How to Improve Your Credit Score Quickly & Safely in 2025

May 6, 2025 • Credit Repair

Your credit score doesn’t just affect whether you can get a loan or a credit card. It also plays a big role in how much you’ll pay to borrow money. Even a small improvement in your score could mean lower interest rates and less money out of your pocket.

The good news is that raising your credit score isn’t complicated. With the right steps, you can start seeing results and avoid some of the most common mistakes that hold people back.

This guide will walk you through what affects your credit score and what you can do to improve it.

Quick Facts: What Impacts Your Credit Score the Most

Before we get into the specific steps, it’s important to know what actually makes up your credit score. These five factors have the biggest impact on your FICO score:

Payment history – Whether you pay your bills on time
Credit utilization – How much of your available credit you’re using
Length of credit history – How long your accounts have been open
New credit applications – How often you apply for new credit
Credit mix – The different types of credit you have, like credit cards, loans, or a mortgage

How to Improve Your Credit Score: Proven Steps That Work

Improving your credit score starts with focusing on the areas that lenders pay the most attention to. Whether you want to qualify for a mortgage or just get better credit card terms, these steps can help you make steady progress.

Step 1: Always Pay Bills on Time

Your payment history has the biggest impact on your credit score. Even one missed payment can hurt your score and stay on your credit report for up to seven years.

Making payments on time shows lenders that you’re responsible with credit and lowers the risk they take by lending to you.

Easy ways to avoid late payments:

Set up automatic payments: Most lenders and credit card companies let you schedule automatic payments for at least the minimum amount due.
Use calendar reminders: Set alerts a few days before each bill is due.
Consolidate due dates: If possible, ask creditors to move your payment due dates to the same time each month. This makes it easier to track.

Step 2: Keep Your Credit Card Balances Low

Credit utilization refers to how much of your available credit you’re using. For example, if you have a credit limit of $5,000 and your balance is $2,500, your utilization rate is 50 percent.

Lenders prefer to see a low utilization rate because it suggests you’re not overly reliant on credit.

What percentage should you aim for?

Below 30 percent: This is the general recommendation to avoid hurting your score.
Below 10 percent: Keeping utilization this low can help improve your score faster.

Step 3: Request a Credit Limit Increase

Asking for a higher credit limit can help lower your credit utilization without adding new debt. A higher limit with the same balance means your utilization rate drops.

How this helps:
If your credit limit goes from $5,000 to $7,500 and your balance stays at $2,500, your utilization drops from 50 percent to about 33 percent.

When it makes sense to request:

You’ve had the account open for at least six months
You’ve made on-time payments
Your income has increased or your credit score has improved

Some lenders may do a hard inquiry when you request an increase, but many only perform a soft check that won’t affect your credit score.

Step 4: Review and Fix Errors on Your Credit Report

Errors on your credit report can lower your credit score without you even realizing it. Common mistakes include incorrect account balances, payments marked late when they were actually on time, or accounts that don’t belong to you.

How to check your credit report:

You can get free reports from each of the three major credit bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com.
Check for mistakes in account status, balances, and payment history.

How to fix mistakes:

Dispute errors directly with the credit bureau online or by mail using a credit dispute letter. Include any documents that support your claim, like payment confirmations or account statements.
Provide any documents that support your claim, such as payment confirmations or account statements.

Step 5: Don’t Apply for Too Much New Credit at Once

Every time you apply for new credit, a lender may do a hard inquiry on your credit report. These inquiries can lower your score slightly and stay on your report for up to two years.

Why this matters:

Applying for multiple credit cards or loans in a short time can make it look like you’re taking on too much debt.
Even though one inquiry has a small effect, several inquiries close together can add up.

If you need new credit, space out your applications to reduce the impact on your score.

Step 6: Keep Older Accounts Open

The length of your credit history matters because it shows how long you’ve been managing credit. Older accounts contribute positively by increasing the average age of your credit lines.

Why keeping accounts open helps:

Closing an old account can lower your average account age and increase your credit utilization if it reduces your total available credit.

When it might make sense to close an account:

If the account has high fees, or you no longer use it, and it doesn’t offer benefits worth keeping.

Step 7: Become an Authorized User

If a family member or close friend has a credit card with a long history of on-time payments and low balances, becoming an authorized user on their account can help boost your credit score.

How this works:

The account’s positive payment history and credit limit may be added to your credit report.
You don’t need to use the card or even have access to it for it to help your score.

Choosing the right account:

Look for an account with a low balance relative to its credit limit.
Make sure the primary user has a strong payment history with no late payments.

Step 8: Build New Positive Credit If Needed

If you have little or no credit history, adding new accounts can help build a positive track record.

Options to consider:

Secured credit cards: These require a refundable deposit and can help establish credit when used responsibly.
Credit-builder loans: These small loans are designed to help you build credit by making fixed payments over time.
Rent reporting services: Some services allow your rent payments to be reported to credit bureaus, adding positive payment history to your report.

Adding new accounts can help your score grow over time, especially if you keep up with on-time payments and low balances.

How Long Does It Take To See Results?

How quickly your credit score improves depends on the steps you take and your current credit history. Some changes can have an effect within a month or two, while others take longer.

What to expect:

Paying down balances: May reflect in your score as soon as the creditor reports the lower balance.
Fixing credit report errors: Disputes typically resolve within 30 days.
Building new credit: Positive history usually takes at least three to six months to show an impact.

Patience is important, but steady progress will lead to long-term results.

Common Mistakes That Can Hurt Your Credit Score

Improving your credit score is about what you do—and what you avoid.

Watch out for these mistakes:

Closing old accounts: This can shorten your credit history and increase your utilization rate.
Maxing out credit cards: High balances hurt your credit score even if you make payments on time.
Applying for too much new credit: Multiple applications in a short time can lower your score.
Falling for credit repair scams: No legitimate company can promise to quickly erase accurate negative information.

Final Thoughts

Raising your credit score doesn’t have to be complicated. By focusing on smart habits like paying bills on time, keeping balances low, and fixing any credit report mistakes, you can make steady progress.

Start with the steps that make the biggest difference and stick with them. Over time, your credit score will improve—and so will your financial opportunities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the fastest way to improve my credit score?

The quickest way is to pay down your credit card balances and make sure you pay every bill on time. Lowering your credit utilization has a big impact and can sometimes improve your score within a month or two.

Should I pay for credit repair services?

If you have complicated credit issues or prefer professional help, working with a reputable credit repair company can be a good option. They can assist with reviewing your credit reports, identifying errors, and handling disputes. Just make sure to choose a company that follows all legal requirements and has a track record of helping clients successfully.

Can paying off collections raise my score?

Yes, especially if you are using newer credit scoring models like FICO 9 or VantageScore 3.0 and above. Once a collection is paid, it may stop affecting your score, even though the record of the collection account might still appear on your credit report.

How often do credit scores update?

Your credit score updates when lenders report new information to the credit bureaus. Most lenders report every 30 to 45 days, but the exact timing can vary depending on the creditor.

Does carrying a small balance help my credit?

No. This is a common misconception. Carrying a balance does not help your credit score. In fact, paying your balances in full each month is better because it avoids interest charges and still shows positive payment activity.