line. You can deposit money into the account, then the app lets you spend up to that limit. On-time payments are then reported to credit bureaus, which helps build your credit safely and without the risk of accumulating debt.

Bill and Subscription Reporting

Some apps allow you to report recurring bills—like utilities, rent or even subscriptions—to the credit bureaus. This simple action can boost your score even if you don’t have traditional credit accounts yet.

Financial Tracking With Credit Impact

Certain apps combine credit-building tools with personal finance features. These will help you monitor your spending, remind you of payments and offer small credit-builder loans over time. The idea is that by maintaining these habits, you can improve your credit over time.

The Best Apps to Build Credit

Not all credit-building apps are created equal. Some are ideal for beginners while others are best for boosting your existing score.

Below, we’ve rounded up the top apps to build credit on KashKick, so you can choose the right one for your goals—and earn a nice KashKick bonus.

Note that KashKick’s deals are subject to change, so you may find different credit-building apps when you explore your options. What’s important is that deals within KashKick are vetted, and they come with a Kash bonus!

1. Shop and Boost Your Score with Perpay

Do you want to build credit and expand your buying power without the hassle of a risky credit card? Perpay allows you to buy what you want and spread your spending across several paychecks.

Start with a spending limit of up to $1,000 to shop major brands in its marketplace for electronics, home goods, apparel and more. Get the things you want and pay for them automatically in installments from your future paychecks.

Unlike a credit card, Perpay uses your income to determine your spending limit, not a credit score. So no credit check needed! But it can boost your credit score by reporting your payments.

If you upgrade to Perpay+ for $3 a month, after four months of at least $200 in installment payments, Perpay will start reporting as a line of credit to the major credit bureaus. As long as you’re making payments on time, this can help your credit score by adding a positive payment history, length of history, credit inquiries and mix of credit to your report.

Perpay says it helps users boost their credit score by an average of 32 points in three months!

Register and shop with Perpay. When you make your first payment, you’ll get your Kash reward from KashKick!

2. Build Credit While You Save with Brigit

Brigit is a personal finance app that helps you earn and save, get instant cash advances, and build credit—it’s the real deal!

While many ways to build credit require you to take on extra debt, the Brigit Credit Builder feature actually lets you build a positive credit history while building your savings.

Here’s how it works:

• You decide how much money you want to save each month—as little as $1!
• Brigit opens a credit builder installment loan and secures the funds in your account. You don’t have access to the funds, however, so it’s not like taking on regular debt.
• As you save money into your account, you make payments toward the loan, and the money is unlocked for you to access.
• Brigit reports your loan payments to credit bureaus to help you build a positive payment history—a huge factor in your credit score.

Brigit’s credit builder loan is available with the Premium plan, which costs $14.99 per month. With that, you also get credit score monitoring, access to instant cash advances and identity theft prevention.

You’ll earn a Kash reward when you subscribe for Brigit’s Plus or Premium plan through KashKick!

3. Bank Online and Build Credit with Chime

Chime lets you manage your money on the go through a popular online banking app with features including:

• Checking with a Visa debit card.
• High-yield savings account.
• Credit Builder Secured Visa Credit Card.
• No-fee overdraft coverage up to $200.
• Second-chance banking.
• Early payday (up to two days early!).

Chime’s credit builder card is a Visa credit card you can get with no credit check and no security deposit.

To build credit with Chime, you just move money from your personal checking account into the Chime Credit Builder account to secure the card, and you can spend that amount with the credit card. You can make payments manually or set your secured account to automatically pay your credit card balance on time each month.

Chime reports payments to major credit bureaus, so you can safely build credit without the risk of accumulating overwhelming debt.

Chime is free to use—no monthly fees, no minimum deposit and no minimum balance to maintain. And you’ll pay no interest on the credit card!

Sign up for Chime through KashKick, and receive your first direct deposit to receive your Kash reward!

4. Build Savings and Credit with Self

Self is a financial company dedicated to helping you build credit.

