[balderdash]

Yes, but credit scores penalise people for many actions that have more to do with being perceived to bad customers than bad credit risks.payment history is only 35% of your score and and if you add it credit utilization, your only talking about ~2/3s of the score…

You can’t get a perfect score if you change credit cards on a regular basis or cancel a zero balance card, people have worse credit because they paid off their student loans years ago or bought an older/cheaper car with cash as opposed financing one (less credit “diversity”) all of these things penalize people who have always paid their bills

[Workaccount2]

I have an 800 score and never had student loans, a mortgage, or a car loan. Just credit cards. Whatever app always tells me my diversity is low, but I still have perfect credit.

This is entirely from just 3 credit cards over 10 years, but I'm pretty sure I was at 800 by year 3 or 4.

People so chronically over-extend their finances that looking around, they have no idea they are over extended. It's like overweight people looking around and thinking their weight is normal and their diet is good.

[Dalewyn]

A closed line of credit (eg: closed credit card, paid off loan) will fall off your credit report after about 7 years, lowering your score.

Having many inquiries from asking for new credit cards frequently implies you're trying to take on a lot of debt, which is a higher risk factor and thus lowers your score.

Buying with cash means you didn't take on debt, so that obviously doesn't factor into your credit score.

Parent is right, people (such as yourself) chronically don't understand how finances work.