Trick #1 - Check for errors on your credit reports

According to a 2013 FTC study, 1 in 4 consumers reported they found at least one error on their reports. Delinquencies and derogatory marks can have a huge impact – making up 35% of your FICO score...

And just one single error on your reports can drop your scores by as much as 100 points or more! So you can never just assume your reports are accurate. It's your job to not only know if there are errors, but to correct them when you find them. Because if you don't do it, no one will.

Trick # 2 - Experian Boost

If you haven’t heard about Experian Boost™ yet, you could literally miss out on free credit score points.

Experian, one of the three credit bureaus ranking your credit score, recently released a free tool Experian Boost™ that has collectively increased FICO® Scores across America by over 67 million points - instantly.
In minutes, Experian Boost™ can help you improve your credit score for making on-time payments for your phone, utility, or streaming service bills for 100% free.
If it can find qualifying payments, it’ll automatically include this positive information in your Experian credit file and your new credit score takes effect immediately (negative marks won’t count against you).
See if you can instantly raise your credit score for free with Experian Boost™.

Trick #3 - Update your personal information on all 3 bureaus

Ask them to remove old addresses and incorrect personal information.

This includes variations of your name, social security number, birthdate, telephone number(s) and employers. Making this one 10-minute phone call could boost your score by 30 to 70 points, and increase your chances of removing other invalid, or unproven accounts associated with those old addresses.

PRO TIP: You may find you get an uncooperative agent on your first try. Politely end the call, wait 5 minutes, and call back. Eventually you'll get someone who will do what you ask.

If you’re unsure if your personal information is correct, many free online sites like Credit Sesame could help you verify before you call the bureaus.

Just a general note: You may sign up for an account on all three credit reporting agencies with out cost. However, to get detailed information periodically you will need to pay for their respective services on a monthly basis. You may cancel subscription at anytime.

For your information below are the contact information and some helpful links for each of the three agencies:

TransUnion Contact Information:

(855) 681-3196
Website
Online Disputes
Get your Free Credit Report
General FAQs
Create a TransUnion Account
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19022
Open M-F 8:00 am to 9:00 pm and Saturday and Sunday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Experian Contact Information:

(888) 397-3742 - Customer Service
(866) 617-1894 - Disputes
Website
Get your Free Credit Report
Boost your Experian Score
Online Disputes
How to Write a Dispute Letter
Disputes by Mail Instructions
Disputes FAQs
Mailing Address: P.O Box 4500 Allen, Texas 75013
Open M-F 8:00 am to 9:00 pm and Saturday and Sunday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Equifax Contact Information:

(888) 548-7878

Website

Get your Free Credit Report

Online Disputes

How to Dispute Information

P.O. Box 740256 Atlanta, GA 30374

Open M-F 9:00 am to 9 pm, Sat & Sun 9:00 am to 6:00 pm

Trick #4 - Dispute any Inaccurate Information

Send the creditor listing the inaccurate mark a letter, demanding that they validate the item they are reporting negatively. You may also dispute online but the best method is mailing your dispute:

Send the letter certified, so you have a date-stamp and proof they received your letter.
Within 30 days, by law they have to mark the item as disputed on your reports. If they don't they've broken Federal law, and you can call them on it.
If they do mark it disputed, but they fail to validate the debt, then by law they have to remove it from your credit report.
Inaccuracies can be anything from account number, to balance, to a completely wrong item on your reports…
This free site helps you find inaccuracies and walks you through the process step by step.

Trick #5 - Pay Down Your Cards - This is Big!

What most people don't realize is... one of the biggest secrets about raising your credit score is…The more available credit you have, the higher your scores go up...According to FICO, there are five main factors that go into calculating your scores…

Payment history (35%)
Amounts owed (30%)
Length of credit history (15%)
New credit (10%)
Credit mix (10%)

So if your credit cards are mostly maxed out right now... it's literally crushing your scores...Do absolutely anything you possibly can to get your credit utilization under 10% (like lowering your car insurance bills or getting a loan to pay off your credit cards), and your scores will jump up in a big way. But if you're not in a position to pay down your cards just yet, you can do the next best thing. See Trick 9 Below.

Trick #6 - get more credit! Increase Utilization Rate

Yes - it sounds strange - improve your credit by getting more - but it's true!

But, what about denials? How do you get more credit if you have low scores? Well what most people don't know is - there are certain free sites online that will help you find a revolving line of credit.

One example is Credit Sesame - where you may be able to use their site to get a revolving credit line of up to $5,000.

Meaning if you currently have $5,000 in credit lines, and they're all maxed out, making this one single move can bring your utilization % from 100% all the way down to 50% - which can boost your credit score.

How it works: fill out some basic information on Credit Sesame, and they’ll recommend you a few credit lines you could qualify for. If you get approved, make a deposit based on the amount of credit you want and you’ll receive a revolving line of credit - that will report on your credit reports!

Trick # 7 - Credit Sesame

Your credit score directly impacts almost every financial decision in your life. A difference of just 100 points could cost (or save) you thousands! Thankfully, free tools like Credit Sesame can help you find and make improvements to your score quickly. “I just knew that we were going to be screwed if we didn’t get our credit up,” - Megan Hammon, a mother of 6 in Washington, describes how she used Credit Sesame to raise her credit score from 400 to just under 700 in roughly a year.

Just sign up in 2 minutes to start your path to a better credit score - and potentially some free money from Credit Sesame! Remember - it's free, doesn't require your credit card, and doesn't hurt your score.

