1. Pay off outstanding debts: One of the best ways to improve your FICO score is to pay off any outstanding debts as you can. This shows lenders that you are taking responsibility for your past financial mistakes and are committed to improving your creditworthiness.
2. Keep balances low on credit cards: High credit card balances can negatively impact your FICO score, so it's important to keep your balances low. This means making sure that you are not using more than 30% of your credit limit on any given card.
3. Be consistent with payments: Late or missed payments can have a significant impact on your FICO score, so it's important to be consistent with your payments. This means making sure that you pay all of your bills on time, every month. Use automatic drafts.
4. Dispute errors on your credit report: If you find errors on your credit report, it's important to dispute them as soon as possible. These errors can negatively impact your FICO score, so it's important to get them corrected.
5. Consider a secured credit card: If you have trouble getting approved for a traditional credit card, you may want to consider a secured credit card. This type of card requires a deposit, which is used as collateral in case you default on your payments.
6. Be patient: Improving your FICO score takes time, so it's important to be patient. It may take several months or even years to see a significant improvement, but if you follow the best practices outlined above, you will likely see your score start to improve over time.