what is the best way to raise your credit score?
913256
First... request a copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus.  Make sure everything on there is accurate and dispute anything that isnt.  \n\nAfter that, you need to close any credit card accounts that you haven't used in awhile.  Having too many open accounts, even if they have a zero balance, still looks bad.  \n\nOnce that's all done... the best way to increase your credit is to make payments on time, keep balances low, and payoff anything you can.  If you don't have any debt, you can increase your credit rating by getting some type of loan (car, credit card, personal loan) and making the payments on time.  Paying such things off early helps a lot too.  Don't let yourself miss even one payment, as that will negatively affect your rating.  \n\nOther than that... if there's bad stuff on there, it's going to be there for the next seven years.  Until it's all gone, your score still won't be great.  \n\nI will tell you that it's worth it though... I had bad credit (thanks to divorcing my lousy ex) for most of my adult life... and finally in the last few years, it's become really good (since I'm no longer paying for HIS mistakes).  Sure makes life a lot easier!
57820
Two words: First Premier. The fees are high when you open the account, but they charge them to the card so you can pay it off at your leisure. And if you really want to increase your score, get an inexpensive car at Carmax and finance that too. It adds some secured credit to your profile.
312043
Shelle-\n\nAs a victim of ID theft which lead to drastic measures, I have spent the past three years studying and rebuilding my credit.  here's what you can do:\n\nHave about 2-4 credit card accounts, but keep the total balances below 50%, no matter what.  This is a huge credit score booster.  Debt to credit ratio is a large percentage that makes up your credit score.  I can simply boost my score 50-70 points in one month with just keeping it below 50%.  If its over 50%, the bureau is merciless.\n\nIf you have credit cards but they are all paid off, or you currently do not make monthly credit card payments, this is not good either.  The "computers" that calculate your score cannot really calculate anything  except history unless you have a revolving balance.  Plus the longer credit history you have, the more it helps your score.  For example, I have several credit cards all that are paid off.  I just use them if I have to, but I always carry a small balance every month ($150) on a Victoria's secret credit card and just pay the minimum-KUST TO KEEP THE SCORE STABLE AND GOOD.  The "computers" then can factor in some sort of payment that is being made every month.  If you pay nothing, then the computers cannot calculate a "month payment factor" in your score.\n\nIf you don't have a credit card/good credit go to www.orchardbank.com.  This place is the most generous in granting and rebuilding credit.  After a while where you make payments, they'll boost your limit.  You may start with $500 limit, and a high APR, but that's okay, just keep the balance below 50%, and in 6 - 9 months, you really start to be looking good.  Department cards and gas cards are also good places to start  and are more flexible to poor credit.\n\nAs for your bills like utilities, phone, etc.  These will not help your credit because they are not reported UNLESS you don't pay.  So pay them so you don't get a delinquency, but otherwise they're useless to you score.\n\nRemember, people with bad credit pull their score an average of 10 times more than someone with good credit.  CREDIT BUREAUS KNOW THIS, WHICH IS WHY THEY LEAVE INACCURATE INFO ON YOUR REPORT.  Try to keep the inquires down, because that hurts your score too.  That's how they make money.  That's how banks get their money too.  So... I would pull my own credit report at www.myfico.com and check my score regularly.  PULLING YOUR OWN CREDIT DOES NOT HURT YOUR SCORE.  Then dispute the crap out of everything, even if its right.  Write a letter, DO NOT USE THE AUTOMATIC system they want you to.  If that doesn't work, try a law firm.  www.lexingtonlawfirm.com is a great place to dispute everything.  I have used them and iit works well without breaking the bank.  $75 initial to start and $35/mo.  They write the letters, you can access your info on their website and pick the things to dispute.  They know HOW to say it.  If you don't write certain things in your dispute letter, the bureaus by law can ignore it.\n\nOne other trick:  Go to a bank and tell them you want to buy a house and apply for a mortgage.  Let them know your credit is bad and you've been having trouble getting them to fix inaccuracies.  Mortgage companies have an "in" and can get your credit corrected with the smap of their fingers.  I know this because my wife did this for US BANK on a regular basis.\n\nIf you don't get approved with anything, then try getting a secured credit card until the score gets better.  Or have your friend or parents with good credit or credit cards just see if they would be willing to put your name on their card as an authorized user/co-borrower.  It doesn't mean you need one (if they're leary of your sepnding habits), you just need the action going on in your report.\n\nALSO, NEVER CLOSE ANY ACCOUNT.  This will REALLY hurt your score.  If you pay off an account and don't want it, just cut up the card and n
215461
It will take several months to a year to get your credit really improved. Be careful of using a company who says they can raise your credit score. Cause legally they cant. Only you can. And while paying them large sums of money, you can dod it yourself for free. Depends on the elbow grease your willing to give. Check it out. There really is no super fast way to do it. But the best and probably quickest way would be to go to Annualcreditreport.com and get your free 3 credit reports. Then go through them and dispute the negative items on your report that dont make valid. Even if unsure, do so anyways because it becomes the responsibility of the creditor to prove that the information is accurate. If the creditor doesnt respond within 30 days the negative item has to be removed by law. In which removing a negative credit report item raises your score. Also, finding your most recent and lowest balance debt and offering halve of what you totally owed for it. Most creditors are willing to do this if your account has been way behind for a long time. Because now they're just worried about getting any money from you at all. Same is 100% true for collection agencies whom took over your bad debt. Offer half and no more. Ask to include in writing and mailed to you that they will remove negative from your credit report in terms of full half-amount payment. That raises your score. Other would be as suggested to get a secured credit card and just use it for gas twice a month or something small. Dont use it for anything else! Thats how you get screwed up again. Make the payments on time...everytime. This will start to show up as a positive item in your credit report and by showing a low balance on you card (30% or less of high limit) will show you can be responsible with your credit and thus create a higher score and higher opinion of a future creditor...such as an auto financer. Heed this and Hope i was of some good help to you. Good luck. Shuuutnstr =o)
