I have a fairly low credit score what Can I do to improve my credit score??

I know I need to pay off my credit cards but what else can I do?

Public Comments

1. You don't need to pay off your credit cards, but you *DO* need to start paying ALL your bills on time, and in the amount agreed.
2. move 2 a different country
3. Don't pay late anymore. Don't close or open any credit accounts for a while. Just continue to use the cards you have now. Charge then pay off the entire balance, keep doing that for a while. In a few months open another credit account and just keep up the responsible use of credit.
4. One thing is to check your credit report with all three agencies. Try freecreditreport.com Make certain that all the information on your report is correct. Contact the credit agencies with any discrepancies. Also, paying off your cards isn't necessarily what will increase your score. Having fewer cards, with lower balances looks good as does having cards that you have used for five years or more. Don't apply for any credit of any kind right now. Every credit check lowers your score. Paying on time and a little extra are also good ideas. Be patient. You should get, hopefully, some better answers than mine. You'll also get a some less compassionate. Some people really do not make financial mistakes, but don't let them discourage you. Everybody struggles with something, at least you are trying to do something about it. Okay? ; ) One last thing: people with no debt have the worst credit scores of all. But they are usually able to pay cash. lol
5. here are some ideas that might help you: 1) Be sure to pay before the 30 day late period on all cards. 2) Pay your cards down to 1/3 - 1/2 of their credit limit. 3) If you pay off a card, don't close the account, just cut up the card. 4) Limit the number of inquiries that creditors make (don't apply for credit unless you absolutely must). 5) Order your free reports and make sure the information on them is accurate.
6. The two biggest factors that affect your credit score are payment history, and debt-to-credit utilization. So reducing the amount of credit you utilize, as well as consistent on-time payments will raise your score. However, why worry about this? A high credit score is only needed if you are going to need to use more credit (or debt). I would recommend you get used to buying things with your own money, then you don't need to worry about paying things back, late payments, credit history, etc. Also, you will be guaranteed to never spend more than you have.
7. Go to the website below and read ALL of it! This site is totally about repairing your credit report and score. I got my credit score from 480 to 709 in one year with the help from this site!
8. First, make sure all the information on your credit report is accurate. Second, try to pay off all or any accounts that are currently in collections or make payment arrangements with the creditor to pay off the balance monthly. Third, any credit card that is over 50% of the available credit line should be paid down to under half of your total credit line. Your credit score is lowered when your available balance is over 50% of your total credit line. Finally, if you have bad or no credit and have no credit cards try to obtain two credit cards and make sure all of your monthly payments are made on time. This will help increase your credit score. If you cannot be approved for a unsecured credit card, obtain a secured credit card. Repairing your credit and improving your credit score is a slow process that takes time.