Certain life-changing purchases may only be possible with a good to great credit score. Taking every step possible to improve a credit score can be one of the best decisions of your life.
Everyone can get a free copy of a credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus once a year. It’s simple and quick to set up a profile on Experian or a similar online service; log in once a month and check the score.
Check the report carefully for errors and inaccuracies. If you find any errors, report them to the credit bureau immediately. Errors can hurt a credit score, so correcting them as soon as possible is important before those mistakes ruin your credit further.
One of the most important factors that affect a credit score is payment history. Late payments can hurt a credit score, so paying bills on time is important.
To make this easier, set up automatic payments for bills like rent, utilities, and credit cards to ensure payments are always noticed. If a payment is missed, make it up as soon as possible.
High credit utilization can hurt a credit score because there is less credit available, so it's important to keep it low. Experian recommends keeping credit utilization below 30%.