Key takeaways
- Consistent, timely payments and low credit utilization are crucial for improving your credit score quickly.
- Reviewing your credit report for errors and paying off collection accounts can significantly boost your credit rating.
- Utilizing tools like secured credit cards, credit builder loans, and professional credit counseling can provide targeted support to enhance your credit.
Building or improving your credit fast is possible. While there’s no magic pill to fix your credit score overnight, there are strategies that will have a quick positive impact.
Your credit score significantly affects your financial health. It influences everything from loan approvals to interest rates. A better credit score will open doors to major purchases, like a new home or car, and provide financial peace of mind.
Here are 10 ways to help build or raise your credit quickly.
Jump to:
- Review your credit report and score
- Make payments on time
- Pay down your debt
- Don’t close old accounts
- Limit applications for new credit
- Apply for a secured credit card
- Ask to be added to another person’s credit card
- Get a credit builder loan
- Use your rent and utility bills
- Pay off collection agencies
- Bottom line
1. Review your credit report and score
The first step is to check your credit score. You need to know where you stand. Next, review your credit report thoroughly. Your credit report contains detailed information about your credit history, directly impacting your credit score.
You can obtain your credit report for free once a year through AnnualCreditReport.com. Get one from each of the three major credit bureaus, as they may contain slightly different information.
Dispute errors
Carefully check for any inaccuracies or discrepancies in your report. Common errors include incorrect personal information, accounts that do not belong to you, and erroneous late payments. These mistakes can significantly harm your score if left unaddressed.
If you find any errors, promptly contact the credit reporting agency and the company that reported the inaccurate information. Disputing these errors can lead to their removal. Removing them will prevent further damage to your score and can give it a quick boost.
How is my credit score calculated?
To fully understand your score, you need to know how it’s calculated. Here is what goes into your score and what you can do about it.
| Factor | Weight in FICO score | What you can do |
| Payment history | 35% | Set up autopay or calendar reminders |
| Credit utilization | 30% | Pay your bill frequently to keep your balances under 30% |
| Length of credit history | 15% | Don’t close old accounts |
| New credit | 10% | Apply sparingly and only when needed |
| Credit mix | 10% | Have both credit cards and installment loans |
Note issues
Next, take a look at accurate negative marks to see what you’re doing wrong. Knowing what mistakes you’re making tells you where to focus your efforts and what behaviors you need to correct. Perhaps you’ve made a lot of late payments or your utilization rate is too high. Take the time to find out.
2. Make payments on time
Your payment history is the most significant factor in calculating your credit score. Making payments on time is essential for building or improving your credit.
Prioritize paying at least the minimum amount due on each account. While paying in full is best by far, paying the minimum will help you avoid late fees and further damage to your credit score.
If you’re wondering what will happen to your credit score if you do not manage your debt wisely, just look at how quickly missed payments damage your score. One missed payment can lower your score by 50 to 120 points.
Set up autopay
Consider setting up automatic payments or reminders for all your bills. With autopay, you won’t accidentally miss a due date.
Communicate difficulties
If you anticipate a problem with paying your bill, tell your creditors immediately. They may offer temporary relief options or payment plans that can prevent your account from being reported as delinquent.
Consistent on-time payments demonstrate to lenders that you are reliable and responsible with your finances. This can lead to a rapid improvement in your credit score.
Don't believe everything you hear!
3. Pay down your debt
Having debt isn’t inherently negative; in fact, it plays a crucial role in building credit. However, managing your debt effectively is key to maintaining a healthy credit score.
One of the most important aspects of debt management is keeping your credit utilization ratio below 30%. Your credit utilization ratio is calculated by dividing how much you’ve spent by your credit limits. The ratio represents the percentage of your available credit you are using. A lower utilization ratio indicates that you are using your credit responsibly.
To quickly improve your credit score, focus on paying down your credit card balances and other revolving debts. Aim to pay off as much of your debt as possible before the billing cycle ends. This practice can reduce your reported credit utilization ratio, thereby boosting your credit score.
Try to pay more than the minimum each month. Paying more than the minimum will help reduce your overall debt faster and decrease the amount of interest you pay over time.
