For most people, raising their credit score by 100 points in a month is not a realistic goal. However, if you are diligent about paying your bills on time, eliminating consumer debt, avoiding large balances on your cards, and maintaining a combination of secured and unsecured loans, you can see an improvement in your credit score in a matter of months. There are several ways to increase your credit score by 100 points in 1 or 2 months. You can challenge any inaccurate or incomplete information on your credit report, which could potentially increase your score by up to 50 points.
You can also get a copy of your credit report and review it for errors, and then dispute any errors you find. Another option is to try increasing the credit limit on one of your credit cards, which will reduce your credit utilization rate and could improve your score by up to 20 points. Finally, you can make a plan to pay off your credit card debt, which could increase your score by up to 15 points. It is difficult to determine exactly how much your credit rating will improve with each of these steps, but as you develop these good credit habits, you will see positive results over time. As soon as your credit card company informs the credit bureaus of a lower balance, that lower usage will be used to calculate your score.
However, you can work to improve your credit rating by addressing issues that are hurting your rating and developing good credit habits in the future, such as paying bills on time. Payment history is the most important factor in determining your credit rating; using less than the available credit limit on cards is the second most important factor. Paying bills on time and using less than the available credit limit can increase your credit score in just 30 days. That said, don't apply for several new sources of credit at once, as this does not look good in the eyes of lenders. One of the best ways to increase your credit score is to identify and dispute any inaccuracies in your credit reports.
A quick way to reduce your credit card debt to zero and increase your credit utilization rate could be achieved by paying it off with the proceeds from debt consolidation or a personal loan. According to many bankers and friends I spoke to, you should try to have a 75% utilization rate on your credit card to maximize potential for increasing your credit rating. Depending on what's holding you down, you may be able to score up to 100 points through positive credit habits such as paying on time or using less of available credit. If a family member or friend has a high-limit card with a good history of timely payments, ask them to add you as an authorized user. Credit utilization is a measure of how much available credit you are using; the lower the better.
There are several different factors that influence your credit rating, but the two most important are payment history and utilization rate. Adding new types of debt to your profile such as personal loans or car loans will give you a healthier mix of debt and increase your score. Your credit score is an important indicator of overall financial health and improving it can lead to new opportunities and savings.
