Is store credit good for credit score?

No way, store credit doesn’t just magically stay off your credit report. It absolutely affects your score, just like a regular Visa or Mastercard. Think of it this way: those store cards are usually backed by a real bank (like Synchrony or Comenity, for example – I’ve had a few!), and banks definitely report everything to the credit bureaus. So, everything you do – every late payment, every maxed-out limit (ouch, been there!), every on-time payment (yay!) – it all gets noted.

I remember when I first got a store card at that department store… what was it called… oh yeah, Macy’s! I thought, “Oh, this is just for discounts, it won’t matter.” Boy, was I wrong! It showed up on my credit report alright. It helped me build credit eventually, because I used it responsibly, but I could have really messed things up if I hadn’t. So, yeah, treat store credit just like any other credit card. It’s real credit, real consequences, the whole shebang. Makes you wonder why they don’t explain that better upfront, huh?