Choose a strategy
If your credit card debt is getting out of hand, consider debt relief strategies. With the debt snowball method, you focus on paying off smaller debts first. The debt avalanche method had you target debts with the highest interest rates first. All while making the minimum payments on all accounts. Both methods can help you pay off credit card debt efficiently.
Reducing your debt and keeping your credit utilization low shows lenders that you aren’t reliant on credit. As soon as the lower balances are reported to the credit bureaus (within 30 days), your score will improve.
Paying off a debt is smart, but you could be left asking, why did my credit score drop after paying off debt?. Rest assured that the drop is only temporary. The reason might be that you paid off your only installment loan, lowering your credit mix. Or perhaps you closed the credit card after you paid it off. Either way, don’t let a small potential score drop keep you from repaying debts.
4. Don’t close old accounts
If you have an old credit card account that you haven’t used in years, it’s wise to keep it active. Closing old accounts can inadvertently harm your credit score in several ways.
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Firstly, having old accounts lengthens the average age of your credit history. The longer your credit history, the better it is for your score. It shows lenders a positive track record of managing credit responsibly.
Second, it will increase your utilization. When you close an old account, you reduce your overall available credit. If your spending stays the same, your credit utilization ratio will increase, negatively impacting your score.
Why does higher credit utilization decrease your credit score? Because it shows you’re relying more heavily on credit. Lenders don’t want you to depend on borrowing since it may mean you’ll have a harder time paying them back.
If you don’t use an old credit card regularly, your issuer may close it. To prevent this, make occasional small purchases and pay them off in full. You’ll keep your account history long, positively influencing your score.
The exception to the rule is if your card has an annual fee or is tempting you to overspend. Then you may be better off closing it.
5. Limit applications for new credit
When you apply for new credit, a hard inquiry is made on your credit report. Each hard inquiry can temporarily lower your credit score by a few points. Multiple inquiries within a short period can have a more significant impact. If you aim to build or improve your credit quickly, you must limit the number of new credit applications you submit.
If you do apply and are rejected, wait at least six months before applying again. The waiting period gives your score time to recover and signals to lenders that you’re not desperate for credit.
Try to prequalify
To avoid rejections, only apply for loans and cards that you are highly likely to qualify for. If you can, prequalify. Prequalifying does not guarantee approval. What it does is let you know if you meet the basic criteria without doing any damage to your score. You can then compare offers you’ve prequalified for and formally apply for the best one. Applying for a prequalified offer means you are more likely to be approved.
6. Apply for a secured credit card
Secured credit cards can be a good stepping stone for building credit. They require a cash deposit as collateral, which typically becomes your credit limit. For example, if you deposit $500, your credit limit will be $500. The deposit reduces the risk for the lender and makes it easier to get approved when you have poor credit.
Using a secured credit card responsibly can significantly enhance your credit score. To maximize the benefits, ensure that you use less than 30% of your limit. If your credit limit is $500, keep your balance below $150. You can make payments multiple times a month to ensure your utilization stays low.
It’s equally important to make all your payments on time. Consistently paying off your balance each month will reflect positively on your credit report.
Over time, responsible use of a secured credit card will improve your credit score. Just make sure that the issuer reports your credit activity to all three credit bureaus.
As your credit improves, you will become eligible for unsecured credit cards, which do not require a deposit. Many secured credit card issuers will upgrade you to an unsecured card and refund your deposit. Or you can pay off your account and close your card to get your deposit back.
7. Ask to be added to another person’s credit card
One effective credit-building strategy is to become an authorized user on someone else’s credit card account. If you have a spouse, parent, or friend with good credit, ask if they would be willing to add you.
Being added as an authorized user is one of the best ways to use a credit card to build credit. You get to “piggyback” on the established credit history of a responsible cardholder. The primary cardholder’s positive credit history is added to your credit report. This includes their timely payments, low utilization, and lengthy credit history. This can lead to a higher credit score in a relatively short period.
The primary cardholder does not need to give you access to their card. You can reap the benefits of their good credit practices without actually using the card or making charges. If you do use the card, note that you are not legally responsible for paying the bill.
