Showing posts with label improvbing my credit score. Show all posts
Showing posts with label improvbing my credit score. Show all posts

Saturday, 11 April 2009

Why And When Should You Consider Consolidation

It is very important for a cardholder to learn about credit card debt consolidation. Consolidating credit card related debt is an important personal finance tool, especially if he or she wants to improve their credit rating eventually. Consolidating dues related to multiple cards can be advantageous in many ways. However, before deciding to consolidate, there are certain criteria to take into account. Here are some pointers on how to go about consolidating your debt.

Situations Where You Should Consider Consolidation
Credit card debt consolidation can be done for various reasons, of which the most obvious one is to get better rates of interest. In case consolidating your plastic money debt gets you better interest rates than your present rates, why would not you consolidate. It is wise to use services to consolidate plastic money related dues and save your precious money.

First, make a list of the interest rate charged by each of your credit cards. Against each of these rates, jot down the new rate that can save you money. If the new rates are lower compared to the old rates' average, then it would make sense for you to consolidate your card debt. Suppose your list already has cards that offer you low rates, exclude them from your consolidation. Consolidating debt related to multiple cards has the other major advantage of making life easy for you. Paying one bill takes a lot less stress and time. But that cannot be the sole reason for you to think about consolidating all your card dues if you are going to end up paying more in the long run.

One important advantage of consolidating credit card related debt is that it can help you get out of the debt trap. With consolidation, the monthly payments are lower than they would be in case you did not consolidate your dues and credit card bills. Also, there is an improvement in credit scores by closing the other accounts.

Whom To Contact For Consolidation of Debts
The best way to seek help for credit card debt consolidation is through someone who is professionally qualified. The market is full of card issuing companies and banks that will be ready to offer their services. For your part, it is necessary to get all the facts you need to go in for consolidation and debt reduction so that it turns out to be monetarily beneficial to you. Pick a consolidation plan that does not have hidden fees. Equipping yourself with this sort of information before taking a decision can only help save money in the long run.

Take a good long look at your debts before you decide to go in for credit card debt consolidation. Having this information ready will make it easier for you when you get in touch with a professional who can assist you with the process. It is quite all right to make it clear that you are looking for the best deal. You deserve the most profitable deal when you make the decision to consolidate your credit card dues.

Wednesday, 7 January 2009

Improve Your Credit Score,Secrets!

First of all to understand how to improve your credit score fast or raise your credit score, it's important to know what areas to concentrate on to give you the best results in the shortest possible time.

It's important to have a good credit score for many reasons. Often people don't realize that a score just a few points higher can save hundreds, even thousands of dollars when they apply for and get a home mortgage, for example. If you have a FICO score around 640-660 and you can raise it to a very good score of 760-780, and you take out a 30-year term home mortgage, you would save about $3000 per year. That adds up to $90,000 savings on that same mortgage!

And raising your score may not be that hard for you to do. Going over the following tips and some secrets you may find a few you can apply immediately and see fairly fast results. Even just a few points can make a difference in your borrowing ability and show you how to improve your credit score fast.

1. About 30-35% of your payment history is reflected in your FICO credit score. No matter what happens, make sure to make payments on time. I make mine 4-5 days early online. Making your payment online is important. You know it's not going to get lost in the mail. Also I make the payment early because websites may have technical problems. If you waited to the last minute you may not be able to get into the website. And I think it looks better to the credit card company if you pay a little early.

If you know you'll have enough money in your checking account you can set up automatic payments also. This is good if you foresee any problems with possible emergencies where you might have to go out of town or hospitalizations coming up, etc.

2. About 30% of your credit score is based on how much you owe. If possible try to keep your balances on your credit cards to less than 50% of the limit on each card. The more below 50% the better.

3. Most people don't know that 15% of your FICO score is based on your credit history. So if you have a credit card that is not being used with a zero balance, and have no activity, it can lower your score. So charge something small each month and pay it off so you build up your credit history.

4. New credit. Make sure not to open up any new accounts. 10% of your FICO credit score is based on how many new accounts you open. This also applies to auto or car loan shopping. If you're shopping rates at several companies, do it in a short period of time - within two weeks. Don't drag it out. Making several requests could affect your FICO credit score. It may be better to just get the loan through your credit union rather than have the finance officer at the car dealer shop around. Each inquiry he/she makes is reflected with inquiry marks on your credit report.

5. 10% of your FICO credit score is based on your mix of loans. You probably can't do much to change this except - if you don't have a credit card, get one,

6. Last but not least, if you don't have a credit report, obtain or get a free copy from each of the three major credit-reporting agencies, Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. Go over each carefully and write a letter with documentation if you find any mistakes that are not in your favor.

These are a few of the best ways to show you how to improve your credit score or raise your credit score fast! It really doesn't take that long to raise it a few points and it can make a big difference in your borrowing ability. There are a lot more secrets and trade secrets not included in this short article. With a little more research you can find solutions and repair your credit too