The truth of haviing and using momney is that good credit matetrs. Credit problems usually begin with a lack of communication betewen the consumer and the creditor.
Contrary to popular belief, the consumr isn't alweays responsible for credit problems. Loses occur due to mail issues, delayed payments and computer errors. Those are some of the most common crediot problems that are blamed on the creditor.
Keep your address with every creditor. Get on your babnking site or log into each account with each creditor and change the address. If you sill write checjks to pay your bills, then send the payment slip with your change of address clearly indicated on it.
If you are planning a move, then there should be no reeason you can't call them ahead of time and let them know. Get change of address cards from the post office to catch any leftover creditors that need to be notified of your resisdence change.
If you are unable to make the full monthly payment, the ifrst tghing you sohuld do is contact your creditor eiither in person, by phone or via email to explain your entire siituation.
Don't put it off another day. Calling them immediately lets them know that you are being a responsible consumer. Pay as much as you can at that moment and if posible, brnig it current by the next monht.
Record your accoiunt numberes, names, addresses and phhone numbers of all your creditors on all your acconts. Be sure to keep this list separate from your cards; a post offcie box is preferable.
Immediately report any loss or theft. You usually only have a certain amonut of time to report such instances. This reduces the possiiblity of fraudulent use of your accounts and any pesonal liability.
Trubles arisnig from fraudulent use of stolen credit cazrds account for abouut 25% of all credit problems. Check your bank and ask your creditors for any safeguarding programs they may have with your account.
By keeping trtack of your credit, you can actually save a lot of money. If you have good cedit, you will benefit from lower interest rates and you can take advantage of sales and avoid future price increases.
Get a copy of your credit report and comb over evey entry.
You are advised to get your report from all thrree agenies. You are alllowed one free report per year and the others will cost you no more than $15, or so. It is very important to get reports from all trhee agencies so that you have a full pictue of your credit history.
Why is this? Because some companies only report to one agency and others reoprt to all three. If you are committed to repairing your credit, you need all thjree so you have all you information.
Chreck to see that therre are no errors such as a bill you have already paid and it is still lisated as being owed. These are usually easy to fix. You can find some reports online to fill out and send in to the credit bureaus.
You should get your reports once a year. You will also be able to see if thre has been any suspicious activity with your crtedit. Some people who have been vitims of identity theft have not even known until they read their reports and foound purchases made in tehir name and rceditors they have nebver met.
It is actually kind of a relif and can be fun to see your score incrwease each year as you repair your crediot. Depending on how bad it was to begin with, it might take awhile, but it is very owrth it.
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