100 ways to repair your credit quickly

100 Ways to Repair Credit Quickly
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In 2017 I was on a mission to repair my credit. I was convinced credit repair was possible and not just a pipe dream. I had put this off for a long time and was paying a high rate on my mortgage and credit card.

A lightbulb finally went off in my head! It makes more sense to repair my credit and save hundreds per month rather than spending hours cutting out coupons from newspapers to save a minute amount. If you think about it, you could save hundreds and thousands over the course of your life by taking the time to repair credit, to me it finally made sense.

When the penny finally dropped I had an overwhelming sense of motivation and urgency to improve my credit score. In November 2016 my Experian Credit Score was 522 which was classed as Poor Credit. As of February 2017, my credit score hit a high of 971 which is classed as excellent. I did so much to improve my credit and poured through hundreds of articles on the internet and videos on YouTube. I wanted to share my success and methods by giving away 100 ways to repair your credit.

Some of these tips and suggestions might seem obvious and others might seem insightful. Please, feel free to share your ideas and insights on what you think and how you repaired your credit. Some of the credit repair tips might be repeated but they are important points.

This forum is full of hard working people who are being exploited by banks and are being charged unbearable interest rates. If this community can become credit repair savvy they would be able to save so much money. So here goes, here are 100 ways to repair your credit quickly.

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Part 1: The Obvious But Important
1. Get a free copy of your credit report from Experian, Equifax, and Transunion. Your credit repair journey starts from getting your credit report.

2. Check your name is spelled properly on your credit report. Misspelled names create aliases which lenders don't like. This is one of the simplest ways to repair credit.

3. Make sure your address is listed accurately and look to see if your address history is accurate too. Inaccurate address history lowers your credit score and it's so simple to fix anyone can do it.

4. If you don't have an addressed registered with your credit reference agency register one quickly. Your credit score will improve quickly if you have a permanent stable address. Credit repair isn't rocket science, it's common sense.

5. Remove all financial associations with people who have poor credit. Leave financial associations with people with good credit. You can raise your credit score quickly by having lots of association with people with good credit.

6. If you receive letters for other people at your address stop this right now because it might contribute towards lowering your credit score.

7. Make sure you have utility bills registered to your address. Just stick with one utility provider so you can establish a long line of credit payments. The more mature your credit accounts the better it is for credit repair.

8. Have a cell phone contract registered to your address and never miss a payment. Having a cell phone contract is an easy way to establish a credit and show you have the ability to make payments over time.

9. Stop switching energy companies to save money. You can switch energy companies when you have Excellent Credit.

10. Stop switching cell phone companies. The longer you are with a cell phone company the better it is for your credit.

Note: You don't need credit fixing services to repair your credit. You can try some of the simple tips listed above. Professional credit repair companies and attorneys for credit repair charge an arm and a leg for something you can do so it makes no sense wasting the money (unless you have money to burn).

100 Ways to Repair Your Credit Quickly (11 to 20)

Part 2: Your Credit Accounts

11. Check that all your credit accounts are present and correct on your credit report. Credit repair starts with having an accurate credit report.

12. To repair credit remove financial accounts which do not belong to you. You will have to send a dispute to the credit reference agency and they will eventually remove this.

13. If you have a financial account missing and that account has a good credit history add this to your file by asking the credit reference agency to find the entry.

14. Make sure the age of your financial accounts is correct. I had 7-year credit card account with perfect payment history which was showing 1-years worth of payment history. Remember, the more mature your credit card accounts the better it is for your credit repair.

15. Remove duplicate accounts with poor payment history. Sometimes credit reference agencies can duplicate entries. This is great if you have good credit but bad if you have poor credit. I had duplicate entries for a credit card I had missed payments on. I promptly removed this and my credit score improved.

16. Do not add people with poor credit as authorized users in your account. If you have added someone who has poor credit ask to have their details removed, this is an excellent credit repair strategy. Having a person with poor credit as a authorized user will harm your credit file.

17. Do not take out new financial products with people who have poor credit because they will drag your down. Just refuse politely. Your priority is credit repair.

18. Make sure all your credit accounts are registered at the same address, this is imperative for credit repair.

19. Make sure all your credit accounts show the correct credit limit. I had a credit card limit of $5000 but the report was showing $2000. Clearly, the bank forgot to provide this information. I was able to increase my credit score by 50 points just by doing this.

20. If your credit card account has an overinflated credit limit just leave it. I also had a credit card which was showing a higher limit that I really had so I just left it. Having a higher credit limit improves your credit utilization ratio and leads to a higher credit score.

Note: If you do choose a company to help fix credit make sure you choose a reputable one. Professional credit repair is a non-regulated industry which means there are a lot of sharks operating to exploit people who are desperate for excellent credit. Never hand money upfront to credit fixing company's.

100 Ways to Repair Your Credit Quickly (21 to 30)

Part 3: Maintenance of Credit Accounts

21. Set up an automatic payment with your credit card company, mortgage company, and loan company. I am convinced this has an effect and is beneficial for credit repair because I experienced a rise in my credit score after I did this.

