Use Old Credit Cards to Raise Your Credit Score

Tip! Keep old paid off accounts in an open status. If you close an account, it won’t help your FICO score but it could lower your credit score.

The popularity of switching credit card companies has grown in recent years and with good reason. The climate of the credit card market is so hot that better offers are constantly popping up. Applying for a new credit card is indeed a smart thing to do if you are going to save money and not hurt your credit score.

You may already know but for those who don’t, each time your credit score is queried it is recorded and if you accumulate too many of these it will hurt your credit. If at all possible you should not blast a request for credit from multiple lenders in a short time span. You should shop around and find 1 or 2 offers that best suits you and your situation, then apply for credit.

Tip! Do not close old or paid off accounts. These show the credit history length and contribute to higher credit scores.

When trying to choose which offers are best for you, only consider the ones that will lower your current interest rate. This should narrow the choices to a handful. At this point you should consider your lifestyle. Almost all companies now offer some type of rewards programs. The goal here is to switch to cards that save you money and offer rewards that you will take advantage of, there is no need to have cards that accumulate skymiles if you do not fly.

It is important not to close old credit card accounts if you do not have to pay a membership fee. These cards are not to use, put them away and forget about them. The reason you want to keep them is they show a long standing credit relationship on your credit report this helps to raise your score. The available open credit limit also shows financial responsibility. The key is to not use these older cards anymore.

These tips should help you choose the right credit card offers and improve your credit score at the same time.

Tip! Paying your bills on time is the first step in improving your FICO credit score. Late payments can have a big negative impact on your FICO score, 30 days or more late on one account can lower your FICO score 50 points or more.

You can find more information at CREDIT CARD INFO.

Tags: bad credit, personal finance, apply credit cards, improve credit score, finance

Popularity: 1%