Where to begin to increase my scores?

[directimports3]

I am intersted in getting my credit score increased. I signed up to my fico and my scores have gotten a little better but nothing to brag about. I have been being really responsidble with my credit the last couple years and they have increased substanially but would like to have them go up to where I have good credit not average. In the my past younger years I was not very responsible about keeping my credit in good standing and did some very bad things that affected me. This is where I stand.

Credit Cards

1. Capital One - Limit 1800 ( The balance on both of them has been almost at 90 percent for 24 months until I paid them down to 20 % because I know its affecting my score.

2. Capitaon One Limit 500     My balances show at 20 % now and my score went up a little. I have had these cards for 7 years

3. Truck loan for 17,000 which i just got 3 months ago and been in good standing.

4. School Loan for 8,000 that I have made on time payments for 24 months

> Besides this I do not have any open lines of credit

Bad credit marks 

1. I have one judgement from 2012 for 1500.00 - I thought about speaking with them to have this removed if i pay in full not sure if that would work.

2. In the 7 years I had my credit cards missed two payments because I moved to Florida and switched bank accounts and didnt have auto payments set up.

3. I defaulted on a school loan over 10 times and then had another company buy the loan. It showed on my report the last loan was paid and that I have a new school loan. I have made payments on this school loan for over 2 years and never missed a payment.

4. I had some collections for small amounts in the last 5 to 7 years that I made sure to pay off in full. 

Overall I have been steadily increasing my score by making on time payments and keeping my utilization low. I am on a good path but how do i get my score to increase by 50 points. I would like to start getting approved for higher credit cards not just 500 to 1000 dollars. Should I apply for store cards? Should I wait until my score increases to apply for another credit card? Should I get a small personal loan for a credit mix? I am lost as to what I should do. I know I am going to try and contact the attorney for my judgement and try to come to an agreement on the 1500 dollars I owe but where do i go from that point? I have listed my credit score below according to myfico.com

Equifax - 648

Experian - 643

Transunion - 651

[stargazer25]

D

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@directimports3 wrote:

I am intersted in getting my credit score increased. I signed up to my fico and my scores have gotten a little better but nothing to brag about. I have been being really responsidble with my credit the last couple years and they have increased substanially but would like to have them go up to where I have good credit not average. In the my past younger years I was not very responsible about keeping my credit in good standing and did some very bad things that affected me. This is where I stand.

Credit Cards

1. Capital One - Limit 1800 ( The balance on both of them has been almost at 90 percent for 24 months until I paid them down to 20 % because I know its affecting my score.

2. Capitaon One Limit 500     My balances show at 20 % now and my score went up a little. I have had these cards for 7 years

3. Truck loan for 17,000 which i just got 3 months ago and been in good standing.

4. School Loan for 8,000 that I have made on time payments for 24 months

> Besides this I do not have any open lines of credit

Bad credit marks 

1. I have one judgement from 2012 for 1500.00 - I thought about speaking with them to have this removed if i pay in full not sure if that would work.

2. In the 7 years I had my credit cards missed two payments because I moved to Florida and switched bank accounts and didnt have auto payments set up.

3. I defaulted on a school loan over 10 times and then had another company buy the loan. It showed on my report the last loan was paid and that I have a new school loan. I have made payments on this school loan for over 2 years and never missed a payment.

4. I had some collections for small amounts in the last 5 to 7 years that I made sure to pay off in full. 

Overall I have been steadily increasing my score by making on time payments and keeping my utilization low. I am on a good path but how do i get my score to increase by 50 points. I would like to start getting approved for higher credit cards not just 500 to 1000 dollars. Should I apply for store cards? Should I wait until my score increases to apply for another credit card? Should I get a small personal loan for a credit mix? I am lost as to what I should do. I know I am going to try and contact the attorney for my judgement and try to come to an agreement on the 1500 dollars I owe but where do i go from that point? I have listed my credit score below according to myfico.com

Equifax - 648

Experian - 643

Transunion - 651

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Drop your UTIL to under 10% and get another credit card. I would say a secured credit card that graduates to unsecured (like discover) so you don't get stuck with a small credit limit (which is typical for retail cards) or worse a predatory card lender with ridiculous fees b/c your credit isn't clean enough. You don't need a personal loan since you now have your truck loan. I am sure other's can chime in with more concrete answers. 

