Now this form of credit may be for any number of purposes such as an automobile purchase, a mortgage on a home or even a family holiday, whatever it is that you are looking to gain credit for will involve a credit worthiness check and so you will see how vital a good credit score is necessary.
Obviously things taken into consideration by the financial institutions when arriving at this credit worthiness rating are previous loan repayment history and basically anything in your financial history that might give them doubts as to your possible worthiness to repay any credit given.
Obtaining a good credit history is usually something that is acquired automatically over your normal lifetime of using bank accounts and generally paying credit arrangements on time, however if at anytime you have been in the unfortunate position to have defaulted on credit repayments or even had to come to some arrangement on credit repayments by a forced legal action then this will obviously affect any future possible credit advancements.
One-way you can start to build, or rebuild your credit worthiness might be by obtaining a secured or pre-paid debit card. These can be used exactly the same way as a traditional credit card however you place cash advancements on the card first, which in effect becomes the limit on the card you are able to use. These cards are available fairly easily as there are no risks to the financial lenders and thus gives you all the advantages of a normal credit card without any possibility of placing yourself into a debt situation.
Over time using this means of payment while maintaining any other financial commitments you may have will regain your credit score and in time will lead to you being able to approach companies for a traditional credit card, should you wish, plus all other forms of credit arrangements.
If you have had enough of making late payments on credit card spending or meeting loan repayments, it is time to pull up your socks and do something about improving your credit score. The flip side of bad credit is that you can do something positive to improve your credit rating. With persistence, time and patience, you can bring up your credit rating by 50 to 100 points.
How do you go about doing this? One way to start to clean up your past record would be obtain your credit reports from the companies that provide the reports like Transunion, Equifax and Experian. These companies have different ways of allocating scores and have different items for assessment. If you know what exactly the reports contain, you can plan 'operation clean-up' to improve your credit rating.
Do you know that some companies don't provide accurate information in credit reports. You should carefully scrutinize these reports for factual errors and get them corrected with agency. You can avail yourself of prepaid legal services to help you sort out disputed items, if any. If your unable to do this then send a letter using certified mail to ensure the agency receives it. Under the law, these agencies have to respond to you within 30 days or remove the disputed item from the credit report.
If your credit rating is not currently good then make sure you avoid opening multiple new accounts within a short timeframe.
It is best to pay your bills on your time. Don't overspend on your credit cards and get into the revolving credit cycle. Limit your monthly spending on your credit card to a maximum of 25% of your credit limit. For instance, if your credit limit is $ 25,000, it is better to restrict your spending to not more than $2,500. Stick to a maximum of four credit cards. Anything more than this and you will find it unmanageable.
Many advocate moving credit card outstanding to cards that offer lower rates of interest. But this can actually hurt your credit rating. Closing old, paid-off accounts doesn't help. Closing old credit cards actually shorts the credit report and makes you look less-credit worthy.
Even if you have paid your dues in full, your credit report will be valid for a period of 7 years. Your credit score will improve but the past history will not change things wholesale. You need to build positive credit. One way is to use secured credit cards. You will need to deposit a specific sum of money with the bank and will be allowed a credit limit that can range from 1 ½ to 2 times your deposit. The transactions made on this card will show on your credit report but noone will know your credit card is secured.
Don't opt for the easy way out and declare yourself bankrupt. You'll pay the price heavily in the long term in the form of high interest rates and bad credit.
Improving your credit rating looks difficult but it can be done. It takes patience, application and perseverance.
Both Nathan Dawson & Richard Greenwood are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.