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10 top tips to improve your credit score
We’ve gathered together a list of the top ten things you should do to improve your credit score. These apply to people in the UK, but the principles will be very similar to any country with central credit reference agencies.
1. Get a copy of your credit record – You’ll need your last 3 years of addresses including post code’s to hand. You can get them for a statutory fee of £2. from Experian or Equifax. Don’t be conned by the “free” offer which gets you to subscribe to a monthly fee service unless you really want to.
2. Register on voter’s role – This helps verify your address and that you are who you say you are.
3. Take out credit – If you proove you can manage credit and have some credit history, then you are more trustworthy. The last 6 months payment history on all products at a credit reference agency are often used to assess ability to manage credit. If you don’t have payment history you will be classified as a “thin credit file” and either charged a higher price or refused credit.
4. Open a current/checking account with the bank – This allows you to proove your income more easily as they can see it paid into the account and they also know where to find you if you can’t pay it back. This is a good option for those new to credit.
5. Pay on time – Paying late is used as a sign that you may be in financial trouble. In the industry it is called “one down”. If it happens only once, you are usually ok providing you pay on time every time after. Paying over a month late (“two down”) means you have a much stronger chance of being bad credit. Avoid these problems by setting up a direct debit or recurring payment on a date soon after your salary enters your current account.
6. Don’t go over your credit limit – This is used again as a sign that you may be in financial trouble and is built explicitly into credit scorecards.
7. Close down lines of credit you aren’t using – Banks can see the total credit line available to you from all other banks. If you already have plenty of credit line, they may give you a smaller one or refuse credit when you try to get more. This is an attempt to stop “bust out” where a person maxes out everything at once.
8. Don’t max out the line available to you – This almost contradicts the point above, but customers that have high usage (“utilisation”) of their credit line are also likely to be bad credit.
9. Serve a notice of disassociation if needed – Credit agencies will financially link people with the same surname at the same address so if you live in a rented flat that has had someone with the same surname there or you live with adult family members that you aren’t married to, you may wish to serve a notice. There is advice on this on the experian and equifax websites.
10. In financial difficulty? – If you are having difficulty meeting your payments, firstly use our budget calculator to understand your incomings and outgoings and see if you can make cutbacks or boost income somehow, then read the Bad Credit page where you can consider your options.
Bad Credit Bank Loans
Bad credit bank loans are still available offline or over the internet. A bad credit bank loan is money you borrow from a lender for your own individual use. The lending institution can be a bank, investment agent, or private lending company. You’ll be able to apply for such a loan in your local area or on the web. Bad credit bank loans can be used for a number of needs including a vacation, auto repairs, college fees, medical cost, home improvements or remodeling, new business, legal fees, and debt consolidation.
The typical bad credit bank loan maximum is $20,000. The amount of money you are eligible for will depend on the lending institutions guidelines for such loans, your income, and your overall credit score. Cash loans are frequently confused with a line of credit. The major difference between the two is that a cash loan is a lump sum amount of money released to you by the lender. A line of credit is similar, but you have access to funds up to your credit line that you can access all at once or just what you need, when you need it.
Bad Credit Personal loans can be either secured or unsecured. Secured loans mean you will offer the lender some type of collateral that they can collect in the event you don’t pay back the loan. This can be a car, land, or other asset you own. Unsecured loans mean there’s no collateral. The rates of interest for unsecured loans are higher because there is a greater risk of non-payment.
The full term of a personal loan is generally one to five years. The terms of your loan will depend on the lender and the sum of money you borrow. It is important that you read the loan terms before accepting the funds. While a longer loan term will result in lower payments, you will end up paying more for the loan over the life of it due to the amount of interest. Keeping that in mind, only borrow the amount you need for your specific purpose and pay it back as quickly as you can. Make sure the set monthly payment is something within your reach on a regular basis so you are not likely to default on the loan.
The most common use of an unsecured loan is to consolidate other debts. This is a great way to have one monthly payment and reduce your monthly expenses. However, this scenario only works if you are willing to set a budget and live within the boundaries of it. Too often, a person who gets a personal loan to consolidate their debt racks up huge debt again quickly. Then they not only have that debt to pay again, but now they have a personal loan payment to meet each month as well. It is wise to enroll in a debt management course if you feel you may be at risk to continue the cycle of accumulating more debt. These can be taken for free at many non-profit credit-counseling centers around the Nation.
Bad credit bank loans are a great way to get at the money you need quickly. The application process is simple. You’ll generally need to verify employment, income, and residence. The lender will pull a credit check. You will likely still qualify for a personal loan if you have bad credit or no established credit. However, be prepared to pay a higher rate of interest.