You signed up for Atlas¹, swiped your card a few times, and now you're wondering what's actually happening on the credit side. When does Atlas appear on your report? What does it tell the bureaus about you? And how much does any of this really move the number?

Here's what's going on behind the scenes.

How Atlas works

Get your Spend Power.² When you sign up, you link your primary funding account to get your Spend Power. It's based on your linked account, with no hard credit pull. You can also make a deposit or connect your direct deposit to increase your Spend Power. As your history with Atlas grows, your Spend Power can grow with it.

Make purchases. Swipe, tap, or enter your card online like any other credit card. Purchases get charged to your Atlas account.

Pay your balance with Smart Pay. Smart Pay frequently pulls from your linked account or deposit account to pay down your Atlas balance. That keeps you on top of payments without having to remember due dates.

What Atlas reports to the credit bureaus

There are three major credit bureaus: Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. Every month, lenders and credit card companies send payment activity to the bureaus, and your score gets updated based on what they see. Atlas reports to all three, every month.

If you've never looked at how a credit score is calculated, here's the short version. The FICO score (used by about 90% of top lenders) weights five factors:

• Payment history (35%). Whether you pay on time.
• Amounts owed (30%). How much of your available credit you're using.
• Length of credit history (15%). How long your accounts have been open.
• New credit (10%). How often you're applying for new credit.
• Credit mix (10%). The variety of credit types on your report.

For a deeper breakdown of each, read our post on how credit actually works.

Here's where Atlas fits in:

• Payment status. Whether you paid your previous balance on time.
• Account age. The longer you've had Atlas, the more that consistency adds up.
• Current balance. Your spending since the last statement, plus any amount past due.
• No hard inquiries at signup. Atlas doesn't require a hard credit pull to get started, so opening your account doesn't ding your score.

New to Atlas? It usually takes 30-45 days for your first report to show up on your credit file.

What to expect with your score

On average, Atlas members who make on-time payments for 12 consecutive months see their credit score increase by more than 50 points.³

That's the average. Your actual number depends on your situation: where you're starting from, what else is on your report, and how consistently you pay. Credit score improvement isn't guaranteed.

A few things help:

• Keep Smart Pay on. Payment history is 35% of your score. It's the biggest factor by a wide margin, and Smart Pay handles it for you.
• Don't be thrown by a small dip early on. Opening any new account can temporarily lower your score a few points, and it tends to recover as your payment history builds.
• Atlas is one piece of the picture. Other cards, loans, and open credit lines all feed into the same score. Atlas can help with payment history, account age, and credit mix, but it isn't the whole picture.

Credit takes time. The biggest move you can make is to start, stay consistent, and let time do its work.

The bottom line

Credit building rewards consistency more than anything else. Use Atlas the way you'd use any card, keep Smart Pay on, and let a few months of history do the heavy lifting.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take for Atlas to show up on my credit report?

Usually a couple of months after you start using the card. Atlas reports to all three major credit bureaus every month, so once the first report lands, you'll see the account on your file.

Does Atlas do a hard credit pull when I sign up?

No hard credit pull is required to get your Spend Power. That means signing up for Atlas doesn't ding your score the way applying for a traditional credit card can.

What happens if I miss a payment with Smart Pay on?

Smart Pay is designed to pay your balance automatically from your linked account or deposit account. If there aren't enough funds when a payment runs, a payment can still be missed. You can add funds by making a deposit or linking a debit card in the Atlas app. You can also adjust or pause Smart Pay any time.

How much can Atlas actually improve my score?

On average, members who make on-time payments for 12 consecutive months see their credit score increase by more than 50 points.³ Your number depends on your full credit picture.

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¹ The Atlas Card is issued by Patriot Bank N.A. and Academy Bank N.A., Members FDIC and pursuant to a license from Mastercard. Atlas program terms apply. See atlasfin.com/policies for details.

² Unsecured credit varies from $10 to $250 and grows over time with usage.

³ Based on 2024 internal data. Improvement in your credit profile is dependent on your specific situation and financial behavior.