The best replacement for credentials is certification.

The best alternatives to credentials are rated as following:
★★★★★  certification
★★★  credential
★★  qualifications
★  honorable dismissal
  ahima credentials
  certifications

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Speaking about credentials, one probably shouldn't forget about url.

Other search terms related to credentials and their ratings are:
★★★★★ url
★ net use
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Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of credentials in all years. Click on graph for more.
credentials
certification
credential