There are a number of things you can do to improve your credit score quickly, and other things you can do to improve it over a longer period of time. Before you get started: you need to check your credit score to see what your baseline is.
You can check your credit score for free through Finder. It takes a couple of minutes and then you'll know exactly what your score is. You'll get a score between 0 and 1,000. The higher the better.
Along with the score you'll get your credit report, which contains:
Once you have your credit score you can identify the best ways to increase it.
Look at the details contained in your credit report. If it all looks accurate, then jump to step 3. But if you find any errors you can get them corrected and your credit score should increase pretty quickly.
Here are some examples of possible errors:
You can request a correction on your credit report through the agency that issued the report. And you can contact the credit provider that made the mistake directly.
You'll need some personal identification, plus the report, the specific detail you're challenging and evidence of the error.
Fix the biggest issues dragging your credit score down as soon as possible. Red marks on your credit report are usually:
Prioritise paying off any outstanding debts, especially a default. Make sure you pay any missed payments before the 14 days if possible. Paying off an outstanding payment looks better on your credit report but the missed payment or default is still recorded.
It sounds obvious, but don't miss a payment on your credit card or loan. Pay off at least the minimum on your credit card before it's due.
🔥 Hot tip
Set up direct debits so payments are made automatically. Just make sure you have money in the bank account to cover the payment.
If you have a credit card you hardly ever use, a personal loan nearly paid off or any other debts you can pay out and close, doing so will instantly give your credit profile a boost.
This is because when you cancel a credit card, you're reducing the amount of overall debt you have access to. This is seen as a positive and may improve your credit score.
If you already have a credit card and you're making repayments on time, you can further improve your credit score by lowering the card limit. That's the maximum amount you can spend using the card.
It's much easier to get into financial trouble with a card that lets you spend $10,000 versus one with a limit of $2,000. If you don't need to make big purchases on your credit card, lower your limit and your credit score should increase by the following month.
Your credit record collects both positive data (all the years you've spent paying your phone, internet, electricity and gas bills on time) and negative data (late payments, defaults). When you pay your bills on time, you're building a positive credit score over time. Setting up direct debits for your bills (or even automatic reminders) is the easiest way to do this.
You might think someone who has never had a cent of debt to their name would have a perfect credit score. But that's not the case.
To prove you are a reliable borrower you need to actually have a history of managing debt responsibly. If you've never had a loan or credit card before it can be hard to show this. You can start to build your credit rating with a credit card.
Just make sure:
Having some debts is good – a borrower with a single credit card and a home loan who never misses a repayment is likely to have a strong credit score.
But if you have 3 credit cards and 2 personal loans, you may struggle to improve your credit score even if you never miss a repayment.
If you can cut down to 1 or 2 credit cards and consolidate your loan debts you can lift your score.
Alternatively, prioritising paying off one of the loans completely would help too. A balance transfer credit card can be the best way to roll card debts into one manageable debt.
Buy now pay later (BNPL) products like Afterpay might not seem like credit products. But using BNPL can harm your credit score.
Missing BNPL repayments will hurt your credit score. And some BNPL providers make a credit enquiry when you sign up, meaning the company takes a look at your credit report. This can impact your credit score too.
When you apply for a loan or credit card the lender requests a copy of your credit report. This is called a hard inquiry and it can negatively affect your report.
This is because multiple applications for credit in a short time are considered a bad sign.
To avoid this:
🔥 Hot tip
Getting rejected for a credit application hurts your credit score because of the hard inquiry mentioned above. Avoid applying for another credit product until you understand why you got rejected for the first one. Multiple inquiries can harm your credit score even more. Checking your own credit score is considered a soft inquiry and doesn't affect the score in any way.
| Response | |
|---|---|
| No | 68.8% |
| Yes | 31.2% |
Unfortunately there is no quick fix or shortcut to improving your credit score. If you have a poor score, it can often take time before you see a huge improvement in your credit rating.
However, by consistently following the steps above you should see your score gradually increase.
One exception may be if you have multiple errors in your credit report that are harming your score. Getting these corrected and removed from your report may have an immediate impact on improving your credit score. In the meantime:
If you've had a very bad run with your finances – missed payments, defaults, a bankruptcy – then time is your friend.
In Australia, defaults stay on your credit report for 5 years. Missed payments stay for 2. If you were declared bankrupt, the bankruptcy stays on your report for 2 years from the end date or 5 years from the date you became bankrupt (whichever of the 2 is later).
So while all the tips we've outlined above are very useful, for people with terrible credit the passage of time also helps a lot. Just avoid getting into more credit trouble in the meantime.
There may be mistakes on your credit report you can fix. And there are companies that offer credit repair services who can fix those for you.
But these companies can charge high fees and are often just doing things you can easily fix yourself, for free.
Paying off debts completely is good financial advice. But it's often worth keeping a credit card you rarely use and have always paid off on time. This card is a good example of your creditworthiness.
Just make sure you keep the limit as low as possible.
If you're struggling to make repayments and need financial help you have options:
Missing a phone bill can end up hurting your credit score, but simply having a mobile plan won't impact your credit report.
