What is the best way to get your credit score rating up?

I went into my bank to get an upgrade of my card. They checked me out on their system then told me my score was a little too low and i could not have the card. Fair enough, but when i asked what my score was and how to make it good enough to qualify for the card they wouldn't tell me. why not?

Public Comments

1. you have to pay your credit cards off within 30 days. So you buy something, then 30 days later pay it off. Minimum payments don't fly. This is the only way to raise your credit score. Also, get a copy of your credit report and contact those creditors on it and either pay them off or make a settlement offer. It won't raise your credit score, but it will get them off your credit report. If you don't have credit cards there's obviously something bringing your score down, find out what it is and pay it off.
2. It's not really their job to counsel you on the finer points of keeping your credit score up, although it would have been nice of them to. First of all you need a copy of your credit report and your credit score. You are entitled to a free one of these once a year. Just look on the web for the info. The basic rules of good credit are. Make your payments on time and don't exceed your income to debt ratio beyond 30%. Don't keep applying for new cards because everytime you're turned down you'll lower your credit score. After you pay off your exisisting cards don't close the account unless you're paying a yearly fee to use the card. Just cut the card up and keep the account open so you'll have available credit for your credit report. Look on the web for other tips...It takes time to build your score up but it's always good to.
3. Just go to creditcard.com and apply for a card with a different banks. You will get the card some ware else. Good Luck!
4. Try to get any card you can, major credit card, store card etc. The trick is to pay it on time every month. You do this for a while and your credit will work it's way up, I did it this way. You can then take out a loan but pay it off as soon as they allow you to do it (without any major penalties). There are companies out there who make money off people wanting to know their credit details. If you google them, you'll see you can pay to get your history and advice on how to clear it.
5. to raise credit score 1. Always pay on time or ahead of time. 2. maintain low balances on credit cards 3. keep your total potential debt to earnings load low - If you have a card with a $15000 credit line, you may ask them to reduce it to something more realistic, like $5000. 4. I was told by an underwriter that having just two cards, a major credit card (VISA, MC) and a consumer card (Sears, best buy, etc...) is the best mix for revolving credit. 5. You should have a recent history of both installment or term (Car or house loans) and revolving credit. ------------------------------ http://www.bestcreditrates.net
6. Firstly, get on the voters roll. Not many lenders will touch you either prime or sub-prime if they can't trace where you have been. Secondly have a bank account that has a current account facility and STAY WITH THEM!! The more you keep swapping addresses, banks and jobs lowers your credit rating dramatically. If you have been in stable employment for 3 years, stable address and on voters for 3 years and been with the same bank for 3 years, your credit rating will improve dramitacally. Remember to keep up the repayments and always pay by DD as postal cheques take too long to clear and could show 1 down on Experian when you think you've paid it.... Hope this helps. PS if you have a loan with Barclays it wont show on your credit report as they do all their own underwriting.... :)
7. despute every charge/claims all at once, during the investigation period, your score will jump up, giving you a 3-5 week period to buy or apply for a loan or whatever
8. you need to have a small amount of credit and never miss a payment, it drives your history up applying for credit drives it down, so dont apply too often. each lender uses their own criteria, so there is no "good score" or "bad score" (although bankruptcy tends to guarantee a no).
9. You can visit http://www.cashguru.info and find very useful tips and several articles on credit related matters.
10. The following 5 critical factors affect your credit score in a major way. By knowing these you can keep a check on them and make your credit score a healthy one. 1. Re-payment history This factor carries the highest weight in your credit report. How steadfast are you in repaying your loans, makes your credit report shine. Experts claim that this factor alone accounts for 35% of points in your credit score. So, if you falter on repayment front it is sure to be reflected poorly on your credit score. 2. Outstanding debt The next comes your debt burden. How much you owe is a factor that according to experts carries about 30% weight in your credit score. This is 30% is based upon outstanding debt. To get a better score it is advised that you keep your outstanding debt to a minimum. 3. Length of your established credit history The time for which you have a credit history also matters. The longer your established credit history the more credit reporting agencies believe in you. This could be simply because of the fact that they have more data to analyze your financial position. Experts give it a 15% weight in determining your credit score. Read more from: http://www.credit-card-gallery.com/article/204,5_critical_factors_affecting_your_credit_score
11. here's some information that you might find helpful: what makes up the score? 35% is payment history 30% is capacity, which means how much credit limit you have on your cards 15% is length of credit 10% is accumulation of debt in last 12-18 months 10% is mix of credit (installment vs. revolving) here are some tips: --closing credit card accounts can hurt your score because it lowers your available capacity, which is 30% of your score --closing credit card accounts that are seasoned credit (meaning you've had them for a long time) can hurt your score because it shortens your length of credit, which is 15% of your score --borrowing from finance companies can lower your score --having too many credit cards is not good; usually 4 cards is enough --balances on credit cards should be kept at lower than 50% of the credit limit --don't close old credit card accounts even though they have a horrible rate and low credit limit; keep them just for your FICO score's sake, and just don't charge against them --you can have your credit pulled as many times as you want within a 30-day period and it will only count as one inquiry --you're entitled to one FREE credit report (does not include FICO score, though) from each of the three credit bureaus every 12 months; i've done it and it's legit; go to http://www.annualcreditreport.com how to improve your score: --pay down credit cards (that's obvious) --don't close credit card accounts because capacity will decrease --make payments on time (another obvious) --slow down on opening new accounts --have move revolving debt (credit card) to installment debt (fixed payments)
12. I recommend Chase if you are looking for a good credit card company. In order to build a positive credit score you need to pay your bills on time.
13. Are you on the voters roll? - this lowers your rating if you are not on it.