Many people find it difficult to build credit quickly, especially if they are starting from zero or have a poor credit history. This can be a time-consuming and frustrating process, but is essential to your financial future. Having good credit is necessary for a variety of financial goals, including renting an apartment, buying a car, securing a mortgage and even getting a cell phone contract.
You can speed up the process by using smart tactics. Here are a few of the best and fastest ways to build your credit.
1. Make every payment on time.
It's not just a matter of convenience: paying your bills on time is the single most important factor that affects your credit score. A big mistake can be paying late on your debts. This could affect your score forever.
2. Avoid credit card debt.
You should keep your credit usage ratio as low and as consistent as possible. This is the percent of your available credit that you use on revolving account types, like credit cards and credit lines. A credit usage ratio of more than 30% can have a negative impact on your credit score.
3. Your credit card provider may increase your credit limit.
If you are a loyal client and pay your bills consistently on time, then you may qualify for a higher credit limit. Before requesting a credit line increase, check the policy of your card. Some issuers perform a credit inquiry, which can temporarily reduce your credit score.
4. A secured credit card can help you to build up your credit quickly.
If you have never had credit before, using a secure card can be a fast way to build your credit and establish a payment history. Secured cards typically offer a limited credit limit as a trade-off for a refundable deposit. After a few months of responsible usage, your secured credit card can be traded in for an unsecured one.
5. Credit agencies offer a variety of free services and tools.
For establishing credit, there are many free resources available, including websites which can help you to request free copies from each of the three major bureaus, Equifax Experian TransUnion. You can also use the services of credit agencies to dispute inaccurate data and have your scores corrected.
6. Cleaning up your credit report can help you remove errors or late payments.
No one can deny that mistakes on a credit report are a major detriment to obtaining a good score. Unfortunately, they often go unnoticed. This is why it's crucial to check regularly your credit reports and dispute any errors.
The immediate impact of correcting any errors in your credit report or missing information can be positive. Depending on the number of errors and your overall credit profile, disputes can be the fastest way to improve your score, potentially increasing it by 100 points or more.