Tradeline simply describes an account that a credit reporting agency lists on your credit report.
Tradelines come in three primary categories — revolving, installment, and open. Here are some examples of each.
Installment tradeline examples: Auto loans, student loans, mortgages, and personal loans Revolving tradeline examples: Credit cards and lines of credit Open tradeline example: Charge card (like certain Amex cards)
On your credit report, a tradeline includes a variety of information about your account.
Creditor’s name and contact information Account number (truncated for your protection) Type of account (revolving, installment, or open) The date you opened the account (and the date it closed, if applicable) Your relationship to the account (e.g., joint account holder, authorized user, etc.) Credit limit or original loan amount Account balance Date of last activity Past-due balance (if applicable) Monthly payment amount Account status (current, 30 days late, 60 days late, etc.) Historical payment history (for the past seven years) Time-series data (on credit cards, this includes a snapshot of your account information  — balance, payment due, payment made, etc. — each month for the past 24 months)