Bad credit is a trap that threatens many consumers. It is not a permanent one because there are easy steps any consumer can take to prevent credit damage and repair their credit in case of mishaps. This article offers some handy tips that can protect or repair a consumer's credit regardless of its current state.Open a secured credit card to start rebuilding your credit. It may seem scary to have a credit card in hand if you have bad credit, but it is necessary for increasing your FICO score. Use the card wisely and build into your plans, how to use it as part of your credit rebuilding plan.
Repair efforts can go awry if unsolicited creditors are polling your credit. Pre-qualified offers are quite common these days and it is in your best interest to remove your name from any consumer reporting lists that will allow for this activity. This puts the control of when and how your credit is polled in your hands and avoids surprises.
If your debts are overwhelming you and are unable to get creditors to work with you, consider consumer credit counseling. Consumer credit counseling will work with you and your creditors to help you set-up a payment plan that works. They will also work with your creditors to lower your interest rates.
When repairing your credit history, it is true that you cannot erase any negative information shown, but you can include an explanation why this happened. You can make a short explanation to be added to your credit file if the circumstances for your late payments were caused by unemployment or sudden illness, etc.
Life happens, but once you are in trouble with your credit it's important to maintain good financial habits. Late payments not only ruin your credit score, but also cost you money that you probably can't afford to spend. Sticking to a budget will also help you to get all your payments in on time. If you're spending more than you're earning you'll always be getting poorer instead of richer.
Even if your credit card allows you a grace period, if you are trying to repair your credit, make at least the minimum payment every month. Skipping payments tells the credit card company that you are broke, irresponsible or both, even if your card agreement says it's okay to do. If you want to repair your credit score, you need to show creditors that you are serious about making payments on a regular basis.
Call your credit card companies and request that they lower your limit on your cards. This will prevent you from spending too much that you do not have. It will also show the credit companies how responsible you are, and if you do need to get more credit in the future, you will have a much easier time.
If you feel that your current credit situation is beyond repair, and you are planning to file for bankruptcy, current bankruptcy laws mandate that you must obtain credit counseling from an organization which is government-approved. This debt counseling must occur six months prior to filing for bankruptcy relief.
If you are trying to re-build or repair your credit than a secured credit card may be right for you. A secured credit card works like a savings account, where you deposit the required funds and that will be your credit card limit. Some of these secured cards do have fees, so check into that before applying.
Repairing bad credit is a vital task for the consumer looking to get into a healthy financial situation. Because the consumer's credit score impacts so many important financial decisions, you need to improve it as much as possible and guard it carefully. Getting back into good credit is a process that may take some time, but the results are always worth the effort.
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