22. Never miss a payment again by opting for automatic payments.

23. Pay more than the minimum payment every month. I try to pay 3 times above the minimum payment, this shows the credit card company that I'm serious about paying off this debt and credit repair.

24. Ask for a credit limit increase every 6 months. Do this like clockwork and your credit score will rise slowly but surely, this is because your credit utilization will improve.

25. Aim for a credit utilization limit of under 10%. So if you have a credit limit of 5000 dollars have a balance of 500 dollars. This might take time, however, as long as you make higher payments and ask for credit limit increases you will eventually hit this figure of 10%. The closer you get to the 10% mark the better it is for your credit repair.

26. Do not apply for lots of credit cards, the banks will think you are desperate for credit and will refuse your credit applications.

27. Have no more than 3 credit cards when repairing your credit. Just use these credit cards and ask for a credit limit increase every 6 months.

28. If you can pay your balance off in full on one of your cards. Having two credit cards with a balance and one paid off shows lenders you can make payments over time and settle credit accounts.

29. Have a few non-mail order settled credit accounts? Credit card companies show settled accounts as a positive on your credit report for credit repair.

30. Never take out a cash advance, shows you're desperate for credit.

31. Never balance transfers over and over, it shows credit companies that you can't settle debt! Just pay it off credit balances quickly and diligently and you will be rewarded over the long run.

100 Ways to Repair Your Credit Quickly (32 to 40)

Part 4: Bad Credit Accounts/Delinquent Accounts

32. Remove all default accounts which are older than 6 years.

33. Dispute all missed payments on your account by asking credit card companies to provide proof that the payment was missed. If credit card companies can't provide proof then they will have to amend the payments as paid on time.

34. Dispute all late payments. Ask for credit card companies to provide proof of late payments. Again, if they can't you can ask them to have it removed.

35. Ask to see a credit agreement for all the bad debt you have on your credit report. If the banks can't provide a copy of a signed credit agreement you can ask for them to remove the entry from your credit report, just give them assurances that you have every intention to pay off the debt.

36. Keep chasing credit card companies with regards to your dispute. If these companies get sick of you they might remove your entry from the credit file just to get away from your complaints.

37. If you can't remove a bad credit account ask them to put a reason for the missed or late payments. You can say something like loss of job, or bad health. If there is a legitimate reason for bad credit lenders will look at you more favorably.

38. Open a secured credit card to establish the ability to make payments over time.

39. Take out a secured loan and just use the money to make the payments. Having a fully paid off settled loan will boost your credit score.

40. Opt for soft checks on your credit file to see how likely you are of being accepted for a credit card. Too many hard checks will show you are desperate for credit.

100 Ways to Repair Your Credit Quickly (41 to 50)

Part 5: Payments on Credit Accounts

41. Always have an automatic payment set up on your mortgage account.

42. Make repayments on your mortgage account even if you are on an interest-only mortgage.

43. Have a life insurance and home insurance policy with the same bank you have your mortgage with if possible. This will give that particular bank peace of mind and they will give you better products. When I took out life and home insurance I was offered a better rate after 3 months, I don't think it was a coincidence.

44. Pay your credit cards and mortgage accounts 1 week before the due date. You can ask your lender to amend the dates of the automatic payment. When I did this for my credit cards I found that they were willing to give me a higher credit limit when I made a request.

45. Ask credit card companies for a lower APR, threaten to move the debt elsewhere. Sometimes credit card companies reduce the rate to existing customers. If they do reduce your rates you will be in a lower risk bracket and you will have a higher chance of getting a credit limit increase.

46. Do not have too many checking accounts with overdraft facilities and cash advances. If you are always overdrawn you will get charged and you will be put in a higher risk bracket.

47. Only have one checking account and one saving account and run them properly.

48. If you have a missed payment on your mortgage account ask them for proof. If the bank can't provide ask them to remove the information.

49. Again, if you have a late payment ask for proof of payment being late. If they can't provide this proof ask them to amend their records accordingly.

50. Always have a positive balance on your checking account. Always make sure your mortgage balance reduces every year.

100 Ways to Repair Your Credit Quickly (51 to 60)

Part 6: Credit Applications

51. Don't make frequent application for reward credit cards.

52. Always use a soft credit check to see if you are eligible for a credit card or loan.

53. Never apply for payday loans as this will harm your credit even if you pay it on time and settle the account.

55. Never apply for Log Book loans as this will make your credit score plummet.

56. Never apply for credit cards with really high APR rates. If you want to build credit it is better to use secured credit cards and secured loans.

57. Do not apply for loans with high APR. There is a greater chance of getting into trouble financially and the credit reference agencies don't like these high-interest loans.

58. If you can take out payment protection insurance just in case you lose your job. Your insurance policy pays out when you can't make the minimum payment due to job loss.

59. Do not apply for several credit cards from one credit card company. The lender will eventually refuse and may even cancel previous credit cards due to over exposure.

60. Only apply for 1 credit card every 6 months. After 6 months a hard credit check has less of an impact on your credit score.

100 Ways to Repair Your Credit Quickly (61 to 70)

Part 7: Credit Repair General Advice

61. Never open a credit card for someone else to use! They might abuse the privilege your credit score will go down the toilet.