Welcome and good luck.

[geekmama]

Continue to pay down your credit cards. Ideally you want one reporting at less than 10% and the other at 0. I would try the Discover prequalify page. My husband was able to get an unsecured Discover with similar scores.

[directimports3]

Okay I will work on getting my credit cards at 10 % or Below. I am not understanding the process of getting a secured credit card through discover. Can someone please explain why it is neccessary to do this and why this will help me raise my credit score? I was under the impression that a secured card I would have to put a deposit down? Does anybody have experience with doing this through Discover in order to obtain a card with a high limit?

[directimports3]

Just paid down my credit cards to 10 % hopefully I see some adjustment in my score by keeping my balance under 10 %

[rmduhon]

You'll see a better score if you can get a 3rd card, secured if necessary. The reason being is that you get penalized if all of your cards report a balance. Having half of your cards reporting a balance will get you penalized also, and so will having no card reporting a balance. That's why a third card was suggested.

[Anonymous]

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@directimports3 wrote:

I am intersted in getting my credit score increased. I signed up to my fico and my scores have gotten a little better but nothing to brag about. I have been being really responsidble with my credit the last couple years and they have increased substanially but would like to have them go up to where I have good credit not average. In the my past younger years I was not very responsible about keeping my credit in good standing and did some very bad things that affected me. This is where I stand.

Credit Cards

1. Capital One - Limit 1800 ( The balance on both of them has been almost at 90 percent for 24 months until I paid them down to 20 % because I know its affecting my score.

2. Capitaon One Limit 500     My balances show at 20 % now and my score went up a little. I have had these cards for 7 years

3. Truck loan for 17,000 which i just got 3 months ago and been in good standing.

4. School Loan for 8,000 that I have made on time payments for 24 months

> Besides this I do not have any open lines of credit

Bad credit marks 

1. I have one judgement from 2012 for 1500.00 - I thought about speaking with them to have this removed if i pay in full not sure if that would work.

2. In the 7 years I had my credit cards missed two payments because I moved to Florida and switched bank accounts and didnt have auto payments set up.

3. I defaulted on a school loan over 10 times and then had another company buy the loan. It showed on my report the last loan was paid and that I have a new school loan. I have made payments on this school loan for over 2 years and never missed a payment.

4. I had some collections for small amounts in the last 5 to 7 years that I made sure to pay off in full. 

Overall I have been steadily increasing my score by making on time payments and keeping my utilization low. I am on a good path but how do i get my score to increase by 50 points. I would like to start getting approved for higher credit cards not just 500 to 1000 dollars. Should I apply for store cards? Should I wait until my score increases to apply for another credit card? Should I get a small personal loan for a credit mix? I am lost as to what I should do. I know I am going to try and contact the attorney for my judgement and try to come to an agreement on the 1500 dollars I owe but where do i go from that point? I have listed my credit score below according to myfico.com

Equifax - 648

Experian - 643

Transunion - 651

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Joining myfico was a great start. I would say at this point:

-It takes time

-keeping utilization low

-keep making on time payments

-increase credit lines (Capital One every 6 months or sometimes even earlier)

I hope this helps. Good luck to you!!

[directimports3]

Do you think I should ask for an increase on my credit cards even though I had such high utilization for 24 months? I have only had low utilization for a month. What are your thoughts?

[directimports3]

So what your saying is I should try to get a third card. I will work on that when I have a couple months of my utilization reporting lower. I should be able to get an unsecured card but when I do where should I keep the balance on my 3rd card? 

[Anonymous]

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@directimports3 wrote:

Do you think I should ask for an increase on my credit cards even though I had such high utilization for 24 months? I have only had low utilization for a month. What are your thoughts?

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This could work in your favor. It shows that you actually use the credit that was extended to you. Also it is a soft pull on your credit so it wont hurt you if you are denied the increase. If it's been 3 month's or more give it a shot and let us know how it went. I think you will be successful..Good Luck!!