How to Get a Higher Credit Score Fast
When you have bad credit, it can be hard to get things such as loans, credit cards and store cards and it can even affect your chances of getting a mortgage on that perfect home. There are plenty of ways in which you can improve your credit score and the best place to start is here!
Steps
- Go online and get a free copy of your credit report. There are plenty of places that you can get your report from and you are entitled to one free report every year so make the most of it! Simply search for the three main credit report agencies on any internet search engine and you will find plenty of places and also plenty of ways that you can get your hands on your own credit report. Ideally, you should already be doing this once or twice per year.
- Have a good look through your report and see if there are any details on there that are wrong. Even the smallest of mistakes can make the hugest of differences to your overall credit score so if there are any errors on it, make sure that you get these rectified.
- Look at the smaller credit and collection agencies on your credit report and get in touch with them asking for them to prove that it was you and your address that the defaulted payments were under. The chances are, smaller companies are going to be unable to provide such details meaning that you can ask for it to be removed from your report and improving your credit report. The same applies for companies that merged or closed down – if the information about you cannot be provided, you can request for it to be removed and therefore make your credit score higher.
- Get yourself a secured credit card or a pre-paid credit card. The secured credit card is basically where you pay upfront for the credit that the company is going to give you and the prepaid credit card is one that you can load up with money as and when you need it. Both of these cards can help you to build up your credit score in the long run as long as you use them wisely.
- If you already have a credit card, do not use it. Pay off the total amount that you currently have on and cut the card up if you have to. If you do not have the card in your purse or wallet, you are not going to use it and therefore you are not putting yourself any further into debt.
Tips
- Make sure that you keep all documents regarding your credit such as credit card statements, loan payment slips and anything else at all to do with your finances. These can all help you figure out where your finances are going wrong as well as providing evidence should any mistakes be on your credit report.
- Try to cut down on your monthly expenditure. By doing this, you can pay off any debts that you have and get one step closer to improving your credit score.
Warnings
- Remember that rebuilding your credit score is not going to be an easy task; neither is it going to be one that you complete overnight.
- Try not to spend the total credit amount on your cards. It is better to have half of the credit spent on two difference credit cards than it is to have the total amount spent on one.