Raising your credit score takes time and diligence. And if you’re the type of person to make New Years’ resolutions, you may have various financial goals, whether that’s paying off debt or buying your dream home. Regardless, a higher credit score is only going to help. So it’s best to try and address your credit score now, rather than waiting until December or January to start.
Here are three ways that you can increase your credit score in the next few months and set your money resolutions up for success.
1. Sign up for autopay on credit card accounts
Your credit score factors in your payment history. And for your FICO® Score, it’s the single largest factor, accounting for 35% of that three-digit number. If you feel comfortable doing so, signing up for autopay on your various credit cards is going to help you create an on-time payment history with minimal effort.
It does require logging into your various accounts and choosing your automatic payment amount and (potentially) date. But once that’s done, you won’t have to worry about missing those payments again — assuming your budget has room for them.
The longer you can maintain an on-time payment history, the more impactful it will be for your score. So even if you’ve missed payment deadlines in the past, this is a surefire way to overcome those missteps.
2. Ask for a credit limit increase
The amount of money that you owe across your various accounts (which includes how much credit card debt you have) is another key factor for your score. In fact, your total debt accounts for 30% of your FICO® Score. So asking for a credit limit increase on your cards is one way to help improve your credit.
As a general rule, the lower you can get your credit utilization, the better it is for your credit. But if you do have a significant amount of credit card debt, you should aim for a figure of 30% or below.
To make credit limit increases even more impactful, you can also start paying down your debt. For example, if you have $10,000 in credit card debt and a total credit limit of $20,000, getting a $2,000 credit limit increase and paying down your balance by $250 per month from September through December, it would take your utilization from 50% down to about 41%.
3. Check your report for errors and get them removed
If the information on your credit reports isn’t accurate, your score isn’t going to be an accurate reflection of your financial situation. And that can hurt your credit.
That’s why it’s vital to stay on top of your credit report and regularly review it for errors. The three credit bureaus offer free weekly credit reports that you can use to stay updated.
If you do find an error, you can report that to the credit bureaus that are showing the error to get it removed. You should also contact the company that’s reporting the erroneous information. In your report, you may have to include information such as:
- Your contact information
- Credit report confirmation number (if applicable)
- The error(s) in question
- An explanation of how it’s incorrect
- Documentation to support your argument (if available)
Monitoring your credit report is especially important considering the recent National Public Data breach, which exposed 2.9 billion records, including Social Security numbers.
(In fact, it’s a good idea to freeze your credit with the three credit bureaus if your information popped up on NPD.pentester.com or NPDBreach.com. This would prevent anyone from opening a new credit account in your name, even if they have your personal data.)
Building a high credit score can help you accomplish your various financial goals. As a new year approaches, it can be easy to fall into the trap of neglecting your credit. But if you take the time to address your credit now, you’ll be much better prepared to tackle your 2025 financial goals and handle whatever money curveballs life throws at you.
