How to increase your credit score quickly

Disclaimer: this page aims to provide information about increasing your credit score quickly. However, all circumstances are different and the information may not apply to all customers.

There’s little worse than applying for finance and getting rejected on the grounds of bad credit. However, there are several steps you can take right now that may very well have an immediate impact on your credit score, and prevent future applications from resulting in rejection. Here are eight things you can do to raise your credit score fast.

1. Check your credit report for errors

Fast and easy to do for those interested in how to build credit quickly, checking your credit report for errors will allow you to correct mistakes before they affect your next credit profile update.

These mistakes usually come in the form of apparent missed payments that you actually made on time, or payments you never needed to make to begin with, and can be fixed by getting in touch with the relevant credit reference agency.

2. Register on the electoral roll

Our next tip to boost your credit score quickly takes minutes to do. If, for whatever reason, you’re not registered on your local electoral roll, you can go online and register yourself right now.

It might seem strange but registering where you live helps confirm your identity and that you live where you say you do. This in turn shows lenders that you’re stable and reliable by owning a home.

3. Make upcoming payments on time

A perhaps-obvious step but one to always bear in mind if you want to improve your credit score fast: make your credit and bill payments on time.

The best way to avoid missing payments is to set up a direct debit. This means your payments will still go through automatically. Things you want to pay on time include:

• Gas bills
• Electricity bills
• Water bills
• Broadband
• Council tax
• Mobile phone payments
• Rent
• Mortgage payments
• Loans

To set up a direct debit, reach out to the relevant providers, who can walk you through the process.

4. Close all unused credit card accounts

If you weren’t aware of it already, unused credit on cards and accounts you no longer use could actually be working against you by artificially increasing your credit utilisation.

If you know you have one or more unused credit cards, reach out to your provider to get them cancelled; just makes sure you clear off any remaining credit first.

5. Close unused joint accounts

This tip is vital for anyone who has recently separated from someone they shared a joint account with, and is wondering how to build credit quickly. Whether intentional or otherwise, if the other individual linked to this account is still using it, their actions could potentially negatively impact your credit score.

Fortunately, cutting ties to these accounts is an easy process. Simply reach out to the relevant bank and ask for a “notice of disassociation”. This will terminate your link to the account and prevent any further harm from coming to your score.

With all of these tips to hand, you should have a greater understanding of how to increase your credit score quickly. However, it’s important to note that rebuilding your credit can take time, and you’re not guaranteed to see an immediate impact. What’s important is to be patient and combine these tips with more long-term credit-boosting strategies to boost your score over the following months.

Of course, sometimes you can’t wait for your credit score to increase before you apply for finance, especially if you need car a car for work. Fortunately, that’s where the team at Zuto can help.

We specialise in providing bad credit car finance to those who need it, and we’ll work with you to find an affordable credit repayment plan. Get in touch today to see how we can help or visit our help and advice page for more tips on how to handle bad credit.