If you have a low credit score, don’t panic. Your credit is something that you control, and you can change your score for the better. After you understand your credit score calculation and you know your score, use a method or series of methods from our list below to start improving your credit.
1. Check Your Credit Report For Errors
Many Americans live with errors on their credit report and don’t even know it. According to a U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report, about one in every five consumers has some kind of “confirmed material error” on their credit report. These errors are rarely beneficial, and they lower your score when it should actually be higher.
The inclusion of accounts that don’t belong to you.
A report that a closed account or a paid-in-full loan is still open.
A report that inaccurately lists a missed payment.
The inclusion of outdated credit utilization information.
Before you start a credit repair plan, make sure that your low credit score isn’t the result of a mistake. Pull each of your credit reports and carefully check each one for errors. Your credit reports include instructions on error reporting processes.
If you do notice something that you believe is an error, your credit bureau must investigate any dispute that you make and report their findings back to you. If the credit bureau finds that what you’ve reported is actually an error, they remove it and raise your score.
2. Focus On Small, Regular Payments
Your payment history is the biggest single factor that makes up your credit score because it comprises about 35% of your score’s calculation. This means that one of the quickest ways you can raise your score is to make minimum payments on all of your accounts every month. Ideally, you should also pay off each of your outstanding credit card balances before they’re due. This lowers your revolving utilization and helps you save on interest in the long term.
Take control of your credit cards and create a plan to make minimum payments on all of your accounts every month. Most credit card companies allow you to set email or SMS alerts to get a notification when a minimum payment is due soon, and you can even schedule auto-payments in advance with most cards so you never miss a payment date.
If you have cards open but you don’t use them, resist the temptation to close them. Closing credit lines lowers your available credit and increases your revolving utilization percentage. Instead, charge a small item – like a cup of coffee or a pizza dinner – once a month and pay your bill off immediately.
3. Reduce Your High-Balance Accounts
You’ll see your credit score rise if you reduce the amount you owe on your credit cards. Your revolving utilization makes up 30% of your credit score, so it’s worth it to put any extra money in your budget toward debt reduction.
Sit down with your credit statements and make a list of everything that you owe and remember to include each one of your cards on the list. Then, take a look at your budget and look for places where you can afford to cut back. Even if you only find another $20 a month, every dollar you put toward your debt will raise your score over time.
Finally, avoid spending extra money on your credit cards if at all possible while you reduce your debts.
Pay off debt rather than moving it around: the most effective way to improve your credit scores in this area is by paying down your revolving (credit card) debt. In fact, owing the same amount but having fewer open accounts may lower your scores.
Pay off debt rather than moving it around: the most effective way to improve your credit scores in this area is by paying down your revolving (credit card) debt. In fact, owing the same amount but having fewer open accounts may lower your scores.
This depends on how your credit was affected and the seriousness of your credit issues. If you've only had a few recent mistakes, you may be able to fix your credit in a few months, but if you've had a long history of missed payments and poor credit management, it could take years to see serious improvements.
You can't reset a credit score but you can reset your habits
While you can't restart your credit score or cleanse your file, you can improve your score with time and dedication. In a few years, your credit score could look good as new.
It's not possible to wipe your credit history clean. Negative items like late payments, collections and bankruptcies typically remain on your credit report for several years. However, you can rebuild your credit with on-time payments, debt reduction and responsible credit account management.
Highlights: While older models of credit scores used to go as high as 900, you can no longer achieve a 900 credit score. The highest score you can receive today is 850. Anything above 800 is considered an excellent credit score.
DIY Credit Repair is fixing your credit on your own by contacting credit bureaus and creditors yourself to dispute and challenge inaccurate items. You can do this entirely on your own or in conjunction with using a credit repair service for certain items while handling others yourself.
Yes, it is possible to pay someone to help fix your credit. These individuals or companies are known as credit repair companies and they specialize in helping individuals improve their credit score.
Even if you admit to the negative action that's being reported by the credit reporting agencies, you may be able to get the item deleted from your credit report by requesting a "goodwill deletion." This is particularly useful if you have a single late or missed payment on a long-standing account.
FICO ® Scores are the most widely used credit scores—90% of top lenders use FICO ® Scores. Every year, lenders access billions of FICO ® Scores to help them understand people's credit risk and make better–informed lending decisions.
For instance, going from a poor credit score of around 500 to a fair credit score (in the 580-669 range) takes around 12 to 18 months of responsible credit use. Once you've made it to the good credit zone (670-739), don't expect your credit to continue rising as steadily.
Your payment history is the most important factor in determining your credit score. Making on-time payments every month is crucial to getting your credit score above 700. If you have some late payments on your credit report, it may make it more difficult to build your credit score.
Introduction: My name is Horacio Brakus JD, I am a lively, splendid, jolly, vivacious, vast, cheerful, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
