India has four RBI-licensed bureaus: CIBIL, Experian, Equifax and CRIF High Mark. Each builds a score from the same reported data, so your numbers will differ slightly across bureaus. Lenders usually pull one or two. What moves the score Repayment history carries the most weight — a single 30-day delinquency can cost more points than years of good behaviour add. Credit utilisation is next: keeping revolving balances under roughly 30% of your limit reads as low stress. Then credit age, mix of secured and unsecured accounts, and recent enquiry volume. Enquiries: hard vs soft Applying for a card or loan triggers a hard enquiry that is visible to lenders. Checking your own score is a soft enquiry and never affects it. Multiple hard enquiries in a short window signal credit hunger. Why closing an old card can hurt Closing your oldest card shortens average credit age and removes its limit from your total available credit, which pushes utilisation up. Keeping a no-fee legacy card open is usually the cheaper choice. How to repair a thin or damaged file Pay in full and on time for six consecutive cycles, hold utilisation low across statement dates (not just due dates), and dispute genuine reporting errors directly with the bureau — they must respond within 30 days under RBI rules.
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