Having a bad credit rating can seriously delay your goals in life. It can limit your financial choices and keep you from taking part in good opportunities. There are a few things you can do to improve and protect your credit.
Creating a payment plan and sticking with it is just the first step to getting your credit on the road to repair. However, if you are not prepared to alter bad habits regarding your spending, nothing will ever change. Sticking to necessities for a while is crucial. Before purchasing an item, ask yourself if it is absolutely necessary and well within your financial means. If you cannot answer each of these in the affirmative, do not buy the item.
Interest Rates
You can dispute inflated interest rates if you are being charged more than you should be. There are legal limits set in place to control the amount of interest a creditor is allowed to charge you, plus your original debt is all the credit card company paid when you made the purchase. You did however sign a contract that agrees you will pay off all interests as well as the debt. You can consider suing your creditors if the interest rates are outrageously high.
It is essential to pay all of your bills if you are looking to repair your credit. More specifically, pay them on time and in full. You will notice how quickly your credit score increases when you start paying off those overdue bills.
Be wary of credit restoration scams that can get you in legal trouble. There are less than honest entities that will show you how to make a brand new credit file. Of course, this highly illegal, and it will cause you even more problems, because it will not go unnoticed. In addition to the possibility of facing jail time, you could be fined, your attorney bills may be substantial, and your reputation could be ruined.
Credit Card
Though it is an unsettling prospect, consider asking your credit card provider to reduce the amount of credit extended to you. Not only will this stop you from overspending, it will indicate responsible behavior to a credit card company, and may enable you to get future credit.
Take a look at your credit report if you have a bad score. There may very likely be errors or mistakes that can be removed.
Joining a credit union is beneficial if you want to make your credit score better but cannot get new credit. With help from a credit union you might get better rates than at another bank, since credit unions better understand the current area compared to the national situation.
If you find any errors on your credit report, you should dispute them. Send a dispute letter along with supporting documents to the credit agency that recorded the errors. Always send your dispute letters certified mail, so that you can get return confirmation. This will give you proof that the agency received your dispute paperwork.
Don’t spend more than you make. This might be a tough thing to get your head around. In many cases, people are using credit cards to buy things they want, rather than focusing on things that they need. You should look at what you can afford to spend, before using credit for purchases.
Credit Card
To rebuild bad credit, it can be a good idea to get rid of your extra credit cards. You should only have one. Call your credit card company and try to work out a repayment plan, or transfer the balances of multiple cards to one lower interest card. You can pay down one credit card in full, rather than chipping away at many.
Go over your monthly credit card statements to check for mistakes. Immediately report any errors to your credit card company to prevent a bad mark on your credit report.
Take the time to carefully go over all your credit card statements. Make sure you aren’t paying for purchases you didn’t make. You are the only person that is responsible for making sure the statements are error free.
Credit Rating
For a better credit rating, lower the balances on your revolving accounts. Maintaining smaller balances can improve your credit rating. The FICO system makes a note to your credit report every time your account balance reaches a new 20% increment of your total available credit.
If you apply these tips, you should be able to improve your credit and maintain a good score. A good credit score is essential to financial freedom, take the time to learn about fixing your credit.
