 |
Pay your bills on time.
It’s the best way to keep your rating high. |
| |
|
 |
Get up to date on missed
payments.
And once you’re current — stay that way. |
| |
|
 |
If you are having trouble,
contact your creditors or see a credit counselor to
improve credit.
The sooner you get your credit under control, the sooner
you will improve your credit score. |
| |
|
 |
Keep credit card balances low.
Large balances will have a negative impact on your
score. |
| |
|
 |
Eliminate
debt, don’t rearrange it.
Pay down revolving credit such as credit cards.
Consolidating into fewer open accounts can help too.
|
| |
|
 |
Don’t close unused credit
cards to raise your score.
Fewer accounts are better, but frequent closing and
opening of accounts is often a sign of a problem. |
| |
|
 |
Don’t open more credit
accounts than you need.
You may think you’re making more credit available, but
you could be hurting your score. |
| |
|
 |
Don’t open too many new
accounts too quickly.
Especially if you’re relatively new to credit. This will
create too many inquiries which hurts your score. |
| |
|
 |
If you have had credit
problems and need to improve credit, act quickly to
reestablish good credit.
The sooner you begin acting responsibly, the sooner your
credit score will improve. |
| |
|
 |
It’s OK to check your own
credit.
Be sure to order your credit report directly from the
credit reporting agency or through an organization
authorized to provide credit reports to consumers. |
