How to Improve your Credit Score

Here are few tips to Improve your Credit Score

We all know that keeping a good credit score is important, whether its a car loan, credit card, mortgage or another type of loan, having a good credit score always helps. Lenders provide a better interest rates to borrowers who have a good credit score. This is something that defines your creditworthiness.

But still many people tend to ignore credit scores until they actually come across any financial situation. Even if you don't have plans to apply for any loan or credit card in near future, you might still need a good credit score, for example, to get an apartment, finance a car or to add additional line to your cell phone connection. It can even affect the auto or medical insurance premium in some cases.

What is a good credit score

Credit score can range from 300 to 850. A credit score of 700 or above is generally considered good. There are different scoring models and methods used by different companies but they all use information from your credit report. The most common ones are FICO® Scores and VantageScore.

If we are not careful with our credit card usage it might reflect badly on our credit history, and it could become difficult to fix the credit score immediately. Credit score goes up or down with time, based on its usage, timely or delayed payments, number of hard inquiries etc.

It takes time to fix the damage, and if we try to improve the credit score fast, it might backfire and affect us financially. The best way to rebuild your score is by using it responsibly and making regular payments over time.

Here are few tips that can help you use your credit cards smartly and improve your credit score:

1. Check your monthly statements, setup Reminders and Auto-Payments

Banks want you to keep paying the minimum balance as long as possible, because they charge interest once the grace period is over. In some cases they even increase the interest rate if you have certain outstanding balance. If you are not careful about how much interest they are charging you might end up way more than you would have if paid on time. Check your statements carefully and speak with the bank rep if you see any outrageous interest charged. Sometimes they waive off the interest if you are in good standing (I have done it).

Setting up Payment Reminders (email, text) and automatic payments are also useful in keeping ahead of due dates.

2. Pay before actual due date.

Be Proactive. Credit agencies collect your credit card usage details such as payments, outstanding balances, overdrafts etc every month. This information is shared by banks usually before the end of the statement period. Do not wait to pay off your credit card until the due date or before 2-3 days. Pay off the balance as early as possible after a credit card is used to ensure that your credit card balance does not add up to the balances in your credit history.

3. Make a Plan

Don't wait for your annual bonus to pay off your debt. You have to make a plan. Figure out all your expenses (monthly rent, travel, grocery, entertainment etc) and set aside an amount towards credit cards. Create a monthly expense report and set a target date to pay off all balances (Microsoft Excel comes with ready made templates that you can customize as per your needs). This will give you an idea of how much you should spend and save every month to pay off your credit cards.

You can even use advance accounting software or online tools available in the market such as ZipBooks or QuickBook, which can consolidate information from your accounts and give you a better idea of your financial situation by using graphs, pie charts etc.

4. Check your Credit score regularly

Its a good habit to check your credit report once in a while. Its possible that your credit report contains errors such as incorrect balance, late payments, unidentified inquiry etc. In case you notice an error in your credit report then you can dispute them with credit bureau and get it corrected.

You can use sites like CreditKarma, TransUnion or MyFico, which provides free credit score, along with credit analysis and recommendations. If you are worried that checking your credit score often will affect your credit report, then don't worry, CreditKarma makes a soft inquiry and it does not affect your credit score.

Your credit report contains the data used to calculate your credit score and it may contain errors. In particular, check to make sure that there are no late payments incorrectly listed for any of your accounts and that the amounts owed for each of your open accounts is correct. If you find errors on any of your reports, dispute them with the credit bureau

5. Use Balance transfer for Higher interest Cards

If you have a huge outstanding balance on a credit card with higher interest rate, it makes more sense to do a balance transfer to lower interest card.

Check out the promotions many banks provide with 0% APR for 12 months or more for a minimal fee typically 3%. Its worth paying that one time minimal fee than paying high interest every month.

Balance transfers can make your life easier, especially if you consolidate several card balances into one. Tracking one credit card payment every month is a lot easier than trying to follow three or four, and it makes it less likely that you will miss a payment or pay late.

Balance transfer is great, but its important that you pay off your debt rather than moving it around. The most effective way to improve your credit score is by paying your revolving debt because owing the same amount but having fewer open accounts may lower your scores.

6. Make Sure to use your credit card once in a while.

Its not recommended to open multiple credit card accounts just to increase your available credit limit. You should only get a credit card when you need it.

We usually use our premium cards with higher cashback and others cards are rarely used or sometimes never used at all. Try to use your unused cards once in while just to keep it active and pay it back immediately . Creditors, sometimes close a credit card if there is no activity on it.

Also don't close unused credit cards as a short-term strategy to raise your scores. Closing an account can backfire and actually lower your credit scores.

7. Avoid Hard Inquiries

Hard inquiries generally occur when you authorize a financial institution, such as a lender or credit card issuer, to check your credit report. They check your credit worthiness by checking your credit report and make a decision if you are eligible for the loan, credit card or mortgage you applied for.

You should avoid these hard inquiries as it can lower your credit score and remains on your credit report for two years. The damage to your credit score usually decreases or disappears with time, often hard inquiry falls off your credit report before time.

8. Look for Credit Limit Increase Eligibility.

Asking for a credit limit increase can put a hard inquiry on your credit report, but sometimes are you are eligible for a credit line increase based on your usage or some promotion. Check with your bank or creditor to see if you are eligible for any such promotional credit limit increase. This will not affect your credit score.

If you keep your usage same after increasing credit limit, you can reduce your utilization ratio, which is one of the factors used to calculate credit score. But this is useful only if you don't convert the increased credit into debt.