How to Improve Your Credit Score in 30 Days
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If you’re looking to improve your credit score in 30 days or less, there are a few things you can do. Check out our tips to help you boost your score quickly!
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Check your credit report for errors
You’re entitled to one free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. You can request a copy from AnnualCreditReport.com. Review it carefully to make sure nothing is misspelled or on there that shouldn’t be — inaccuracies could lower your score.
Dispute any errors you find
The first step is to check your credit report from all three major credit bureaus—TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax—and dispute any errors you find. You can do this for free once a year at AnnualCreditReport.com.
If you find any errors, file a dispute with the credit bureau online or by mail. Include a copy of your credit report with the error highlighted, along with a brief explanation of why you believe the information is inaccurate and a request for deletion or correction. Once the credit bureau receives your dispute, it must investigate and respond within 30 days.
Pay your bills on time
One of the most important things you can do to improve your credit score is to pay your bills on time. Creditors and lenders report your payment history to the credit reporting agencies, and late or missed payments can negatively impact your score. To help ensure that you always make your payments on time, consider setting up automatic payments from your checking or savings account.
Another way to stay on top of your payments is to sign up for email or text alerts from your creditors. This way, you’ll be notified as soon as a payment is due and can avoid any penalties or fees for late payments.
Pay down your debt
Your credit score is a three-digit number that lenders use to decide whether to approve you for a loan and what interest rate to charge you. A high credit score means you’re a low-risk borrower, which could lead to a lower interest rate on a loan. A low credit score could lead to a higher interest rate and could mean you won’t be approved for a loan at all.
You can improve your credit score by paying down your debt. You can do this by making extra payments on your debts each month, or by consolidating your debts into one loan with a lower interest rate. You can also improve your credit score by paying your bills on time each month.
Use a credit monitoring service
There are many credit monitoring services available, but not all are created equal. Some credit monitoring services will provide you with a free credit score, while others will charge a monthly fee. Be sure to read the fine print before signing up for any credit monitoring service, as some of these services will actually require you to sign up for a trial period and then automatically enroll you in a monthly subscription unless you cancel within the trial period.
One of the best credit monitoring services available is Credit Sesame. Credit Sesame provides you with a free credit score and report card, as well as weekly updates on your credit score. Credit Sesame also offers a variety of tools to help you improve your credit score, such as a debt calculator, personal finance tips, and a credit simulator.
Keep old accounts open
One thing you can do to help improve your credit score is to keep your old credit accounts open, even if you don’t use them anymore. This shows that you have a good history with credit and that you’re not afraid of taking on debt. If you close an account, it can also hurt your credit score by lowering your average account age, which is one of the factors that goes into your score.
Don’t open too many new accounts at once
A sudden influx of new credit can look risky to lenders, even if you manage it responsibly. So space out your applications, and only open a few new accounts within a short period of time. Also remember that hard inquiries stay on your credit report for two years—and each one can ding your score slightly.
