what's my credit score for free

Collection accounts will sometimes send you a settlement letter, allowing you to pay less than the original amount; sometimes as little as half! As for your credit score, paying it off in full will look better than accepting the settlement offer, but be sure you negotiate with your collector before you pay a single dime, requesting that they remove the blemish from your credit, and get that in writing!

Experts say that to repair credit score numbers, you should not close out accounts. It ' s much better to use each card once a month and pay them all off in full. Generally, shredding and canceling your cards is bad when you ' re trying to repair bad credit because it shows two things: one, that you have less available credit and are therefore using more of your limit, and also that you have a shorter credit history.

If you ' ve got way too many cards, then close out your newest accounts so you don ' t lose your long history. Phase out your accounts over several months, rather than hastily all at once. Verify that the accounts you ' ve closed are reported as " closed by consumer. " On the rest of your cards, keep moderate limits, keep your balances low ( 30 % of available ) and avoid revolving balances.