How to Improve Your Credit Score – 8 Tips
12:40 AMPosted by: John S Kiernan
There are many ways to improve your credit score. They range from paying down debts and reducing your credit utilization to simply making on-time bill payments each month. But you can remove guesswork from the equation by signing up for a free WalletHub account. We’ll tell you exactly how to improve your credit score and even how long it will take, as part of your Credit Analysis.
Credit improvement isn’t complicated, fortunately enough. Credit scores rise and fall based on the information in your major credit reports. The more positive info and the fewer negative records they contain, the better your credit score will be. That’s why it’s so important to understand what goes into your credit score. And it’s why you don’t need to get fancy to improve your credit score.
Rather, there are a number of simple steps you can take for the sake of credit improvement, and we’ll explain them below. We’ll also dispel some common credit-improvement myths, give you a sense of the timetable you’re looking at and more.
8 Easy Ways to Improve Your Credit Score- Check Your Credit Report for Errors
One in four consumers have an error in their credit reports, and four out of five who dispute them see changes to their reports afterward, according to the Federal Trade Commission. If you identify a mistake in your credit reports, you’ll need to follow the process for disputing credit-report errors, which is one of the easiest ways to improve your credit score and doesn’t take much time.
- Keep Open Accounts in Good Standing
Lenders relay account information to the major credit bureaus every month. And the more accounts, or trade lines, you have in good standing, the more positive information will find its way into your credit reports. This will either water down negative records or help expand limited credit history.
While credit cards and loans both report to the major credit bureaus on a monthly basis, the former are far more accessible to the average consumer. Loans, of course, require repayment of whatever amount you borrow, but a credit card with no annual fee doesn’t have to cost you a thing.
- Get a Secured Credit Card
If you have bad credit and are unable to get a “regular” credit card, open a secured credit card. Secured credit cards are easier to get than most other credit cards because they require a refundable security deposit, the amount of which usually acts as your spending limit. And they are treated just like any other credit card on your credit report.
You can also increase your spending limit simply by adding to your deposit, which may improve your credit score a bit. When you close your account, you will get your deposit back, minus any outstanding balances and finance charges.
- Don't Apply for Credit Too Often
Applying for a credit card can lead to a slight dip in your credit score, especially when you apply repeatedly within a short period of time. Each application signifies that you will have less money to pay for every additional credit card or loan you get. And that’s a bad thing from a lender’s perspective. More importantly, applying in bulk tells lenders that you are desperate to borrow, which doesn’t bode well for your ability to pay.
So if you don’t get approved for an unsecured credit card after one or two rejected applications, opt for a secured card instead. Secured credit cards are great for credit improvement because they pretty much offer guaranteed approval.
- Keep Your Credit Utilization Low
Try to maintain a credit utilization ratio below 30% on each of your credit cards. And if you really want to maximize your credit score, aim for less than 10%. A higher ratio hurts your credit score, as it indicates that you are stretched thin financially.
Credit utilization is determined by comparing the balance listed on your monthly statement against your available credit. You can improve it by spending less each month, asking for a higher spending limit or paying your bill multiple times per month to keep your statement balance as low as possible.
- Don’t Close Unused Accounts
Lenders, landlords, employers and other decision makers known to perform credit checks are more likely to trust applicants with a long track record of responsible money management. Positive information in your credit reports about recently opened loans and lines of credit will help. But you have to prove yourself capable of making on-time payments and otherwise upholding your end of the borrowing bargain over time.
So put yourself in a marathon mindset. And focus on consistency, not quick fixes.
- Build a Long Credit History
A lot of available credit and a long credit history are essential for a great credit score. That’s why it’s unwise to close old accounts, even if you no longer use them. Closing accounts will reduce your available credit, raise your credit utilization ratio and give the impression that you have little credit experience.
You should not, however, pay an annual fee to keep an unused account open. Rather, you should close accounts that are costing you money and use the savings to pay down debt or build an emergency fund.
- Automate Your Payments
Some people struggle with remembering to pay their credit card bills on time. If you are one of them, call your credit card company and ask them to automatically withdraw your monthly payments from your bank account.
Others get tempted by credit cards to overspend and incur unnecessary debt. If you are one of them, the right solution isn’t necessarily to close all of your credit cards but instead to keep some of them open yet locked in a drawer (or even cut into pieces) to avoid using them. Before you do, though, make sure your credit card company won’t close your account if you don’t use it for a long time, which would be stated in your credit card agreement.
You can get a better sense of how long it will take to improve your credit score by signing up for a free WalletHub account. Our personalized Credit Analysis will pinpoint what’s wrong with your score, how to fix the problem and how long that will take.
Plus, you’ll get a front-row seat for the credit-improvement process, as WalletHub is the only site that offers free credit scores and reports updated on a daily basis.
Sign up for WalletHub – 100% Free Ask the Experts: More Credit-Improvement TipsA good tip can go a long way. So we asked a panel of experts to share their advice on how people can get a rise out of their credit scores. You can check out their guidance below.