8. Get a credit builder loan
Another effective tool for building or improving your credit score is a credit builder loan. These loans are specifically designed to help you establish a positive payment history. You apply for a small loan, only $300 to $3,000. The lender will require you to make regular payments over a specified period, usually between 6 to 24 months.
What makes a credit builder loan unique is that the borrowed money is held in a secure account. It is only released to you once the loan is paid off in full. When you make your monthly payments, you essentially make payments to yourself. The lender reports your on-time payments to the credit bureaus. Their reporting helps establish a positive payment history, boosting your credit score.
As with secured credit cards, look for a lender that reports to all three major credit bureaus. Reporting to all three will have the biggest impact on your score.
Do you feel like good credit is out of reach?
9. Use your rent and utility bills
When trying to build credit fast, don’t overlook bills you’re already paying. Rent is often your biggest monthly expense, so does paying rent build credit? Only if you take steps to ensure it gets counted. Most landlords don’t do this automatically. You will need to sign up for a third-party service.
Some services not only report rent, but also utility payments, phone bills, subscriptions, etc. You can improve your score without taking on debt. Adding on-time payments to your credit reports will make lenders look more favorably on you. It will improve your chances of getting credit cards and loans in the future.
10. Pay off collection agencies
If you have any collection accounts on your credit report, you need to address them. Collection accounts significantly harm your credit. They indicate that you failed to repay a debt, making future lenders wary of working with you.
The first step is to contact the collection agency and arrange to pay off the debt in collections. Once the debt is paid, request that the agency remove the account from your credit report.
This process is known as a “pay-for-delete” agreement. You negotiate with the collection agency to have the negative account removed from your report in exchange for payment. Not all agencies agree to this, but it’s worth pursuing. Removing a collection account from your report can substantially improve your score.
Dealing with collection accounts may take some extra time and effort, but the impact on your credit score can be significant. A clean credit report shows lenders that you have resolved past issues and are taking steps to manage your credit responsibly.
Frequently asked questions
1. How to pay off collections to increase credit score?
Paying off collections will increase your credit score. To have the biggest impact, negotiate a “pay for delete” agreement. Here, the collection agency removes the account from your credit report upon payment. If that’s not possible, pay the debt in full or settle it for less. Either will reduce its negative impact.
2. How to raise your credit score 200 points in 30 days?
Raising your credit score 200 points in just 30 days is extremely rare, but possible in unique cases. Pay down high credit card balances to lower your utilization. Dispute any inaccurate negative marks on your credit report. Become an authorized user on a well-managed credit card. Adding rent or utility reporting may also help. Significant gains typically take longer than a month.
3. How can I increase my credit score to 800?
A credit score of 800 takes time and consistent, responsible behavior. You will need to pay all your bills on time, keep your credit utilization below 10%, and have a long credit history. Only open new accounts when you really need them. Consistency and time are key to reaching this level.
4. How long does it take to get a perfect credit score?
Earning a perfect credit score of 850 takes at least 7 to 10 years. During this period, you must pay on time consistently and keep your utilization below 10%. Having a diverse credit mix and not opening new accounts will also help. A perfect score isn’t necessary. Borrowers with scores above 760 already qualify for the best rates and terms.
5. Why does higher credit utilization decrease your credit score?
Higher credit utilization signals lenders that you may be overextended or financially strained. Relying too much on credit increases the risk that you won’t pay your bill.
6. How to build credit with no credit?
Start by applying for a secured credit card or a credit-builder loan. These products are designed to help people with no credit establish a positive payment history. Consider becoming an authorized user on someone else’s well-managed card. Their positive credit history will be added to yours. These steps will help you build a credit profile from scratch.
Bottom line
Repairing or building your credit score isn’t something that will happen overnight, but there are steps you can take to see results quickly. It requires patience, persistence, and consistency to achieve your desired credit score. Follow some of the strategies outlined above, and you can make significant progress in a relatively short period.
Remember that every positive action, no matter how small, contributes to improving your credit score. If you find the process overwhelming, don’t hesitate to seek help from a professional. Certified credit counselors can offer valuable guidance and personalized plans to help you stay on track.
With discipline and the right strategies, you can reach the credit score you want.
