How to Raise My Credit Score Fast With Piggyback

Credit is a big deal in American society. Consumers apply for credit when obtaining credit cards, mortgages, car loans and lines of credit. Some employers check credit before extending a job offer. Landlords often check credit before approving a rental agreement. For consumers with low credit scores, one way to increase that score fast is through piggybacking, where a credit cardholder with a high credit score adds another person as an authorized user to that credit card. The score of the authorized user improves once that new account appears on his credit report.

Instructions

1

Purchase your FICO credit score. This will serve as a benchmark when it comes to measuring the improvement in your credit. You can purchase your FICO score online at Myfico.com, which is the site run by Fair Isaac, inventors of the FICO scoring model. Myfico.com charges a fee for this service.

2

Allow a family member or spouse to add you as an authorized user to one of his credit card accounts. This person should have a long credit history and a high credit score.

3

Wait 30 days then order a copy of your credit report. The Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACTA) of 2003 gives consumers the right to order one free copy of a credit report each year from the three major bureaus: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. But this won't include your credit score. You can order the reports from the website that Congress established specifically for this purpose: Annualcreditreport.com.

4

Check the "positive accounts" section. The added credit account should appear on your report. If not, contact the creditor directly to ascertain when they will update that information with the credit bureaus.

5

Purchase your FICO credit score again to check its progression. Your FICO score will continue to rise gradually as more time passes with the new card in your file, so you may want to check it periodically.