607012
start by becoming a responsible spender. pay your bills and keep paying them on time. it will take a while, but eventually your credit score will come up. if you are in debt over your head, try a consumer credit counseling service. they help you pay off your bills and a lot of times reduce your debt load by negotiating with the card companies on your behalf. might be a good idea to check into
22406
There is no quick fix to imrpove your credit. Dont fall for any scam that says it will improve your credit score in a matter of weeks. The only way for credit to improve is to be responsible over a long period of time.\n\nIf you have records on your file such as public records, bankruptcies, they will stay on your record for several years. The best way to improve your credit will be to make sure you pay your credit card bills, mortagage payments, loans, in full every month and on time.\n\nIf you can't obtain credit cards because of your credit try a secured card. This is where you place a deposit into a savings account in the lender's bank which is used as collateral in case you default. Usually the deposit size will be your credit limit size.
486707
First off you need to know what is in your credit reports both positive & negative. Go to www.annualcreditreport.com and get all three of your credit reports free. Review them for accuracy. Dispute any item you believe to be inaccurate.\n\nHaving negative items on your credit files affects your scores more than having positive items. Public record items such as bankruptcy, judgement and collections(even if paid) weigh heavily on your credit score.\n\nYour goal should be to have only positive items on your report if you want a FICO score of 700+\n\nYou should plan to have 3-6 revolving accounts and 1-2 installment accounts to increase your score.\n\nGood Luck
1094635
#1) Pull all your reports. Not online, request actual physical copies. They usually contain more than what an online report does. This will give you a start on where you need to go with your reports. Also, keep them. Never toss them. They are proof later on if you need them to refer to if you ever get into a legal situation regarding your credit (lawsuit etc).\n\n#2) Dispute. Dispute anything that is not correct including, balance amounts, lates, etc. If you have only one or two lates, I would call your creditor and see if you can get them removed via goodwill gesture, or send a goodwill letter. You can find some great letters on some of the credit boards like creditnet.com and creditboards.com.\n\n#3.) Collections? If you have any collections on your account or anything that should not be there, send a DV (debt validation) to the creditor asking to prove the debt. If they cannot, they have to remove the debt off of your report by law.\n\n#4.) You have rights - check out http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/031224fcra.pdf for more info.\n\n#5.) check out some of the posts on creditnet.com and creditboards.com for assistance. \n\n#6.) If you have no credit, or want a temporary boost - have a family member or really (really, really, really) close friend add you in as an authorized user on their credit cards. Make sure the balances are not high, otherwise this could hurt you more. The higher the available credit, the more your utilization will go down on your report - therefore bumping your score.\n\n#7.) Avoid unnecessary inquiries. Hard pulls can hurt you, so avoid applying for new credit cards until after you buy your home.\n\nThis of course is a shortened version of things you can try. Research info on those links I provided you. You can increase your score spending just a short amount of time per week, sending letters to creditors etc. I increased my score over 100 points in less than 6 months. Depending on your situation, this could take shorter or longer time, but at least you have somewhere to start. Good luck!
992979
As you make purchases, and make your monthly payments\nON TIME, you will automatically qualify for limit increases. If a year has passed, and your account has been kept in good standing, you can also request a limit increase. Keep in mind, if your goal is to stay out of debt, increasing your credit limits does not sound like a good idea. The fastest way to improve your credit score is with an installment loan, like an auto loan or mortgage. You get a lot more points for paying this type of loan on time than you do revolving, or credit card accounts. Any other questions in this area, feel free to contact me.
335845
Since we do not know why the credit rating is low, here are a few tips to assist in getting your credit score up. \n1) If you have any charge-offs and judgments against you, you need to pay those items off. Once you have done that, you need to request a letter of satisfaction. You will want to hold onto this letter for at least 7 years, just in case they fail to update your file as paid.\n2) If your current credit card balances are 50% more than your credit limit, pay down the balance to 50% and continue to pay the minimum monthly payment.\n3) You need to have 4 active trade lines in most cases that have a history of more than 12 months. So cutting up and closing your accounts might harm your over all credit recovery. \n4) If you do not have credit, your going to need to establish credit by obtaining secured credit cards. Even though your interest rate will be crazy high, we're not trying to consolidate your bills to reduce your monthly debt obligations. Establish at least 4 secured cards and utilize only 50% of the credit allowance. \n\nUnfortunately you not going to be able to get a high credit score fast, however these steps can help you in correcting your credit and re-establish your credi profile. Hope this helps..