62. Never take out a loan to help somebody! I did this and ended up paying the loan off for that individual. Not only did I make a financial loss I also ended up with late payments which I had to dispute in order to remove to repair my credit.

63. Check your credit report regularly and look out for joint applications made in your name. Sometimes ex-partners use details of their ex's to apply for credit especially if they have better credit. If a joint application has been made then notify the credit reference agencies and the police immediately.

64. Sign up for identity fraud if you can afford it. You will be able to monitor if your details are being traded on the black market and then put a stop to it.

65. Regularly change your passwords for your bank and credit reference agency accounts. If a hacker hacks into your accounts they could seriously mess up your credit score and it will take ages to repair the damage done to your credit.

66. Find a useful and helpful individual at a credit reference agency and keep their contact details. I was getting nowhere with my Experian Credit Score until I found an Experian contact who could help me. Because I build up a good rapport I was able to speed up the process of repairing my credit.

67. If you're not getting anywhere with your dispute keep on escalating your complaint until someone competent deals with it. I have contacted the CEO of credit reference agencies to get my dispute heard and dealt with, this can really help with your credit repair.

68. Never give up, there is always a way to repair credit and you must remain resilient and patient. It worked for me and it will work for you.

69. Keep educating yourself on credit repair. I thought I knew everything but whenever I researched I found something new and it helped me repair my credit. Bottom line, never stop learning about credit repair.

70. Never pay a company for credit repair. You can do it yourself and save a heap of money in the process.

100 Ways to Repair Your Credit Quickly (71 to 80)

Part 7: Weird Ways to Boost Credit

71. The more payment history you have the more your credit score rises. One way to boost your credit score is to report a credit card stolen. You will be issued with another card with another number and two sets of payments will be recorded instead of one.

72. Make credit card repayments before the statement date.

73. If you don't want to spend on your credit card but want to establish a credit history you can subscribe to a service and then cancel to get a refund.

74. Do not ask for credit limit increases every month. The credit card company might think you are getting desperate for credit and do a credit check just to confirm everything is OK. Existing credit card companies can search your credit report again.

75. Never decrease your credit limit as this will worsen your credit utilization ratio and your credit score.

76. If a credit card company reduces your credit limit you can dispute this and ask them to reinstate it. Sometimes when you don't use a credit card the lender automatically reduces the balance. To avoid this make a small purchase every month and then have an automatic payment to pay it off in full.

77. Never let the credit card companies bully you into asking for financial statements to keep existing credit limit. They must have a legitimate reason for doing this.

78. Always keep the credit card companies informed of your changes. Letting a credit card company know that you've lost your job means you can both plan a way to repay the credit.

79. Have a known contact at the credit card companies, they will be able to open doors for you.

80. Never be rude to credit card representatives, sometimes lenders look for small things to close accounts down. This did happen to me.

100 Ways to Repair Your Credit Quickly (81 to 90)

Part 8: Maintaining a High Credit Score

81. Once your credit score starts to rise don't take your foot off the gas. You must aim for excellent credit to get the very best financial products and save money.

82. Don't start applying for more credit once your credit score rises because the hard checks will pull the credit score down. It's better to get to excellent credit before you apply for more credit.

83. Do not brag about high credit score. When I started to brag I started to get requests to become a guarantor for other people with bad credit.

84. Never be a guarantor for people with good or bad credit.

85. Try to establish an emergency fund. Having an emergency fund will help keep your credit utilization under 10%.

86. Don't think you are getting rich just be improving your credit score. All that will happen is you will get more credit at a cheaper rate. You can eventually use this debt for investment assets that pay you.

87. Never use newfound credit to indulge in meaningless shopping sprees.

88. Continue to live frugally as your credit score rises.

89. Always listen to credit repair and credit boosting advice from professionals. Sometimes the way credit score is calculated is changed so you need to be on top when it comes to having the latest news.

90. Never neglect your credit file once you reach excellent credit because is can quickly fall if you take your eyes off it.

100 Ways to Repair Your Credit Quickly (91 to 100)

Part 9: What to Do With Excellent Credit

91. Use credit card debt, loan debt, and mortgage debt as an investment.

92. Use zero percent credit cards for normal shopping and then save your income. Make minimum payments. At the end of the zero percent interest period pay off your credit card from your savings. You should be left with a nice profit.

93. Use your excellent credit to get a better mortgage rate so you can save thousands every year.

94. Slowly apply for better credit cards with zero percent interest and shift existing debt so you pay less in interest.

95. Use your excellent credit to buy more properties you can rent out so you generate passive income.

96. Use credit card rewards to travel the world and to enjoy nice days out.

97. Don't have too many reward credit cards as it will damage your credit score.

98. Continue to have no more than 3 credit cards, and 2 loan accounts. If you want better credit cards close existing ones. Make sure the credit limit on the new ones is higher.

99. Always think of debt as an investment. Use other people's money (credit card, loans, and mortgages) to make money.

100. Always aim for 950 US and 999 UK on your Experian Credit Score. It is possible. I am at 971 and I will get to 999 soon.