Keeping Track of Your Credit Score

Some credit card companies are now printing your credit score on their statements. If yours looks low, make some changes to raise it. With a low credit score you are likely to incur increased percentage rates on loans or in some cases refused a loan at all.

Some ways to improve your score:
1.  Pay on time
2.  Don't make drastic changes if you are planning to apply for a loan.
3.  Cancelling several credit cards at once will affect your score.
4.  Don't apply for several new credit cards or loans within a short period of time.
5.  Keep well below the maximum credit card limit. Several maxed out credit cards are a red flag.
6. Order a free credit report from annualcreditreport.com (don't check the other non-official ones - they may have a hidden agenda!).
7. Rather than checking reports from all the reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, Trans-Union) at once, make a note on your calendar to check one every four months so that you don't have to wait a year to spot any inconsistencies or errors.

If you are applying for a new credit card, you can check www.Cardratings.com for information.