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If you’ve ever wondered what your credit score is, or avoided checking it altogether, you’re not alone. For many people, credit can feel confusing or even a little intimidating. But the truth is, understanding your credit doesn’t have to be complicated. Today, you can quickly monitor your credit score right from your phone and learn what it actually means. You can also see how your debt-to-income ratio plays a role (we’ll explain DTI). This free financial tool is super useful if you’re looking for guidance on how to improve your credit score. Here you’ll find personalized recommendations to help you improve and insights to guide your next steps.

Here’s how to use SavvyMoney and what you’ll learn about your credit score and debt-to-income ratio.

Your Credit Score – Right in your Pocket

United Members have access to view their estimated credit score at any time, right from your phone. United’s app includes SavvyMoney, a free tool that helps you monitor your credit score and debt-to-income ratio. Log in and quickly view your credit score at any time, without impacting it.

Think of it as a quick financial check-in, anytime you log in:

• Log in to digital banking
• View your updated score estimate
• See any recent changes

What Your Credit Score Actually Means

Your credit score affects what interest rate you can get on a car, whether you’ll get approved to rent an apartment and more. A credit score is a snapshot of how you manage money and debt. A higher score can open the door to better rates and more options, while a lower score may make borrowing more expensive, or harder to access.

Your credit score is based on key factors: 

• Paying bills on time
• How much credit you’re using
• The length of your credit history
• The types of credit you have

How SavvyMoney Helps

Instead of guessing, SavvyMoney breaks down your credit score for you in a clear, easy-to-understand way. You can see what’s influencing your score and track how it changes over time, so you’re always working with real insights, not assumptions.

Features you can find in SavvyMoney: 

• Credit score estimate
• Credit rating (poor-excellent)
• Score change
• Credit usage
• New alerts
• Debt-to-income ratio
• Recommendations

See What’s Helping (or Hurting) Your Score

No more guessing why your score changed. SavvyMoney doesn’t just show you your credit score, the digital banking tool also breaks down what impacts your score, trends over time, and tracks changes automatically. This helps you see what’s working in your favor and what might need attention. A common misconception is that you only need to pay your bills on time to have good credit, but factors like your balances and account history matter too. This could include things like your payment history, credit card balances, or recent activity of your accounts.

Even better, you can track how your score changes over time. So, if you’ve paid down a balance or made consistent on-time payments, you’ll be able to see that progress reflected, not just assume it’s helping.

See why your credit score changed:

• What’s improving your score
• What might be holding it back
• Make smarter decisions based on real insights

When you understand what’s behind your credit score, it’s a lot easier to take control of it, and start making moves that move you forward.

Get Personalized Recommendations

When you login to the United app and navigate to SavvyMoney, you’ll also see personalized tips to improve your credit score. Instead of generic advice, you get guidance based on your actual credit profile. That means the insights you see are tailored to you: your accounts, your activity, and your goals. By taking these recommended actions, you can see real impact towards improving your personal finances.

You might see suggestions like:

• Paying down a specific balance
• Keeping credit usage below a certain level
• Avoiding new credit inquiries right now

Build Confidence Before You Make Your Next Move

You don’t need to be getting ready to make a big purchase to benefit from understanding your credit. For a lot of people, the focus right now is paying down student loans, managing credit cards, or just getting a better handle on their finances. That’s exactly where knowing your numbers can make a difference.

When you understand your credit score and what’s influencing it, you can make smarter day-to-day decisions, like how much to put toward a credit card balance or whether to open a new account. Instead of wondering, is this helping my credit? Am I on the right track? You’ll start to have clearer answers.

By checking your credit regularly and using personalized insights, you can:

• See how your money habits are impacting your score
• Catch small issues before they turn into bigger ones
• Build momentum toward your financial goals

It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being informed. And when you do decide to apply for something down the road, you’ll already have the confidence that comes from understanding where you stand and how you got there.

Don’t Skip This Number: Your Debt-to-Income Ratio

Lenders look at your debt-to-income ratio to decide how much money you can borrow. If too much of your income goes to debt, like paying off a credit card, borrowing gets harder. Debt-to-income ratio (DTI) is a simple way to compare how much you earn to how much you owe. It looks at your monthly income versus your monthly debt payments, like credit cards, student loans, or car payments.

Debt-to-income: Think of your debt-to-income as a quick snapshot of how much of your income is already “spoken for.”

Why debt-to-income matters:

• It helps lenders understand if you can comfortably take on more debt
• A lower DTI can improve your chances of approval
• It can also impact how much you’re able to borrow

Think of it this way: if most of your income is already going toward debt, it may be harder to qualify for new credit. But if you have room in your budget, lenders may see you as less risky.

The good news? Tools like SavvyMoney can help you understand how your current debt fits into the bigger picture. Instead of guessing, you can see how your financial habits work together, and where small changes could make a difference. When you understand both your credit score and your debt-to-income ratio, you have a much clearer view of your financial health, and more confidence when it’s time to make your next move.

Start With One Simple Step

Getting a clearer picture of your credit doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. The next time you log in to United digital banking, take a minute to check your credit score estimate. You’ll be able to see where you stand, explore what’s impacting your score, and get personalized guidance, all in one place. It’s a small step, but it can make a big difference over time.

The more you check in, the more you’ll understand your habits, track your progress, and feel confident in the decisions you’re making. No pressure. No guesswork. Just better insight into your financial future, right from your United app.

What to remember:

• Your credit score is a snapshot of how you manage money
• Your debt-to-income ratio shows how much room you have for new debt
• Both numbers work together to shape your financial options
• Get a free copy of your actual credit report from one of the three nationwide credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion)