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If you’ve tried to make a large purchase such as a home or a vehicle, or even open a credit card account, you likely know the important role your credit scores play in lending decisions. When you apply for credit, your credit scores and the information in your credit reports, along with other criteria, are used by lenders and creditors as part of their decision-making process when evaluating your application.

It might be easier than you think to negatively impact your credit scores. Here are five ways that could happen:

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You may already know that certain behaviors – such as paying your bills on time, every time – can reflect positively on your credit scores. But it’s also important to know that not every action will directly impact your credit scores at all, either positively or negatively.

The following items may influence your finances, but they generally won’t have any effect on credit scores:

1.    Paying with a debit card

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Many people are afraid to request a copy of their credit reports — or check their credit scores — out of concern it may negatively impact their credit scores.

Good news: Credit scores aren't impacted by checking your own credit reports or credit scores. In fact, regularly checking your credit reports and credit scores is an important way to ensure your personal and account information is correct, and may help detect signs of potential identity theft.

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You’ve paid off your credit card, and you’re wondering if you should close the account — and whether that might impact your credit scores, for better or worse. The answer depends on your unique credit situation.

Before you close a credit card account, consider the following:

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Did you know you don’t have only one credit score? There are many different credit scoring companies and credit scoring models, or differing methods of calculating credit scores. Credit scores are calculated based on the information in your credit reports.

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Buying a home can be an exciting step in your life. But it’s important to know how your credit scores may affect the home buying process. From the amount of money you can borrow, to whether you qualify for the best loan terms, credit scores can impact at least four aspects of home buying.