Archives for "Secured Credit Cards"

Your Big Credit Repair Break

If you have had credit problems and are in search of the best credit repair technique to boost your credit scores, look no further. The latest release of the FICO algorithm provides an amazing score boosting opportunity. In keeping with the spirit of FICO, this is not a magic trick, but a means of rewarding those who prove their worth. Here is the latest, most powerful way to add serious points to your score.

New Accounts Count Most

This awesome credit repair technique taps the hidden power of FICO. You made some errors in the past. Now is your chance to prove you can get back on the horse and ride. Your credit score is not just about your history, it is a way to rate your ability to manage the process of borrowing. This includes opening accounts, repaying promptly, and managing responsibly. And FICO is just waiting to reward those who can show that they are still in the game.

The Easy Path

Are you worried that you will be denied for new credit? Worry not. Secured credit cards are the perfect credit repair option. A small amount of collateral, usually three hundred dollars per card, will guarantee approval for some powerful plastic capable of rocking your credit score world. The best of these little secured cards will not consider your credit history, will report to all three bureaus, and will not even indicate a secured status.

Old Accounts Still Count

If you have read this far, have credit cards that survived the storm, and are thinking that you should not have to open more, alas, you are wrong. The key to this credit repair tip is to ride the wave, to respect and take advantage of the power of FICO. It is all about new accounts. This does not mean that you should scrap your old cards. Keep them alive and manage them right. Old is gold, but new will deliver the score boost you need.

Card Management Secrets

Once you have your new secured credit cards in hand it is up to you to manage them for the best results. And make no mistake, it is easy to blow it and miss your credit repair opportunity. You must make your payments on time, and you must keep your balances down. Everything you do with your new cards will communicate something to the scoring model. For credit repair purposes you should only use twenty percent of the card limit. Got it?

The Big Pay Day

For most people attempting to regroup after a tough time, two little secured cards will be worth over one hundred points within six months of the initial reporting date. It could be more or less depending on the overall depth and content of your report. A boost like this can make a life-changing difference. This type of improvement may qualify you for superior auto financing or even a mortgage. In the long run you may wish to phase out the secured cards in favor of lower cost unsecured cards, but that should be an easy path, as you will begin to see offers arriving in your mailbox before you know it. Good luck!

Copyright © 2010 Sky Blue Credit Repair. All Content. All Rights Reserved.

Credit Repair, the Big Picture

There was a time when the credit repair industry was focused exclusively on sending dispute letters to the credit bureaus. Those days are over. There is no question that intelligent and well structured dispute letters are very effective in cleaning up erroneous derogatory information, and it is a thrill to see these bad accounts removed or corrected. But, as important as credit bureau disputes are, unless you put equal emphasis on building new positive credit you are missing the vast majority of benefit that is available from the credit repair process.

Money in Your Pocket

It is no exaggeration to say that well over fifty percent of the benefit of a smart credit repair program will come from careful building and management of positive credit. Why would you ever settle for a one hundred point increase in your score if you could get a two hundred point increase? The right approach to credit repair can easily mean a difference between loan approval and denial, or the difference between a low interest rate and one that will strain your budget. Over the last few years credit markets have shifted almost entirely credit score based pricing. Your credit score translates directly into dollars and cents, your dollars and cents.

Getting Secured Credit Cards

If hard times have left you with no open accounts you should get back on your feet with two new secured credit cards. Secured cards are the perfect credit repair tool. They will require a small savings deposit, usually two or three hundred dollars. This money is used as collateral to secure the limit on the card and will be returned to you when you close the account. Because these cards are collateralized you will not be denied unless you have previous unresolved issues with the card issuer. They are easy and cheap, and for credit repair purposes, they are every bit as good as a larger unsecured card.

Consider Authorized User Accounts

If you are interested in giving your credit repair program a little extra boost there is another credit building strategy you may consider. If you have a family member with excellent credit that would like to help your endeavor you can ask them to add you to one of their credit card accounts as an authorized user. Once they do this the account should appear on your credit report within sixty days and your credit score will inherit the full benefit of the account as if it were your own. On a cautionary note, you should not consider purchasing authorized user accounts as the software used to calculate your score has a way of blocking these brokered accounts.

Cautionary Notes

If you were choosing between secured cards and authorized user accounts, secured cards are the best long term credit repair option for the simple reason that they belong to you. Authorized user accounts come with notable risks. If your card donor runs his balance up your score will tumble due to no fault of yours. And if for any reason the account goes bad you are likely to have trouble removing yourself, as card issuers usually will refuse to make any changes to the account until it is healthy again. But, if you have the ability to include both secured cards and trusted authorized user accounts in your credit repair program, by all means do it.

