Bad credit is a very frustrating thing to deal with. It can prevent you from leading the life you desire and living your life to its full potential. You can repair it though, and make steps to prevent it from spiraling down further.
The first thing you should do when trying to improve your credit is develop an effective plan and make a commitment to adhere to it. You must be dedicated to making some significant changes in the way you spend your money. Just buy what you need, and forget unnecessary purchases. Before purchasing an item, ask yourself if it is absolutely necessary and well within your financial means. If you cannot answer each of these in the affirmative, do not buy the item.
Credit Card
If you are unable to get a new card because of your bad credit, try to apply for secured cards. Secured credit card applications have a high rate of approval because you must fund a security deposit against your credit limit. If you use a credit card responsibly, you will go a long way in repairing your credit.
If you find that you have a credit card and the interest rate has gotten to high, you do have the option to not pay the debt, though there will be consequences. An interest rate that is shockingly high can possibly be ruled as illegal in certain cases. However, when you signed up for the line of credit you also agreed to pay the interest. It is likely you can have exorbitant interest rates reduced if you sue the creditor.
Joining a credit union may be a way to boost your credit score when you are having a hard time getting credit. Credit unions have opportunities that are better than other places and are usually local.
Anything on your credit report that you feel is inaccurate should be disputed. Send a dispute letter along with supporting documents to the credit agency that recorded the errors. Your letter should be sent with a request for return receipt, so you can have a record that it was received by the reporting agency.
Start living within your means. This will require a change in your thinking. In the last decade, it has been way to easy for people to get credit. Many people have used this credit to buy items that they really could not afford at the time, and are now paying the price. Be honest with yourself about what you can truly afford.
In order to start repairing your credit, you should close all but one of your credit card accounts. Call your credit card company and try to work out a repayment plan, or transfer the balances of multiple cards to one lower interest card. You can pay down one credit card in full, rather than chipping away at many.
Go over your monthly credit card statements to check for mistakes. If there are, you will need to contact the company immediately to avoid them reporting this to a credit reporting agency,
Bankruptcy should be a last resort. Bankruptcies appear on credit reports for ten years. Although it seems like the wise thing to do at the time, it will bring you negative consequences in the long run. Filing bankruptcy makes it difficult if not impossible to get anything involving credit, like credit cards and loans, in the future.
Credit Cards
In order to start repairing your credit, you should try to pay down the balances on your credit cards as quickly as possible. First work on the cards with the steepest balances or interest rates. This helps creditors realize that you are using credit cards wisely.
Doing this will ensure a good credit score. Late payments are added to credit reports and they can damage your chances of getting loans or a home in the future.
Try lowering the balance of any revolving accounts you have. By lowering your credit card balances, you will be able to improve your credit score. Increments of twenty of available credit are noted by fico.
Good credit starts with rebuilding. Consider a card that requires payment in advance; this will improve your score without the risk of failure. This will show potential lenders that you are responsible and credit worthy.
Take the time to communicate with creditors that you are struggling to make payments to. Creditors tend to be less likely to make negative credit reports in situations where you take the initiative to work with them. As an added benefit, this may alleviate some financial strain allowing you to focus on accounts where an alternate repayment plan is not available.
Keeping up with your monthly bills is a big part of how credit rating is determined. Subscribe to payment reminders to help you stay on top of things. There are many ways to remind yourself of impending due dates for your bills. If you have an online banking portal, you may have a way to have emails and texts sent to you automatically on or before certain dates.
This simple advice can aid you in repairing your credit issues and help you keep your credit in good shape. A good credit score is essential to financial freedom, take the time to learn about fixing your credit.