Paying on time is one of the most important factors in your credit score. Credit card companies report to the major credit bureaus every month, and if you don’t pay on time, they will flag it as delinquent. Having a history of late payments can severely damage your score and make it harder for you to get approved for new loans and credit cards.
To avoid this, always pay more than the minimum due each month if possible—especially if that extra amount helps bring down your balance faster. It will also help prevent any additional fees from getting tacked onto your account and preserve good standing with the bank or lender that issued your card.
If all else fails…
Try paying off their balance every month before paying anything else (like rent or student loan payments). Of course, the creditor won’t get anything from these funds, but at least no interest was charged during those months where nothing was owed!
1: Keep balances below 30%
If you want to improve your score, the first step is to keep your credit card balances low. Your credit score has a lot of factors that determine it, but how much debt you have on all of your accounts—including credit cards—is one key component. If you don’t want to pay for things on a credit card, don’t use them as a means of payment.
If you choose to use a credit card for purchases and other expenses, try to keep them below 30% of the total limit on each card. To make it easy: if there are four digits in the number on your monthly statement (for example, XXXX XXXX 0000), pay off any charges above 3XXX XXXXXXX until there are no more numbers left over after subtracting the amount due from this number (in this example: $20+0=$20).
2: Make multiple types of payments
- Pay with different credit cards
- Pay with different accounts
- Pay with different loans
- Pay with varying types of credit, such as a store card or an auto loan. This can help you build a more diverse score.
3: Have a credit history
It’s essential to have a credit history, so you should be sure to use every opportunity, even if it seems small.
It’s easy to build a credit history using a credit card (or another type of loan). You can also keep your score high by making regular payments on time for small purchases. And remember: there are no hard limits on how much you can owe in debt; the only way to get into trouble is if you don’t pay down your balance every month!
4: Check for errors
- As with many things in life, you’ll be better off if you check for errors on your credit reports regularly—and this applies to checking for errors on your credit card accounts.
- If there are any mistakes, it’s essential to get them fixed as soon as possible, so they don’t damage your score.
- To do this, request a free copy of each of the three major credit reporting agencies’ reports from www.annualcreditreport.com at least once per year (you can also have one sent directly to each lender).
5: Monitor your credit report
You can obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com or calling 877-322-8228. You are entitled to one free report from each bureau every 12 months.
While you’re at it, check for errors on your reports—it is estimated that as many as 5 percent of consumers have mistakes in their credit information. Two ways to dispute errors with the bureaus are through the online dispute system or by mail. If they cannot be resolved via either method, you can file an official dispute with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
6: Improving your credit score is important to do before trying to buy a home.
If you want to buy a home, you need to have a good credit score. If you don’t have one, it may be more challenging to get approved for the loan or find out what interest rate will be charged on your mortgage.
If your credit score is low, your lender may require that you pay extra money before they give approval for the loan and/or agree to an interest rate based on their own judgment of how risky it would be for them if they gave approval and then lost money on the deal.
Conclusion
This is just a guide to get you started. To learn more about the best ways to improve your credit score, check out our other articles on the topic. Of course, there are lots of other things that can help too. But if you follow these steps and apply for an affordable loan or line of credit from one of the lenders on this list, you should be able to see results in no time!
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