Picking the Right Type of Credit

When it comes to credit repair you should build credit with mainstream credit cards such as MasterCard and Visa. There are certain forms of credit that can harm your credit more than helping it. The credit scoring software that calculates your score has a built-in bias against consumer debt including store cards and furniture store loans. So do not assume that because you have a store card that you have the credit profile that you need. This type of credit can be convenient and may have certain benefits, but while you are in a credit repair program it should be avoided. Stick with the basics.

Managing for Credit Repair Results

Once you have your credit cards open it is crucial that you manage them properly. This is where you credit repair effort can really shine. The credit scoring model places great weight on the balances that you keep on your credit cards and the newer the card the more important the balance becomes. For the best score benefit use less than twenty percent of the total credit line on the card. If you let your balances run up to the limit your scores will fall, as much as one hundred points depending on the overall content of your credit report, so spend carefully. If you have this problem, do not worry. Just pay those cards down and your score will pop right back up. Good luck!

Copyright © 2009 Sky Blue Credit Repair. All Content. All Rights Reserved.

Everything Counts!

Credit repair is not complicated. Your credit scores reflect the content of your credit report, both the positive as well as the negative. Many people in credit repair programs are so focused on the negative that they neglect the positive. No matter how effective you are at cleaning up derogatory information on your credit report, unless you take the time to build new positive credit your credit repair effort will languish.

Credit Repair Logic

The logic is easy. Your credit scores are intended to reflect the amount of risk a lender will face when lending you money. In the credit repair process you should think of your credit score as an impartial witness of your life, judging your ability and willingness to meet your obligations. The best way to impress this impartial witness is to offer proof of your willingness each and every month.

Revolving Credit Rules

The most powerful way you can offer proof of your credit worthiness and influence your credit repair progress quickly is with the proper use of revolving credit. If you don’t have any open credit cards, now is the time to open them. If your credit is currently too weak to get regular unsecured credit cards, just get secured cards. It’s easy and will do the trick.

Credit Repair and Secured Credit Cards

Secured credit cards are every bit as helpful for your credit repair as regular unsecured cards. It does not matter if the limit on these new cards is miniscule. Your credit scores will get the same benefit from a little secured card as it will from a high limit unsecured card, as long as you manage it in the right way.

Credit Card Management

Credit card management for score optimization is not difficult, but unless you know what to do mistakes are likely, and your credit repair project may even suffer when it could have easily succeeded. Timely payments are essential of course, but the real trick to credit repair success is to understand the relationship between your balance and the limit on the card.

Your Scores Are In Your Hands

The impact of your credit cards on your credit repair will depend almost entirely on your balances. This is always the case, but is even more important during the first year after a card is open. There are five ratios that will trigger score changes; 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 percent usage. Sixty percent usage of a card will have a neutral effect, the two tiers below will increase your scores, and the two tiers above will reduce your scores. Don’t underestimate the impact; maxing out a new card can knock 150 points from your scores.

Credit Repair with the Right Credit

There are a few other important factors to consider when rebuilding credit. Not all credit cards are equal. Store cards are of little value for your credit repair. For undisclosed reasons, the geniuses behind the credit scoring formula have downgraded the benefit that accrues from store cards, and amplified the harm that can result from having them. Likely reasons include the fact that store cards are easier to get, usually have higher interest rates, and consequently may be an indicator of poor judgment on the part of the consumer. Hey, I’m just reporting the news! Do yourself a favor and stick with MasterCard, Visa, Amex, and Discover.

Your Credit is Alive

When it comes to credit repair there is no good substitute for new revolving debt. A new auto loan is helpful, but will not have the impact that a credit card will have. Credit cards are emphasized because they are open-ended and alive; each month they report they can reflect something new about your financial life. If you keep your balance low and make your payments on time it will tell the credit scoring model that you are living conservatively and within your means. If you max out a card it is interpreted as a warning of budgetary strain and potential default.

You are Not Alone

Credit repair is not a difficult process, but it requires a bit of know-how and even a dash of finesse. If you take your time to plan the credit repair process you will succeed and see your efforts rewarded beyond your expectations. And always remember that help is available. If you are in doubt pick up the phone and call a credit repair professional. You are not alone!

Copyright © 2008 Sky Blue Credit Repair. All Content. All Rights Reserved.