A recent study showed that a lot of people are shy to disclose their credit scores. It showed that 30% were shy to disclose their credit score while only12% of the participants were shy to disclose their weight.
When it comes to losing weight, crash diets are often unhealthy and rarely work. However, this is slightly different when it comes to changing your credit score. You can change it quite quickly. It should be noted though, that the term “quickly” is relative.
A personal finance columnist said that it usually takes between 30 to 60 days before you see substantial improvement in your credit score. However, if you sit on your hands and do nothing, you will not see any change at all. Here are just a few tips that will help you improve your credit.
- LEARN TO DISPUTE ERRORS: Don’t just sit back whenever an error that will affect your credit score happens. No one is exempted from making mistakes; this applies to people — and machines also. You may not be able to control the mistakes made on your credit score; however, you can do something about them. Learn to dispute errors online by using Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. It is important that you rectify all of the foul-ups before jumping to the next phase.
- NEGOTIATION: It is futile to deny that you didn’t keep up with paying your credit card bill when you were unemployed. However, you can negotiate with creditors to settle any account or debt that accumulated. Write a negotiation letter to your creditors stating that you will pay up all outstanding balance if they report that you paid as agreed.
You can even negotiate with the creditor to remove it altogether. It is important that you do not pay until there is a written agreement between the creditor and yourself. If you have a great payment history before unemployment, write a letter to your creditor reminding them of your payment history. You can sell tradelines also to boost your credit score.
- KNOW YOUR LIMITS: It is important that you ensure that your credit limits that were reported are lower vs. current than they truly are. You should avoid portraying yourself as someone that draws out the maximum every month. Remind the card issuer to mention any newly increased credit limits to you. A reminder will keep you in check at all times.
- ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE A CREDIT CARD: If you are looking for ways to improve your credit score, having one or two credit cards is a sure way to do that. It is important to note that this step is only beneficial if you pay your bills on time, and don’t charge much. This simply means that you have to be responsible when it comes to using a credit card.
- MAKE SURE YOU PAY ALL BILLS ON TIME: A good payment history affects your credit score positively, and a bad history affects your credit score negatively. It is important to bear in mind that 35% of your FICO score is based on your payment history.
One keyword to watch out for when it comes to improving your credit score is “Payment History”. Building and cultivating a good payment history will in no doubt have a positive impact on your credit score.