Trick #8 - Hitch A "Piggyback" Ride With A Friend

Find someone responsible - a friend, relative, your brother-in-law (ok maybe not your brother-in-law). And ask them if they'd be kind enough to add you as an "Authorized User" on their credit card account...

You may think they'll laugh you right out of your chair when you tell them this "brilliant" new idea of yours… but you can ease their mind by letting them know -
This DOES NOT allow you to charge anything on their account! It doesn't give you access to view anything personal of theirs.
And you don't even get a physical card. So most likely - if you haven't done anything to make them mad recently - they will understand and agree.
This one little trick can raise your scores by as much as 60 points.
NOTE: Make sure the account you're being added to has a clean history of payments before doing this.

Trick #9 - Get a Personal Loan Even With Bad Credit

If you're tight on cash right now, you may want to consider getting a personal loan. Paying back loans on time can increase your credit score.

You could get a loan of up to $100K at as low as 5.95% APR, which is over 50% less average credit card interest that most Americans pay.

A personal loan is a shorter-term loan that you can use for just about any purpose like: paying off other debt, renovating your home, or family needs like a wedding or adoption.

With personal interest rates near record lows5, now could be a great time to pay off your immediate needs with a personal loan.6

Through our partner Bankrate, you could get as much as $100,000 with rates starting at 5.95% APR.7

It takes minutes to see how much you could get. And don't worry - it won't hurt your credit score, so why not give it a try?

Trick #11 - Boost Your Credit Score Using Your Rent Payments

THIS IS A BIG ONE!

CreditRentBoost.com works directly with tenants and landlords to report the tenant’s monthly rent payments to TransUnion & Equifax to boost credit scores! Home Partners of America, LLC pulls a soft pull on TransUnion only so this Trick is most important.

Most property management companies and landlords are unable to offer this service due to reporting guidelines and a strict vetting process for the reporter. We’re here to make this process easier and possible with our rent reporting services and free rental history checks, for all names on the lease agreement. Therefore, roommates and spouses can also receive credit for their payments and can Increase credit score fast. We’re also able to establish credit for your past two years of rental payments and report the last 24 months of your rental history to your credit report. This is the ultimate benefit as recent studies have shown the longer the tradeline reports, the stronger it affects your score.

Don't Wait - Apply now

How Much Will My Credit Score Increase?

No two credit profiles are identical. However, we have generally seen a range of 7 to 120 point increases. For someone that has not established credit, it is possible for them to get a score above 640 fairly quickly. On the other side of the spectrum, if someone has an established strong credit profile, with all on-time payments, they will probably see a much lower impact to their credit score – as with adding any new trade line. It has been our experience that in most cases someone will always pay their rent on time, however, may let a car payment or credit card go late. If this is the case, they should definitely be reporting their monthly rent payments. While you should never go late on any payment, you should at least get credit for all your on-time payments.

It is important to understand that with any company that reports information to the credit bureaus, they (including us) do not control how much a score is increased. Whether the reporting is a mortgage loan, car payment, credit card, or rent, we simply take the data, verify it, and submit it to the credit bureaus. Each credit bureau has their own algorithm and fico scoring model to determine how much if any that new account will affect your overall credit score.

How soon will rental payments show on my credit report?

Credit Rent Boost reports twice a month to TransUnion on the 5th and 15th and we report once a month to Equifax on the 5th (or the next business day if the 5th or 15th falls on a weekend or holiday). After reporting, TransUnion & Equifax typically have your new account active within 3 business days. If you are using a 3rd party Credit Report Provider such as Credit Karma, Free Credit Report, or Credit Sesame to view your report, you need to be mindful of how often they update their database. Some of these companies only update once a month, while others update once a week. In addition, some of these companies will update and show your new rental account, but will not update your score.

If you do not see your new account appearing by the 15th of the month (for reporting from the 5th ) or the 25th of the month (for reporting from the 15th ). Please follow these steps:

Contact the 3rd Party Credit Report Service you are using and ask how often they update their information and make sure they are also including data from TransUnion.
If it appears the 3rd Party Credit Report Service has updated and should be showing your new account, try pulling your credit report directly from TrasnUnion using the following link: https://www.transunion.com/annual-credit-report. There should not be any charge for this if this is the first time you have pulled your report directly from TU.
If your new account is not appearing on your TransUnion Credit Report (that you pulled from the above link), contact Credit Rent Boost's office at 844.950.7368 or submit a copy of your credit report using this secure link Secure Document Upload.
They will immediately open a help ticket with TransUnion and they will require a copy of your credit report that you downloaded from their site. They typically hear back from them with a resolution within 3 business days!

Does Credit Repair Boost pull my credit & cause a new inquiry?

No. They do not pull your credit and cause a new inquiry! This is another benefit of having your rent payments reported! You can create a new account without any inquires! This is good because as you know, every inquiry on your credit report can reduce your score.

Can I talk to Credit Rent Boost directly?

They love to talk to their clients! For the fastest response, please email any questions to info@CreditRentBoost.com, or call 844-950-7368. Our office is open Monday – Friday, 9am to 5pm (MST). Plus, you are always welcome to chat live with us directly from our website!

Credit Rent Boost

3101 N. Central Ave, Ste 225 Phoenix, AZ 85012

Business Hours:

Monday - Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm

Saturday - Sunday Closed

Direct - 480.360.6736 Customer Support - 844.950.7368

Email: admin@creditrentboost.com or https://www.creditrentboost.com/contact/