Bad credit is an unfortunate detour on the road of life. Instead of getting that house or that job, you are left sitting with a refusal and a copy of your credit report. You can repair it though, and make steps to prevent it from spiraling down further.
When attempting to make your credit right once more, it is imperative that you present a solution to all those that you owe money to, and don’t deviate from anything you commit to once it is in place. You have to be committed to making real changes to your spending habits. Just buy what you need, and forget unnecessary purchases. Ask yourself whether every purchase is both affordable and necessary, and only buy if the answer to both questions is “yes”.
Keep your credit card balances below 50 percent of your credit limit. Your credit score can diminish with balances over 50%, so spread out the debt or pay off the credit cards.
Interest Rates
Your low credit score will cut your interest rates. Lower interest rates make paying bills easier, and prevents you from incurring debt. Receiving competitive credit rates and good offers are important in having credit that you can pay off easily, and that will get you a great credit score.
By opening an installment account, it could help improve credit score and you could have a decent living. An installment account requires that you make a minimum payment each month. It is imperative that you only take an installment account that is affordable. Your FICO score will rise over time, if you responsibly manage this type of account.
Many credit card companies are willing to help customers by eliminated late fees or lowering monthly payment amounts. This will assure them that you want to handle your debt and keep you from getting even further behind. Don’t be afraid to ask for alterations in interest rates or dates of payment.
Prior to agreeing to a debt settlement agreement, find out how that process is going to impact your credit score. You should know all about the methods you can use if you are going to enter into an agreement with someone. The creditor is only interested in receiving the money due, and is not concerned with your credit score.
Dispute any errors that are on your credit report so they are removed. A dispute letter should be sent to any of the agencies that are reporting the error. Be sure to include supporting documents. 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.
Credit Card Accounts
In order to start repairing your credit, you should close all but one of your credit card accounts. You can make arrangements to pay the balances, or transfer the balances of your closed credit card accounts to your single remaining credit card. It is much easier to manage one large monthly payment than it is to keep track of multiple smaller ones.
Any time you establish any payment plan with any creditor, make sure you get it in writing. If the creditor tries to change the agreement or if it the company is sold to someone else, you will have documentation to support your case. Finally, when it is paid in full, get documentation thereof to submit to credit agencies.
Begin the process of credit restoration by trying to pay down your credit card balances as fast as you can. Pay down your cards that have the highest interest and largest balances first. This will show creditors that you are responsible with the cards.
Look for a credit repair agency that is legitimate. There are lots of disreputable credit score improvement agencies out there. Unfortunately, there have been quite a few people who have been scammed by these companies. You can separate the scam artists from the good agencies by relying on user reviews found online.
These tips will make a big difference in your fight against bad credit. Educating yourself about credit and how it works is an important investment that will pay off in the future.