- What is your best piece of advice for someone who wants to improve his or her credit?
- What are the biggest mistakes that people make when trying to improve their credit?
- What is the biggest thing people don’t realize about the credit-improvement process?
- Should you only worry about credit improvement if you have bad credit?
Nathan Mauck Assistant Professor of Finance in the Henry W. Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri - Kansas City
Elinda F. Kiss Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Finance in the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland
James R. Barth Lowder Eminent Scholar in Finance in the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business at Auburn University
Jared Pickens Assistant Professional Track and Director of Personal Financial Planning in the Department of Economics and Finance at Texas A&M University - Commerce
Edward Brown Assistant Professor of Management in the College of Business Administration at Alabama State University
Debra M. Salvucci Dean of the Meehan School of Business and Associate Professor of Accounting at Stonehill College
Maretno Agus Harjoto Associate Professor of Finance at Pepperdine University
Sara Robicheaux B.A. Monaghan Professor of Business, Dean of Business Programs and Director of the Stump Entrepreneurship Program at Birmingham-Southern College
Manuel Lasaga Clinical Professor in the Department of Finance at Florida International University College of Business
What is your best piece of advice for someone who wants to improve his or her credit? Increasing a credit score can take time and it is best to plan ahead, especially if the motive for improving credit is part of planning for a big purchase. The first step is to make payments on time and take care of any past due accounts. Another option is to keep lower balances on existing credit. What are the biggest mistakes that people make when trying to improve their credit? Not checking your own credit report. One of the biggest misperceptions is that checking your own credit report will hurt your score. While it is true that if a lender pulls your credit report, that will be added to your history, this is not true when you pull your own report. What is the biggest thing people don’t realize about the credit-improvement process? Many people are unaware of how credit scores are calculated, so a little research can go a long way to helping. Should you only worry about credit improvement if you have bad credit? Definitely not. Improving credit should be of interest to anybody who uses or plans to use credit. Elinda F. Kiss Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Finance in the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland 
What is your best piece of advice for someone who wants to improve his or her credit? The best way to raise your credit score (and keep it high) is to pay your credit card and other bills on time. Along with your payment history, details such as money owed, the length and mix of your credit history, and new credit are all factored into your credit score, according to FICO, the largest provider of credit scores. Avoid having charge-offs, debt settlements, bankruptcies, foreclosures, suits, wage attachments, liens, or judgments in the past, as they negatively affect your credit score from seven to ten years. Take advantage of the online banking that many banks offer. Setting up payment dates ahead of time will help ensure the good habit of paying on time. What are the biggest mistakes that people make when trying to improve their credit?
- Don’t just check your credit score, but also monitor your credit report for accuracy. Everyone is entitled to three free credit reports each year (one each from Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) at http://ift.tt/o2j1vQ.
- Don’t “max out your accounts.” Be certain that the amount of credit that you are using is a small percentage of your credit limit.
- Always pay at least the minimum amount, but try to pay much more than the minimum, or you may never pay off your loan.
- Don’t close accounts. The longer the credit history, the better the score.
- If you wish to learn your credit score, make certain that the site you search will give you a free score, and not sign you up for regular credit monitoring at a fee. Be wary of any free credit score that asks you to enter a credit card number. You're most likely being enrolled in a trial subscription to a credit monitoring service. If you don't cancel before the trial ends, the company will start charging your credit card for the service.
What is your best piece of advice for someone who wants to improve his or her credit? The best advice is for an individual to always to try to make their credit card payments in full and on time. What are the biggest mistakes that people make when trying to improve their credit? The biggest mistakes are borrowing too much on too many credit cards so as to make the required payments in a timely manner. What is the biggest thing people don’t realize about the credit-improvement process? The biggest thing people don’t realize is that there is no quick fix to the credit-improvement process -- it takes time. Should you only worry about credit improvement if you have bad credit? No, one should always try to improve one’s credit score, which ranges from 300 to 850. Jared Pickens Assistant Professional Track and Director of Personal Financial Planning in the Department of Economics and Finance at Texas A&M University - Commerce 
What is your best piece of advice for someone who wants to improve his or her credit? Credit scores are vitally important. Don’t let individuals on the radio or the TV tell you it’s not -- unless you are interested in higher interest rates and an increase in auto insurance. It isn’t as difficult to improve your credit score as many people believe. The best things to do is to:
- Build an emergency fund so that you won’t miss payments in the future. You won’t be able to increase your credit score if you miss payments, and a budget will allow you to have some safety.
- Reduce your debt utilization ratio which is calculated as the amount of debt used compared to the credit available. This is 30% of your credit score.
- Start making payment on time. You have 30 days to make your payment for most debts before it is counted negative. Payments made on time count for 35% of your credit score.
- Don’t cancel credit cards. This can have a very negative impact on history and available credit.