It offers tons of ways to do this, but the coolest one is its Credit Builder account.

Self offers four 24-month plans to help you build credit through a credit builder loan: $25, $35, $48 or $150 per month. Here’s how they work:

• You save the designated amount into your Self account each month. (Self holds the loan money in a certificate of deposit.)
• Self reports your deposits as payments toward a loan, helping you build a positive payment history on your credit report.
• At the end of your payoff term, you’ll get the money you’ve saved (minus around 15% in interest in fees).

If you need to access the money early, you can apply for a Self Visa credit card, which is secured with the money in your account. Automatic on-time payments from your account toward the credit card add even more positive payment history! The card comes with an annual fee of $25 after the first year.

Sign up for Self and earn a Kash reward after depositing $100 for your card, and another when your Self Credit Builder Account is active and in good standing for 32+ days.

5. Get a Safe Line of Credit from Kikoff

Kikoff offers a unique way to build credit by shopping strictly through its online store.

With Kikoff’s Basic plan for $5 a month, you’ll get a $750 line of credit to spend at Kikoff’s “online store.” Through the store you can purchase financial literacy ebooks or online courses starting at $10 each, or credit builder plans to help you establish a payment history.

Your line of credit doesn’t expire, so you can take your time building credit without spending much each month. As you make payments on your line of credit, Kikoff reports your activity to all three credit bureaus.

You can also upgrade to higher-tier Kikoff plans for a larger line of credit, rent reporting to improve your credit score and identity theft insurance.

If you want to spend your credit outside of Kikoff, you can apply for a secured credit card. It requires no credit check and works a lot like a debit card: You’ll set your credit limit with an initial deposit, and your balance is paid automatically from the account. You can even use the card to get cash at an ATM and earn rewards on your purchases.

To earn your Kash reward, sign up for Kikoff and complete your first monthly payment.

6. Maximize Your Credit Profile with Magnum

Magnum, a CreditStrong product, helps you maximize your credit profile by adding a large amount of credit to your credit report. This could be the right fit for you if you’re looking to unlock higher spending limits on your credit card, access higher-value personal loans or maximize your credit score.

According to Magnum, customers who make consistent on-time payments have seen an average 86-point increase in their credit score. You’ll get free monthly credit score updates so you can track your progress.

When you create an account through KashKick, pay the admin fee and continue after the first billing cycle, you’ll bank your Kash reward.

7. Tap Into a $1,000 Line of Credit with Fizz

A credit and money app called Fizz can help you build credit on auto-pilot. 

With the Fizz card, you can access up to a $1,000 line of credit. You can pay off your balance daily, earn rewards, and you won’t have to deal with interest or hidden fees.

Beyond making payments, Fizz will help you understand what factors impact your credit score, notify you when anything changes and even help you reach your savings goals.

You can get started for free on iOS or Android, then opt into a membership for even more tools.

You can earn three levels of Kash rewards: when you sign up, purchase a subscription, and apply for the Fizz Card and get approved for the line of credit.

8. Secure Your Money and Build Credit with Credit Sesame

If you already have some credit and want to improve it without opening a new credit card or line of credit, then it’s time to look into Credit Sesame.

With Credit Sesame, you can get daily credit score refreshes, credit report summary, same-day monitoring alerts, a personalized action plan and more. Credit Sesame will also match you to financial products that fit your goals—from auto loans to insurance.

You can sign up for free (no credit card required) and get an easy Kash reward.

9. Work Toward Your Best Credit Score with SmartCredit

If you’re looking for a quicker fix, SmartCredit users add an average of up to 34 points to their score in as little as 30 days! 

This DIY credit solution can help you maximize your credit with the right tools. Compare loans in a marketplace with offers tailored to your current and future scores. No hard credit checks are required, either.

SmartCredit also offers an online data removal request service and $1 million in fraud insurance at no extra charge.

You can get started with a free seven-day trial, then purchase a monthly plan to get your KashKick reward.