The average Australian has a "very good" credit score according to Finder analysis. Here's how credit scores are categorised in Australia, and how to check yours.
Credit reporting bureaus issue credit reports and scores to consumers and lenders. Discover how they work in this guide.
Placing a ban on your credit report can help to protect you from fraud. Here's how to request and extend bans with Experian, Equifax and ilion in Australia.
If you're planning to cancel a credit card, here's what you need to know about the impact it could have on your credit score.
Find out about different credit monitoring services that can keep you informed about changes on your credit report.
How to remove incorrect negative listings from your report and adopt positive money habits to get your credit history back on track.
How to remove enquiries from your report in 4 steps and a guide for improving your credit score.
Discover how you can use a credit card to build or repair your credit history.
How often is my credit score reviewed? Lets say its 500 now. If I don’t make any credit inquiries for the next 2 months, will it increase or is that too short?
Hi Mohammed,
Thank you for leaving a question.
There are a lot of factors that affect the increase or decrease of your credit score. A couple of them being repaying a default, bankruptcies, adding a new credit account, and others. Learn more on what affects your Experian credit score. Having no credit inquiries will help you because it will not decrease your score but it would not be able to help in increasing it. Companies submit credit updates monthly which gives you ample time to improve on your current score. Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Reggie
I am wondering why my credit score is so low as i dont have any loans an i donot have any credit cards i havent applied for any loans for more than 12 months
Thanks Ivan
Hi Ivan,
Thanks for leaving a question on Finder.
Due to the amount of information that is used to calculate your credit score, it’s easy to see how your score can fluctuate. Still, if you don’t believe much has altered in your financial habits and your credit score still has changed, it can be confusing. Here are a few common reasons why credit scores change:
You applied for a new loan or credit card. Any new applications you make for credit will directly affect your credit score. Keep in mind that you don’t need to be approved for the application for it to be listed on your credit file and therefore affect your credit.
A listing on your credit file expired. Information is only held on your credit file for a certain length of time, so when a listing is removed from your credit file this will positively impact your credit score.
You changed your credit limit. Increasing limits on your credit cards or applying for a personal loan top-up (which usually constitutes a new personal loan application) will usually negatively impact your credit score. Similarly, decreasing your credit limit can positively impact your credit score. In both cases, your new credit limit will also be listed on your credit file.
A credit provider reported new information to a credit bureau. Credit providers don’t always immediately report information to credit reporting bureaus, so you may find your credit score change at a seemingly random time. This newly reported information, which can include default information or even credit inquiries, can be the cause.
New comprehensive data was added to your report. Starting from 1 July 2018, the Big Four banks have been mandated to report comprehensive data to credit bureaus. Half of this data will be added in the 90 days following this date, with 100% of the data to be added by September 2019. This will affect your credit score. Other banks can add it in their own time and the Big Four banks – CommBank, ANZ, Westpac, and NAB – can choose which data they add at which time.
You closed a loan or credit card. Your credit score may improve if you close a loan or credit card. Only credit limits are listed on your credit file, not the current debts on your accounts,
You made a repayment on a credit account late. Your monthly repayment information is now listed on your credit file and can directly affect your credit score. If you don’t make a repayment on time it will cause your credit score to drop, but if you have a low credit score, making monthly repayments on time can have a positive impact on your credit score.
You can also request a free copy of your credit file. Your credit report will list all that could be affecting your current credit score. You can have incorrect details removed if you request a revision from a credit-reporting agency. Overdue debt and credit application information can only be updated by your credit provider, so you may have to follow it up with them.
Cheers,
Joel
wbat is the period of time that a default listing stays on your credit report ?
Hi Anil,
Thanks for leaving a question on finder.
A credit default listing remains on your report for 5 years (in the case of a clearout it remains for 7 years). If you pay your debt, the listing stays but your credit report will be updated to show that you have made payments.
When you apply for credit, for example for a home loan or business loan, you may be rejected on the basis that there is a default listed on your credit report. Credit providers must tell you if your application has been rejected because of something in your credit report.
Cheers,
Joel
How do i get 1 of my files remove as i didnt apply that much on anz. I look on my credit report i didnt apply for that much in anz how do i get remove
Hi Donna,
Thanks for leaving a question on Finder.
You can’t remove a legitimate enquiry from your credit file. In most cases, you will simply have to wait until the five years has passed and they are taken off your history.
In general, the only details that can be removed from your credit file are those that are incorrect or erroneous – for example, if a lender made an enquiry without proper authorisation from you, if your name was attached to an account you never opened, or if an account was incorrectly listed as “in default”. In these cases, you can submit a request to have the incorrect details removed from your file by contacting ANZ directly. For more info about this, please refer to our guide in removing invalid credit enquiries.
Cheers,
Joel
How long after court actions are resolved so they effect your credit ratin
Hi Scott,
Thank you for leaving a question.
Once you’ve been through the court process the court judgement will remain on your credit file for 5 years.
Cheers,
Reggie