If Poor Credit Threatens To Destroy You, Try These Simple Tips!
If Poor Credit Threatens To Destroy You, Try These Simple Tips!
People do some drastic things to get out of debt. They'll transfer multiple debts to one card. They'll borrow even more money to pay down the debt. There are many impractical things people try to do when they have bad credit, almost all of which only worsen the problem. If you fit this bill, read this article for some great information to repair your credit rating.
Ask a someone close to you if they can make you an authorized user to one of their accounts. Make sure it's an account with a low balance compared to its limit, a perfect history of payments and it should have been open for at least a few years. As an authorized user, the history of this card will become part of your credit history.
Before doing anything, sit down and make a plan of how you are going to rebuild your credit and keep yourself from getting in trouble again. Consider taking a financial management class at your local college. Having a plan in place will give you a concrete place to go to figure out what to do next.
Don't apply for credit cards or other accounts over and over again until you get approved for one. Each time your credit report is pulled, it temporarily lowers your score just a bit. This lowering will go away in a short period of time, like a month or so, but multiple pulls of your report in a short period of time is a red flag to creditors and to your score.
Avoid any company that tries to tell you they can remove bad credit marks off of your report. The only items that can be taken off of your report are items that are incorrect. If they tell you that they will delete your bad payment history then they are likely a scam.
When disputing items with a credit reporting agency make sure to not use photocopied or form letters. Form letters send up red flags with the agencies and make them think that the request is not legitimate. This type of letter will cause the agency to work a bit more diligently to verify the debt. Do not give them a reason to look harder.
If you know that you are going to be late on a payment or that the balances have gotten away from you, contact the business and see if you can set up an arrangement. It is much easier to keep a company from reporting something to your credit report than it is to have it fixed later.
Keep using cards that you've had for a while for small amounts here and there to keep it active and on your credit report. The longer that you have had a card the better the effect it has on your FICO score. If you have cards with better rates or limits, keep the older ones open by using them for small incidental purchases.
As you can see in this article, getting out of debt does not require you to jump through hoops or to take drastic measures. With a little bit of effort, a whole lot of will power, and accurate information that you just learned, you can attack your bad credit rating and work to repair it.