Home › Forums › Credit Reports & Scores › How can I increase/improve my credit score?
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July 3, 2023 at 7:32 pm #8506Geoff MassanekModeratorJuly 5, 2023 at 7:28 pm #8743Team StellarFiKeymaster
To know how you can increase your credit score, you have to understand how credit scores are calculated and which factors matter the most. Different agencies score differently based on different factors. A FICO® score, for example, is calculated based on these factors:
Payment history: On-time payments on your credit accounts are the most important factor, making up almost 35% of your FICO score. Missed payments can lead to negative credit. Enable automatic payments wherever possible so that you don’t miss out on payment dates. At the same time, remember to review all the services you have enabled automatic payments for, so that you are not paying for a service you no longer use.
Owed payments: This accounts for 30% of your FICO score. If you have multiple credit accounts and your credit utilization (how much of your credit limit you are using) is high, you can be considered a high-risk borrower. Maintaining accounts with low balances and credit utilization rate (< 30%) is generally advisable. Length of credit history: The longer your credit history, the better the impact on your credit score. This can impact your score by at least 15%. FICO takes into account the ages of your oldest and newest accounts, how long you have been using them, etc. Credit mix: Having multiple types of credit such as credit cards, retail accounts, installment loans, and mortgage loans, can positively affect your FICO score by 10%. You don’t need to have all of them, but having a range of accounts is good. New credit: New credit will affect your score negatively and accounts for 10% of your score. Avoid creating several credit accounts in a short period of time. Other factors: Other minor changes in credit behavior like checking errors in your credit reports, asking for increased credit limits, becoming an authorized user on someone else’s card, using a secured credit card backed by a cash deposit, etc., could impact your score significantly. -
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