4 Best Ways to Improve Credit Score Fast - LEARNERSHIPSSA (2024)

Are you struggling with a low score, Low credit score can be so stressful and can have a negative impact in Life since one won’t be able to buy anything on Credit. There may be ways to build your credit fast if your score is lower than.you may be able to tack on as many as 100 points relatively quickly.

Here are some strategies to quickly improve your credit:

1. Pay bills on time

No strategy to improve your credit will be effective if you pay late. Worse, late payments can stay on your credit reports for seven years.

If you miss a payment by 30 days or more, call the creditor immediately. Pay up as soon as you can and ask if the creditor will consider no longer reporting the missed payment to the credit bureaus. Even if the creditor won’t do that, it’s worth getting current on the account ASAP. Every month an account is marked delinquent hurts your score.

Highly influential. Your record of paying bills on time is the largest scoring factor in both FICO and VantageScore credit scoring systems.

Prevent missed payments by setting up account reminders and considering automatic payments to cover at least the minimum.

This varies, depending on how many payments you’ve missed and how recently. It also matters how late a payment was (30, 60, 90 or more days past due). Fortunately, the impact of delinquent payments fades over time, and adding more positive credit accounts can help to speed that up.

3. Pay credit card balances strategically

The portion of your credit limits you’re using at any given time is called your credit utilization. A good guideline: Use less than 30% of your limit on any card, but lower is better. The highest scorers tend to have credit utilization in the single digits. (You can track your credit utilization on each card and overall by viewing your credit score profile with NerdWallet.)

You want to make sure your balance is low when the card issuer reports it to the credit bureaus, because that’s what is used in calculating your score. A simple way to do that is to pay down the balance before the billing cycle ends or to pay several times throughout the month to always keep your balance low.

3. Become an authorized user

If a relative or friend has a credit card account with a high credit limit and a good history of on-time payments, ask to be added as an authorized user. The account holder doesn’t have to let you use the card — or even give you the account number — for your credit to improve.

Make sure the account reports to all three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) to get the best effect; most credit cards do.

Potentially high, especially if you are a credit newbie with a thin credit file. The impact will be smaller for those with established credit who are trying to offset missteps or lower credit utilization.

Low to medium. You’ll need to have a conversation with the account holder you’re asking for this favor, and agree on whether you will have access to the card and account or simply be listed as an authorized user.

Fast. As soon as you’re added and that credit account reports to the bureaus, the account can benefit your profile.

4. Ask for higher credit limits

When your credit limit goes up and your balance stays the same, it instantly lowers your overall credit utilization, which can improve your credit. If your income has gone up or you’ve added more years of positive credit experience, you have a decent shot at getting a higher limit.

Before you make this request, plan how you’ll keep your spending habits steady and not max out that extra available credit. If those higher limits are a temptation, this might not be the best strategy for you.

Impact: Highly influential, because utilization is a large factor in credit scores.

Time commitment: Low. Contact your credit card issuer to ask about getting a higher limit. See if it’s possible to avoid a “hard” credit inquiry, which can temporarily drop your score a few points.

How fast it could work: Fast. Once the higher limit is reported to credit bureaus, it will lower your overall credit utilization — as long as you don’t use up the extra “room” on the card.

4 Best Ways to Improve Credit Score Fast - LEARNERSHIPSSA (2024)
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