412198
Since you saying you want to improve it, would that mean you already know what your credit score is and that you need to address it. \n1) If you have charge offs, you need to get them satisfied. Once you have, request a letter of satisfaction from the creditors. These letters will be worth more than gold to you in the next 7 years. So keep them in a safe location so you can present them if requested or if you have to dispute those charge offs. This also go for judgments and any collections.\n2) You need to re-establish your credit history. If you have applied and been denied credit, then your only alternative would be a secured credit card. You will have to supply a deposit for collateral, however you should be able to obtain one. Again, don't have a balance more than 50% of the credit limit, and always pay the minimum each month. You should have 4 trade lines (credit cards). I would not suggest that you get a department store credit card since most of them do not report to all three credit bureaus. Also it limits your ability to use them since you can only use them at the store that they belong to. \n3) Do not have your credit report pulled after you have set up your credit cards. If you are interested in knowiing your credit scores, you can always to Equafax, Extperian, and Transunion's website have pay for a FICO report that will not effect your score. If you get your credit pulled from lender, they might not tell you where you stand on the score and it effects your score at the same time.\n\nHope this helps.
689893
It takes 7 for chapter 11, 10 for chapter 13, and you can get your credit up by going into your bank and open a secure credit savings acct a loan from yourself use any amount then you borrow from yourself then pay your self back this will boost your scores, then you can open a small acct anywhere and pay it on time lenders look at the trade line and how well you took care of the account if you have bk on you credit
1146023
The best places to start is with your bank.  If you have had an outstanding account for several years, they can help you.\n\nOther places are Department Store Credits.\n\nRemember this hard fact about Credit!!!!  Never go beyond your means.  Make sure you have more than enough money to payments and still afford food, utilities, rent/mortgage, etc.\n\nNever jump at credit offers from the mail.  These are not good credits to start with.  They want you to pay anywhere from $100 and more to initiate, the interest rates are way too high and they will bounce you real quick if you miss one payment.  Most of the Mail Credit charge a whopping 22% interest, or more.\n\nA good Credit Card should be less than 15% interest, the lower the better.\n\nIf you get a Credit Card, he is a trick to get your Credit Score to raise:  Buy only $100 dollars (or less if you cannot pay that when the bill comes) worth of items.  When the bill comes, pay ALL but $5.  Each month, only spend up to a total of $100 (remember to add the $5 you leave each month to that amount, ex $5 + Interest Rate + $?? = $100 for the 2nd month on), but ALWAYS leave the $5 dollars on each full payment.\n\nIf you pay off your card each month on the full amount, your credit score barely moves.  BUT, if you leave the $5 (this way, the interest will be the bare amount allowed), and your credit report shows you are making payments, your credit score goes up.\n\nI know it sounds stupid and unbelievable, but that is the way Credit works.  You have to show you still OWE money to get a Credit Rating.  But, you don't want to fall into the common trap of owing TOO much.  If that happens, you will NEVER get out of debt easily.
1134338
You don't need to go into debt to build a better credit score.  Establish a checking/savings account and pay off all your utility bills on time and you'll have a great start.
336743
A good way to raise your credit score actually consists of a few aspects. Paying your payments on time is very important. Try to always pay more then the minimum and pay it early consistently, before the due date. Secondly, it is very important that you do not have too many tradelines and you never want to keep more then 30% balance on any of them. For example, don't go out and apply to 16 different credit cards. Try to not have more then 7-10 tradelines. Don't max out on any cards, its better to have 30% filled on 7 cards then 1 card maxed out and 6 empty. Another important aspect is your history. Lenders are always looking for long history so never close the cards you have had for a long time. Always remember, loans like mortgages, auto loans, and student loans are good tradelines to have on your credit, just make sure you pay them on time.
942390
You sound in great shape.  Just make sure that you always pay your credit cards on time.  This is the most straightforward way to increase your credit over time.\n\nI heard from other people that seactivating your credit card can decrease your credit score.  Just don't use it instead of cancelling it/them.\n\n\nFor more info (under credit section):\nwww.freewebs.com/infosource100
599944
Talk to a local mortgage broker.  Sit down and go over your credit report.  They will be able to tell you what you can do to get your score up.  Sometimes its better to spend money on your credit instead of the down payment.  Sometimes its the other way around.  Sometimes there's another solution like putting someone else on the application with you.  \n\nIn general you should keep your open credit cards on-time and pay them down to half of their credit limit.  If you have extra cash payoff any collections you have from the last year or two.  \n\nOpen up your yellowpages and look under "mortgages".  Find a local phone number or an adress you're familiar with and go to town.