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      How do I improve my credit score?

      Regular, timely payments on your bills are the best way to improve your credit score. These payments won’t necessarily immediately give you a boost—the credit scoring agencies want to see that you can consistently make regular payments over several years. Over the long run, however, on-time, in-full payments are the most reliable way to achieve a higher credit score. 

      You may see a faster boost to your credit score by reducing your credit utilization ratio. This means the amount of money you owe, compared to the amount you’re allowed to borrow. For example, if your credit card limit is $2,000 and you regularly spend nearly that amount per billing cycle, your credit score will likely be lower than if you have a credit limit of $20,000 and you regularly spend nearly $2,000 per billing cycle. In each case, you’re spending the same amount, but in the second example you’re using less of your available credit—that’s something credit scoring agencies like to see.

      In cases like this, a simple step like requesting an increased line of credit on your credit card (but not spending more), or like regularly paying half your credit card bill in the middle of the billing cycle, could boost your score relatively quickly.

      Other things that impact your credit score: how long you’ve had credit (the longer the better, particularly if you’ve had most of your accounts a long time), how many recent credit inquiries you’ve had on your account (the fewer, the better) and the total amount you still owe (the lower the better).