Rent-A-Center Does Not Build Credit on Its Own
Rent-A-Center does not report your rental payments to the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. This means making on-time payments at Rent-A-Center will not raise your credit score, and missing payments will not lower it. The company uses its own internal database to track whether you pay on time, but that information stays within Rent-A-Center and does not reach the credit reporting system.
If you are looking to build credit history, Rent-A-Center alone will not do it. You need accounts that credit bureaus actually monitor: credit cards, loans, or secured cards. Rent-A-Center can help you afford furniture or electronics while you build credit elsewhere, but it is not a credit-building tool itself.
Key Takeaways
- Rent-A-Center does not report payment history to Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion, so on-time payments do not improve your credit score.
- The company tracks your payment record internally and may use it to decide whether to rent to you in the future, but this does not appear on your credit report.
- If you miss payments, Rent-A-Center can report you to a collection agency, which will then appear on your credit report and harm your score.
- To build credit while renting from Rent-A-Center, you need a separate account such as a secured credit card or credit-builder loan.
How Rent-A-Center Tracks Your Payment History
Rent-A-Center maintains its own record of whether you pay on time, pay late, or stop paying altogether. This internal record is used to determine whether the company will rent to you again and at what terms. If you have a history of on-time payments, Rent-A-Center may offer you better terms or higher limits on future rentals. If you have missed payments, the company may decline to rent to you or require a larger upfront deposit.
This internal tracking is separate from your credit report. Even if you have a perfect payment record with Rent-A-Center, a credit bureau will not see it unless Rent-A-Center chooses to report it — and the company does not do so for positive payments. Your credit report will only mention Rent-A-Center if the company sends an unpaid account to a collection agency.
What Happens If You Miss a Rent-A-Center Payment
Missing a payment at Rent-A-Center can damage your credit score, but only if the account goes to collections. Rent-A-Center will first contact you directly about the missed payment. If you continue to miss payments and do not work out a plan with the company, Rent-A-Center may send your account to a third-party collection agency.
Once a collection agency takes over, the debt will appear on your credit report and will lower your credit score. A collection account stays on your report for seven years from the date of first delinquency, even if you pay it off later. Paying the debt does remove the collection agency's ability to sue you, but it does not erase the account from your credit history.
Why Rent-A-Center Is Not a Substitute for Credit Cards
Rent-A-Center is a rent-to-own service, not a credit account. Credit bureaus track credit accounts — products where you borrow money or receive credit and then repay it. Rent-A-Center is a lease, meaning you are renting items with the option to own them after a set number of payments. Because it is a lease and not a credit product, the bureau has no reason to track it.
A secured credit card, by contrast, is designed specifically to build credit. You deposit money as collateral, receive a credit limit equal to that deposit, and make purchases on the card. The card issuer reports your payment history to all three credit bureaus every month. After six to twelve months of on-time payments, you may be able to move to an unsecured card and get your deposit back.
Building Credit While Using Rent-A-Center
If you need furniture or electronics and also want to build credit, use Rent-A-Center for the items and open a secured credit card at the same time. A secured card requires a cash deposit (usually $200 to $2,500) and reports to all three credit bureaus. You can use it for small purchases and pay the full balance each month, which will show lenders that you manage credit responsibly.
Other credit-building options include a credit-builder loan from a credit union or online lender. These loans are designed for people with no credit or poor credit. You borrow a small amount (often $500 to $1,000), and the lender holds the money in a savings account while you make monthly payments. Once you finish paying, you receive the money plus interest. The lender reports all your payments to the credit bureaus, so you build a positive payment history.
The key is to keep your secured card balance low (under 30 percent of your limit) and pay on time every month. After six to twelve months, you will see your score improve, and you can then move toward unsecured cards with better terms and rewards.
Rent-A-Center's Role in Your Overall Financial Picture
Rent-A-Center serves a purpose: it lets you use items now and pay over time without requiring a credit check or credit history. This can be useful if you need a bed or refrigerator and do not have the cash upfront. However, rent-to-own is expensive. You typically pay two to three times the retail price of an item by the time you own it, and you can return it at any time without penalty.
From a credit-building perspective, Rent-A-Center is neutral — it neither helps nor hurts as long as you pay on time. The real credit-building happens elsewhere, through accounts that credit bureaus actually monitor. Think of Rent-A-Center as a way to meet an when ready need while you build credit through other means, not as a credit-building tool itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Rent-A-Center help me build credit if I always pay on time?
No. Rent-A-Center does not report on-time payments to credit bureaus, so your payment history with them will not appear on your credit report or affect your score. You need a credit card, loan, or other credit product that reports to the bureaus.
Will a missed Rent-A-Center payment show up on my credit report?
Only if Rent-A-Center sends the account to a collection agency. A single missed payment will not appear on your report, but if you stop paying and the company pursues collections, the collection account will show up and lower your score.
What is the difference between Rent-A-Center and a secured credit card for building credit?
Rent-A-Center is a lease and does not report to credit bureaus. A secured credit card is a credit product that reports to all three bureaus every month. With a secured card, on-time payments build your credit score; with Rent-A-Center, they do not.
If I have no credit history, should I use Rent-A-Center or a secured card?
Use both if you need to. Rent-A-Center can provide furniture or electronics without a credit check. A secured card will actually build your credit history. The secured card is the tool that improves your score; Rent-A-Center is just a way to get items you need while you work on credit elsewhere.
Does paying off my Rent-A-Center account early help my credit score?
No. Since Rent-A-Center does not report to credit bureaus, paying early, on time, or late makes no difference to your credit score. It only affects your relationship with Rent-A-Center itself.