How To Raise Bad Credit Score Fast

By: Stephanie Mojica

Break Studios Contributing Writer

You may need to learn how to raise bad credit score fast. Government agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission, note that a bad credit score can cost you mortgages and even cause you to spend more money on car insurance. If your credit is seriously damaged, you may need time to fully recover from that damage. However, you can still successfully practice how to raise bad credit score fast.

  1. Pay as much as you can toward your existing credit card account balances. This is a great way to actually practice the task of how to raise bad credit score fast. A bad credit score often results when you have credit card balances too close to your available limit; this is a credit scoring risk factor as it indicates you may be in financial trouble. If your credit card limit is $1,000 and you owe $800, get that balance down to $350 or lower.
  2. Check your credit reports to make sure they are accurate. Getting inaccurate information removed might be a great way to practice the task of how to raise bad credit score fast. The Federal Trade Commission recommends that you check your reports at least once a year; the government-backed website AnnualCreditReport.com is the only truly "free" credit report service in existence. If you have incorrect information on there, you can legally dispute it by telephone, postal mail letter or online. Remember that correct negative information is usually reported for seven years, but its negative impact on your credit score is reduced over time.
  3. Don't apply for any new credit. A good way to actually fulfill your mission of how to raise bad credit score fast is to not apply for new credit. Each time you apply for credit, this may reduce your credit score. Also, new accounts lower the average age of your existing obligations and lower your credit score.

References:

FCIC: Your Credit Score

Federal Trade Commission: Facts for Consumers

Posted on: May. 07, 2010