Easy Ways to Improve Your Credit Score
You have a big purchase coming up in your life. Maybe it's a house or a car. Maybe it's that big screen television you've been eyeing for months. Whatever the case, you need financing for it. There's no worse feeling in the world than to apply for a loan or a credit card, only to find out you've been rejected on the basis of a low credit score.
The bad news is that if your credit score is under 620, you might have difficulty finding someone willing to approve a loan or a new credit card for you. The good news, though, is that scores under 620 can be improved through a little bit of work on your part.
The first thing you should do is request a copy of your credit report, so you'll know what your score is. Your credit report also shows all the lines of credit you have open. This is a great way to see what might be affecting your credit, as well as checking for instances of identity theft. All you have to do is look for lines of credit you didn't open and dispute the charges, if any have been left unpaid. If successful, this will go a long way to improving your credit score.
Pay down some of your highest balances on credit cards if you have the means to do so next. Only making minimum payments is a mistake many people make. Interest adds up quickly, however, with interest rates increasingly in the 30% range. Making minimum, double digit payments on three or four digit balances is a trap you don't want to fall into. Only paying the minimums is the quickest way to see your credit card balance get out of control. Plus, it goes a long way to improving your credit score if you keep your credit card balances below one-third of your credit limit on each card.
Lastly, if you have a long history of credit card use, you're considered a safer bet to most lenders. If your oldest credit cards have fallen out of use, though, lenders might not even see the full extent of your strong credit history. Credit reporting agencies generally remove what they view as inactive credit cards after a certain period of non-use. Lenders won't even know they existed if they're not shown in the credit report. You should maintain even just a small balance on old cards, then, as it's an effective way to ensure your credit score improves.
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