How to Improve Your Credit Score

Tiny car with coins and finance paperwork

Is your credit score causing issues with finding a credit card or car loan? If you’re looking for ways to raise your credit score, Northstar Mitsubishi has the facts you’re looking for. If you don’t know how to boost your credit score, our finance professionals will walk you through it step by step. And when you’re ready to finance a new or used car after following our tips to increase your credit score, you’ll have a team who’s got your back through the entire process. Let our Queens area dealership guide you to a better outcome!

Check Your Credit Reports

Beyond a larger issue such as identity theft, your credit history might have some mistakes on it. When you consider how to boost your credit score, you should first ensure that your credit report is accurate. You can obtain one from the three major credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. The Fair Credit Reporting Act entitles you to one free copy a year which you can find at AnnualCreditReport.com. This is one of the quickest ways to raise your credit score.

Assess Your Debts

List out your debts in detail to get a concise picture of what you owe. Manhattan car shoppers should consider these two credit score factors when looking for ways to raise their credit score:

  • Your debt to credit ratio: This is how much available credit you have vs. how much you have charged. Ideally, you want to keep your credit utilization under 30% of the available balance every month.
  • Number of cards with balances: The more cards with balances, the lower your score will be.

Create a Payment Plan

Take care of debts in collection, eliminate small balances on cards, and work to pay down larger debts.

Open a Credit Card

Your credit score might also be low because you have insufficient credit history. Opening a card in Brooklyn helps you to establish a more solid credit history, but be sure to keep yourself under the 30% balance and pay your bill on time each month. A simple tip on how to boost your credit score is to pick one recurring monthly charge and pay it off with your credit card. However, you should make sure you set the money aside to pay the balance when the bill comes due.

Build a Credit Age 

Your credit score builds over time. If you’re starting out with a relatively new credit history, one way to improve or add to your history is to become a cosigner on a family member’s account. If they’ve paid their bills on time, this will reflect well on you. However, when following this tip to increase your credit score, be sure to have a clear agreement on who actually gets to use this line of credit and how payments will be handled.

Minimize New Credit Applications

You still want to be judicious when applying for new sources of credit. When lenders perform a hard credit check, this can impact your score for up to a year.

Explore More Ways to Raise Your Credit Score at Northstar Mitsubishi

Northstar Mitsubishi can provide additional tips to increase your credit score if you contact us on our web form. This will get you situated with an expert from our finance team. We also have a great selection of car-buying tips that will educate you on the ins and outs of navigating the automotive world. Our courteous sales and finance specialists are ready to help you score your next vehicle with helpful tips to increase your credit score!

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