10. Build Your Credit on Autopilot with Cheers

Cheers to better credit! Cheers is another credit-builder loan option that can help you build more payment history and improve your credit mix.

Rest assured, your payments are held in a secure, FDIC-insured savings account with a partner bank. At the end of the loan term, you’ll receive all the money you paid in, minus the low interest and any fees.

Cheers offers several flexible plans depending on where you are in your credit journey. When you purchase a plan through KashKick, you can claim a reward.

11. Remove Inaccurate Items on Your Credit with The Credit Pros

The credit bureaus aren’t always perfect. Sometimes inaccurate information can get uploaded to your report and lower your score. That’s where The Credit Pros can help. 

The Credit Pros can review your reports and update or remove inaccurate items. The service also provides financial and credit-building tools and educational resources to help you better understand what’s on your report. (This is great for those just jumping into the world of credit.)

Credit monitoring is included at no additional charge, helping you spot any potential identity theft.

When you enroll with The Credit Pros, you can snag a KashKick bonus!

12. Firstcard

The Firstcard Secured Credit Builder Card allows you to build credit faster and safer since what you deposit is what you can spend. 

Even better: You’re pre-approved, so no credit checks are necessary. International students, immigrants and others without Social Security numbers are also welcome to apply.

Here’s how it works:

• Apply for Firstcard.
• Move money into the account.
• Build your credit score by using the card.

Firstcard users see their scores increase 52+ points on average within three months.

As for the interest you pay? There’s 0% APR. But what’s cool is that with Firstcard Premium, you can earn 4% interest on your balance (APY).

Learn more about Firstcard, then apply through KashKick. Once you’re approved, you’ll get a bonus!

How to Choose the Best App to Build Credit for You

With so many options, it’s important to remember the best credit-building apps are the ones that fit your financial habits, goals and comfort level. 

As you weigh your options, here are a few considerations:

• Fees. Some credit-builder loans charge interest (APR) while others come with monthly subscription fees or required upfront deposits. This is totally normal, but it’s important to choose what’s best for your budget.
• Credit bureaus. There are three major credit bureaus—Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. Look for a credit-building app that reports to all three, so your score can improve across the board.
• Timeline. Credit-building isn’t instant. With some solutions, you might see an increase in just a couple of months. Others might require more patience. Choose a program that fits your goals.
• Experience. Different apps cater to different financial situations. For example, if you don’t have any credit at all, you’ll likely want to look for an option that doesn’t require a credit check like Firstcard. If you have bad credit, look into a tool that provides a tailored action plan, like Credit Sesame or perhaps take out a credit-builder loan for a structured, low-risk path forward.
• Approach. Some apps and features require you to be more hands-on while others are more automated. Take the approach you’ll realistically stick to.
• Additional features. Many apps also offer tools to help you budget, keep an eye out for scammers or even get cashback when shopping, so keep an eye out for what will most benefit you!

How Long it Takes to Build Credit

Building credit doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a gradual process. The good news is most apps set realistic expectations from the start. Generally, you can expect…

• In one to three months, you’ll often see small improvements, especially if you’re adding positive payment history to your report with a credit-builder card or loan.
• After six months, you might notice more meaningful progress with consistent on-time payments.
• Six to 12 months typically mark the largest gains for users. Credit scores reward positive patterns, so the longer you demonstrate on-time payments and low balances, the more your score benefits.

In other words, if you take the right steps, you can see progress early on. As you continue to work toward improving your score, it will only continue to grow!

Final Thoughts

Building credit can feel like a daunting task, but today’s best apps to build credit make the process simpler, more transparent and more accessible—whether you’re starting from scratch or rebuilding after setbacks.

When you download these apps through KashKick, you can give yourself a little Kash reward for your hard work. 

Even sweeter: When you want to make a little extra money to put toward your budget, you can complete small tasks—like playing games and taking surveys—and watch your KashKick balance grow. As soon as you collect $10, you can cash out through PayPal!