Having a poor credit score is among the most frustrating situations that takes the fun out of life. It can limit opportunities and deny you of financial options. However, a few simple steps can be taken back in the direction of a good score.
If you need to repair your credit, the first step is to come up with a workable plan and stick to it. You must be committed to making real changes in the way you spend money. Only buy what you absolutely need. You should only make a purchase if it is necessary and it fits in your budget.
Credit Cards
Pay down any credit cards with a balance in excess of 50%, preferably getting them down to 30%. Any time you exceed 50% of your credit limit, your credit rating is affected. Pay off credit cards as fast as you can, or spread the debt out further.
If you can afford to pay another monthly bill, an installment account paid on time will increase your credit rating. With this sort of an account, you need to keep a minimum. If you use one of these types of accounts, your score will quickly improve.
Paying your bills is a straightforward, but truly vital prerequisite for credit repair. To help your credit, you should be paying the full amount owed within the time allowed. Your FICO score will begin to increase immediately after you pay the bills that are past due.
Credit counselors should always be researched thoroughly before being consulted for credit score repair. There are some legit counselors, and there are some that have ulterior motives. Also be aware that there are other credit counseling services run by dishonest people. These services are scams and should be avoided at any cost. It is wise for consumers to not give out personal information unless they are absolutely sure that the company is legit.
Requesting that your credit card limits be lowered can benefit you. Not only can this tactic prevent you from getting yourself in over your head with debt, but it can also imply that you are responsible to those companies and to any future companies.
Credit Reporting
If you notice credit reporting errors, always file a dispute. Report any errors to the three credit reporting agencies. Be sure to include any documents to support your case. Use a return receipt when you mail your package so that you can prove that the agency received it.
Live within your means. This may mean that you need to alter the way you have been thinking. A lot of people rely on credit to maintain an unrealistic lifestyle, but when the credit runs out, all that’s left is a very big bill. You should look at what you can afford to spend, before using credit for purchases.
Try to pay down all of your debts until you’re only carrying a balance on one. You should plan on how you will pay the remaining open balances, or how to consolidate them into one account. This way you can work on paying one credit card balance off, instead of a bunch of smaller ones.
Credit Card
Taking time to examine your monthly credit card bill is critical to ensure that there are no errors. You must get in touch with your credit card issuer as soon as you spot an error to make sure that it is properly handled and does not result in any negative reporting.
Bankruptcy should be a last resort. This will show up on your credit for around 10 years. This may appear to be a wonderful idea where you rid yourself from all this debt at once, but in actuality it causes more harm than good. Filing for bankruptcy will make it very difficult for you to qualify for credit in the future.
Pay the balances on all credit cards as soon as you can to start the credit score repair process. It is a toss up as far as which cards are best to pay off first – some choose ones with the highest interest rate, others choose the card with the lowest balance. Your debt will not grow as fast as before, if you get rid of high interest rates first, and your creditors will see you are making efforts.
Carefully read all of your credit statements. It’s up to you to ensure that the charges on your bill are correct and that you haven’t been double charged, overcharged or charged for something you didn’t buy. You are the only one that can verify if everything on there is the way it should be.
Following these simple tips can help you get on the road to repairing your credit and keeping it healthy. Time learning how to repair your credit, means a great future with many transactions since you will have a good score.