How to Raise Your Credit Score While Keeping an Eye on Your Credit

When you undertake credit repair on your own, monitoring the changes in your credit helps you to see the effect your efforts are having on your credit score. Credit scores are affected by many different aspects of your credit accounts and overall debt. Your credit is also affected by on-time payments and collection accounts listed on your credit report.

Instructions

1

Sign up for a credit monitoring service. All three major credit reporting agencies offer credit monitoring services, as does MyFICO and a number of third party companies. Credit monitoring services vary in price and the specific services offered. Generally, the monitoring service allows you to update your credit report at a set interval of time. Any changes detected on your report are sent to your email.

2

Pay down your credit card balances. The updated credit card balances will not be displayed immediately on your credit monitor. Credit card companies report balances at specific times of the month. Reducing your overall credit card utilization has a major effect on your credit score.

3

Search your credit report for negative accounts, such as collection accounts. Contact the collection companies for the open collection accounts. Confirm where the debt is from and ask the company which options you have to settle the debt. Open collection accounts negatively impact your credit

4

Check your credit report one to two months after completing major credit repair efforts to see if the changes are reflected. Some credit monitoring services offer their own versions of your credit score, and you can also use the monitoring service offered by FICO to keep track of your reports and scores at the same time.