Best method for getting credit score up?
There are so many different ways people say to get your scores up online, different methods and while they all sound promising, I don’t know which one is the best. What is the best method for getting your credit score up and keeping it up??
Aside from paying on time and paying multiple times a month, I would say that you should work on older cards first. Pay as much as you can with those and only pay the minimum on newer cards.
There are many guides on the internet that can help with this. NerdWallet is a particularly helpful website.
My suggestion would be secured loans. Set a limit you know you can afford and pay back on time!
I have a couple of secured loans and credit cards because I thought they would increase my score a lot. So far, only a minor improvement. It's quite disappointing really, I would have never taken them if I knew they wouldn't help much. Hopefully things improve over time.
Having improved me score myself, I will tell you that the best method is always to pay on time and pay as much as you can. Never pay just the minimum due because that ends up hurting your credit. They don't even tell you about it either.
I think it depends on what debts you have. Not all methods will work for everyone. I like the simply strategy of paying off smaller debts first. If you let them slide, they will grow and hurt your scores more.
carey_prohaska: There are many guides on the internet that can help with this. NerdWallet is a particularly helpful website.My suggestion would be secured loans. Set a limit you know you can afford and pay back on time!
@carey_prohaska Yeah I agree, that website has good information
I feel like people get overwhelmed when they are in debt and focus on their scores so much so that they get discouraged. Do what you can when you can, they will improve!
They say you need credit to build credit. How many cards do you have? Do you have any loans or car leases you are paying on right now? If not, look into options for getting a small loan. You can get something for auto repair perhaps. So long as you can afford to pay it each month, it should help your credit score.
Why not ask for higher credit limits? A lot of banks are willing to allow this because of Covid-19 and people being short on income. Your balance won't change but it will decrease your owed percentage which will improve your scores.
I am learning about this myself and I have found a lot of what was mentioned to be things others have done that do work. I think it is a good idea to focus on your overall credit limit and get that total percentage down. It should help.