- Don’t co-sign for a friend or family unless you are ready to take over the payments. There is a reason the individual didn’t get approved by their own credit.
- Don’t cancel cards.
- Don’t work with repair companies -- they are overpriced and provide very poor outcomes most of the time.
- Don’t apply for multiple new cards. Applying for credit for a credit card, home or car loan can actually hurt your credit.
- If you are in the military, your credit report can affect your security clearance, so be careful.
- It is simple, once a plan is put in place. Make on-time payments and lower the amount of debt used. These two items make 65% of the score.
- Credit scores can see an improvement in even one month. So, it won’t always take years to repair or increase your credit.
- Cancelling cards doesn’t help, it hurts.
- Absolutely protect your credit information -- even if you have poor credit. Identity thieves can steal this information and still do major harm to your finances.
- If you have great credit -- keep up with your payments, limit your attempts to gain credit.
- Your credit score may also affect your ability to enter careers such as accountants and financial advisors.
- More than anything, you need to worry about credit protection. Everyone can get a free credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com
What is your best piece of advice for someone who wants to improve his or her credit? “Pay your bills on time” is my number one advice. Don’t have a lot of open credit, and have a small amount of total debt. What are the biggest mistakes that people make when trying to improve their credit? Seeking fee-based credit repair clinics -- most of them charge high and unnecessary fees. There are many free, nonprofit clinics to choose. What is the biggest thing people don’t realize about the credit-improvement process? It takes time. If you identify a problem with your credit, take action as quickly as possible to fix it, but be aware -- it takes time. Be patient and persistent. Should you only worry about credit improvement if you have bad credit? No, one should be worrying about how they got to where they are -- what caused the problem. Without proper education, it is likely that the problem or bad credit will resurface. Debra M. Salvucci Dean of the Meehan School of Business and Associate Professor of Accounting at Stonehill College 
What is your best piece of advice for someone who wants to improve his or her credit? In order to improve your credit, you must establish a solid credit history and strengthen your creditworthiness to lenders. This is best accomplished by making payments on all loans and credit cards consistently and on time. What are the biggest mistakes that people make when trying to improve their credit? Borrowing more than they can afford to pay back. Borrowers should determine how much debt they can realistically take on without overextending themselves. It is important to create a monthly budget to determine how much debt you can comfortably afford to make payments on, considering your level of income and other essential expenses. What is the biggest thing people don’t realize about the credit-improvement process? That you should contact your lender(s) if you are having difficulty in making your monthly payments to work out alternate arrangements for payment, or a revised payment plan. Do not skip a payment without notice to the creditor. Should you only worry about credit improvement if you have bad credit? No, continuous credit improvement is important for future borrowing needs (homes, autos, college tuition, etc.) and managing the interest rate you will be charged. Maretno Agus Harjoto Associate Professor of Finance at Pepperdine University 
What is your best piece of advice for someone who wants to improve his or her credit? Check how many credit card accounts you currently have. Start closing the ones that you no longer use. A lower number of open credit card will automatically increase your credit score, because you have fewer "lines of credit.” Start paying down your principal, and do not follow the "minimum balance" payment recommendation. Pay everything in full. A smaller principal reduces the loan outstanding you have with the credit card companies, which increase your credit score. Check your credit score periodically. Once a year or every 2 years is sufficient, but beware those credit scores companies who automatically enroll you with monthly credit scores checks. Those are costly. Theoretically, you can get your credit score for free. Use cash and budget your spending. Spend only the amount of cash you budgeted, and not. Perhaps it would be even better if the amount spent was less than your budget. What are the biggest mistakes that people make when trying to improve their credit? They keep opening a new credit card accounts, and transfer the loan balance from one card to the next. This lowers your credit scores significantly. What is the biggest thing people don’t realize about the credit-improvement process? That it takes time to get our credit scores improved, and also significant and often painful adjustments in our lifestyles (to not spend what we do not earn). Should you only worry about credit improvement if you have bad credit? Not only do we have to be concerned with credit improvement, our histories of transactions and multiple credit card accounts are also subject to credit card theft, frauds, and hacking. There are people who look at obituaries and steal information (date of birth, name, place etc.) from those who have passed away, in order to open credit card accounts in their name. Beware, once you swipe your card, your information is stored everywhere, and anybody could potentially hack and access it. Sara Robicheaux B.A. Monaghan Professor of Business, Dean of Business Programs and Director of the Stump Entrepreneurship Program at Birmingham-Southern College 
What is your best piece of advice for someone who wants to improve his or her credit?
- Check your credit report;
- Pay your bills on time;
- Reduce the amount of debt you owe.
What is your best piece of advice for someone who wants to improve his or her credit?
- The old-fashion way is to establish a habit of always paying on time, and avoid always using your credit card to its limit;
- Avoid making late payments -- you may want to make a habit of paying all your bills early;
- Regularly monitor the activity on your account for any unauthorized charges;
- Get your free copy of your credit report every year, and review carefully for any inaccuracies.
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