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Getting a copy of your credit report is the first step toward improving your credit health. Here’s a few additional tips that could give your score an additional boost.
One of the key factors that affect your credit score is past payment performance. To positively affect how lenders view your future payment history, make sure to pay all your bills on time every month.
Paying off debts and keeping credit card balances low help to keep your credit utilization ratio down. Your credit utilization ratio is calculated by adding all of your credit card balances and dividing that number by your total credit limit. Typically, lenders like to see ratios below 30%, so the lower the better.
Like bank statements, credit reports aren’t perfect. It’s important to fix inaccurate information. If you see something on your credit report that doesn’t look right, you’ll want to dispute it with your credit report provider (e.g. TransUnion) as soon as possible.
Unless you have a credit card with annual fees that you don’t want to pay, make sure to keep your cards open. This will help keep your credit utilization ratio lower and improve your credit score.
Opening new credit card accounts just to have a better credit mix won’t likely improve your score because opening new cards triggers a hard credit inquiry on your credit report. Only use the credit you currently have, whenever possible.
If you have a good credit history with your lender, ask your credit card issuer to raise your credit limits. A credit card limit increase may help your credit utilization rate, which can help improve your credit score.