提高信用评分的6个建议

Your credit score is one measure of your financial health and whether you’re responsibly managing your money. Lenders often use this information to assess your reliability as a borrower—whether you pay back your loans regularly and on time.

But many of us have experienced setbacks in life that may impact our credit scores negatively. 越来越多的债务, 逾期还款, accounts in collections—these are just a few things that can hurt your score and jeopardize your ability to borrow or qualify for low interest rates on loans, 开一个支票帐户, 或者租一套公寓.

But just like many things in life, there are always opportunities to bounce back. 请放心，你可以修复你的信用! It may be a slow process, but with determination and discipline—and perhaps a little help from a 加州海岸预算和财务健康顾问-你可以让你的分数恢复健康.

一个很好的开始:这6个技巧来提高你的信用评分! 继续往下读.

1. 检查你的信用报告是否有错误

Everyone is entitled to a free copy of their annual credit report from each credit reporting bureau. 访问 annualcreditreport.com 并要求你提交报告, then review it to ensure that the information on there is accurate and pertains to you.

根据 消费者金融保护局, some of the most common errors found in credit reports include:

• 属于另一个名字相似的人的账户
• 已关闭的帐户被报告为打开
• 结余不正确的帐目
• 因身份盗用而创建的账户

在报告中发现一个错误? File a dispute with the credit bureau that has the incorrect information. 一定要查一下其他两家信用机构.

2. Tackle derogatory items like accounts in collections, 冲销, and 逾期还款 first

Once you’ve received your credit report and verified that the information on it is accurate, the next thing is to fix the items that have the highest negative impact on your score.
贬义的条目，如集合中的帐户, 冲销, 延迟付款是一个很好的开始. If you have unpaid accounts that are delinquent, pay them off or settle them as soon as you can.

Keep in mind: Settled items have a less negative effect than unsettled items, 付费项目比结算项目有更积极的影响.

3. 按时付款

付款记录占你信用评分的35%, so it’s important to stay on top of those due dates for credit card and utility bills. If you can, set up automatic billing so you never miss a due date.

You don’t have to pay off the balance in full every time (although it is recommended), but make sure you pay at least the minimum payment amount by the due date.

你的分数优先考虑过去2年的付款历史, 因此，最近的付款影响最大. Remember: It’s important to make a habit of paying your bills on time as this contributes the most to your overall credit score.

4. 将账户余额控制在信用额度的30%以下

一个好的经验法则是避免入不敷出. When you live outside your means, you can rack up debt that can quickly snowball out of control. The amount of debt you have makes up 30% of your credit score, so stay alert!

如果你的信用卡上积累了高额债务, 尽量把余额控制在信用额度的30%以下. 如果你的信用卡限额是1美元,000, make sure that you’re keeping your spending under $300 on that card.

如果你必须用信用卡购买高价商品, either pay it off in full next month or pay the minimum required to bring the balance under that 30% threshold.
Each card that has a balance over 30% of the credit limit can mean a 15-30 point difference in your credit score, 所以一定要记录你的余额!

5. 保留你拥有时间最长的那张卡

The length of your credit history—meaning how long you’ve had your oldest line of credit—makes up 15% of your credit score. The longer you’ve had a positive payment history, the better your score.
但如果你刚开始呢? It’s important to build your credit by making payments on time and keeping those balances below 30% as mentioned earlier.

One mistake some folks make is closing out credit cards after they’ve paid them off. This can negatively impact your score because you’re not only reducing the total amount of credit available to you, but you may also be closing out a card that you have a long payment history with, 从而降低你的分数.

6. Make small purchases on cards with zero balances, then pay them off right away

Another misconception some people have is that paying off a credit card and simply not using it is a good practice. 不是这样的! 还清你的余额永远是最好的做法, 但你也必须证明你在使用你的信用卡. Lenders want to see responsible spending, not necessarily zero spending!

一旦你还清了信用卡，用它买一些小东西. 然后立即还清. 不一定要花很多钱. Whether it’s a pack of gum or a tank of gas—the amount doesn’t matter, just so long as you show you’re using your card and paying it off on time.

以上就是提高你信用评分的6个建议. As always, Cal Coast is here to help you on your path to financial wellness. Our Budgeting and Financial Fitness Counselors are available to answer member questions at no cost, 所以一定要好好利用这个好处. 今天安排你的预约!

我们也主持 免费教育工作坊 关于各种金融话题. We invite you to join us for a workshop All About Credit Scores on May 30! 今天节省座位.