Tips for Maintaining Your Credit Score
June 26th, 2009
If you have managed to achieve a good or excellent credit score, you certainly don’t want to allow it to slip away! As such, it is essential that you take certain steps in order to maintain your credit score and keep it looking great. Thankfully, maintaining a good credit score is not as difficult as you might think.
Getting Bills Paid on Time
The first step toward maintaining a good credit score should be simple for you if you already have good or excellent credit. After all, in order to achieve such a good credit score, you must have been getting your bills paid on time and on a regular basis. In order to maintain your score, however, it is essential that you remain diligent about getting those bills paid.
Beware of Identity thief
If you are already handling your finances in a responsible manner, your biggest threat to your credit is identity thieves. If identity thieves manage to their hands on your personal information, they can take out loans and credit cards in your name that can result in thousands of dollars in debt and a shattered credit score. Therefore, it is important for you to take steps to prevent this from happening to you.
Some basic steps to follow in order to prevent identity theft include;
· Shred all of your financial paperwork before you throw it away
· Never let your credit card leave your sight
· Fill in all blanks on credit card receipts before signing
· Avoid shopping with online stores you do not know
· Never provide personal information in response to an email or phone call
· Make sure no one is watching as you enter your PIN when making purchases and withdrawals
If you do suspect you have become the victim of identity theft, be certain to report it immediately to the police department and to contact your financial institutions right away.
Check your credit report Each year
The government has passed laws that give all of us the right to obtain copies of our credit reports once per year. Take full advantage of this right by visiting any Free Credit Report website.
After receiving your free credit report, be certain to check it over in order to make certain all of the information is accurate. Even something as simple as a misreported credit limit can actually hurt your credit score. Again, if you notice anything suspicious, report it right away to the police, to financial institutions, and to the credit reporting institution.
Keep your credit card active
If you are like the majority of people, you have at least one credit card in your wallet. In order to maintain your credit score, it is a good idea to keep that credit card active. If you cancel the credit card, you will lose the credit history that you have built up with that card. Therefore, even if you no longer plan to use it on a regular basis, be certain to keep the card so you can continue to enjoy the benefits it is providing to your credit history.
Maintaining your credit once you have managed to make it good is not a particularly difficult process. Keep being responsible with your finances, take steps to prevent identity theft, and maintain you credit history and you will be certain to continue to enjoy your great credit card history!
Categories: credit score tips
