how to improve your credit score You’re here because you are wondering how you can improve your credit score, I’m going to run through some practical tips that you can implement right now to get started on the road to a positive credit rating.
How to fix your credit Let me first point out that “fixing” your credit score takes time. There are no quick & dirty tips to better your credit rating immediately, you need to be willing to implement some basic money management advice and be prepared to put in use a number of useful long-term credit repair steps.
Alright, let’s get started.
1. Checking Your Credit Report & Score
It’s obvious, but to get started the first thing you need to do is actually see your credit report. This report holds all of the data that is used to calculate your score, so it’s definitely an important document. Lookout to see if there are any errors on your report, such as late payments that may be listed incorrectly. If there are, you’re in a position to dispute them with the credit bureau.
2. Remind Yourself To Make Payments
One incredibly effective and simple way to get started is to ensure that all your debt payments are made on time. This means setting reminders. So whether you use reminders on your computer/iPhone, GMail calendar reminders or something simple on the fridge – this is a “must implement” to start seeing results. Some banks will offer SMS or email reminders, and there is also the option to have payments debited directly from your bank account (but this needs to be managed carefully).
Payment history contributes to 35% of your score rating, so it’s important to get up to date and start paying everything off before it’s due date consistently.
3. Decrease Negative Debt With A Payment Plan
The next step is to start reducing your debt as quickly as possible – and this means coming up with a payment plan. The easiest and best way to think of this is to put your credit cards in order of highest to lowest interest rates. Make sure all of your available debt-paying budgets is going towards those cards charging you the most interest. Minimum repayments must be made to all cards, but extra funds should be put where they will have the most effect.
4. Maxing Out Your Credit Cards? Bad Idea.
Don’t use your cards until they hit their maximum credit limit. One great rule of thumb is to use no more than 30% of your cards limit. It’s better to have multiple cards with under 30% of limit used rather than one card that is maxed out.
For example, if you have a card with a $2,000 limit don’t let it go over around $600 before making repayments on the card.
5. Closing Accounts Doesn’t “Fix” Your Score
Remember that just closing down an account or moving debt around won’t fix your credit rating. If you have older cards, keep them, use them occasionally and then pay them off rather than closing them down – as this can actually negatively affect your rating.
What’s more important is periodically making payments on time, decreasing your overall debt and not maxing out your cards. If you do all of this consistently over the long-term, that’s how you improve your credit score.
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