"How do you check your credit rating/get it perfect?" Mon Aug-18-03 09:43 AM
i see alot of yall talk about credit, how important it is and how ya'll credit is perfect. so i figured this would be the place to ask.
well, im young, and i just got a new, great job that could help me (finally) get a car. but i do know that if you dont have tier one or two credit, those car people will try to charge the hell outta you when it comes to payments.
also, down the line, i wanna buy a house and things... and im finding out how important credit is to getting those things.
so can anyone help me? i dont know where to start. i think i have a scratch or two on my credit, but i dont know how to check it. can i get my credit rating online? for free? do i have to pay for anything? how do i fix it if i find anything on there thats not supposta be there?
thanks.
*edit*
oh. and is it bad if you dont have any credit cards or any credit? i was always turned down when i applied for it.
3. "yep. but here's a number" In response to Reply # 2
they have more lax qualifiers for issuing a Visa or Mastercard credit card.
give them a call and ask for a brochure:
1-800-761-CARD.
Read it over. It's pretty helpful for one trying to establish themselves.
Good Luck!!!!
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You have received this reply because something you've just typed is indicative of a lack of attention or affirmation being paid towards you. Do not worry yourself. Regardless of the responses you have gotten here, there is someone out
you can get a free copy of all three (equifax, transunion, and another one who's name escapes me right now) once a year depending on what state you live in.
I somewhat disagree though on the no credit card idea... If (and only if) you're really responsible it might be a good idea to get one with a low limit (like $200) and use it to buy small stuff once or twice (a full tank of gas for example) and then pay off the *entire* balance each month. When creditors are deciding to extend credit they want to be sure that you can manage it wisely. If there is nothing on your credit they have nothing to go by. Paying off your balance each month will show them that you can be responsible.
7. "actually, that's good." In response to Reply # 2
no credit card means no debt.
there are other things (car loans, student loans, etc) that can show a good payment history, but they can also work against you if you haven't paid them.
also, if there are any dinks on there like (my arch enemy) columbiahouse or some similar bs, it'll be on there.
the report gives you a list of creditors and their addresses so you can contact them and dispute anything that shouldn't be on there.
i'm real sensitive to this lately, cuz i'm tryna step up my credit for a home purchase. found out today that i have an A rating (yay me!), even though i have a couple more things to clear.
but do it, and don't be scared (like i was). you need to know that shit... ****************************** ****************************** doodle for sanity...
When you check it if you find something on there that you want to dispute its a fairly simple process. You get your equifax report and let's say it says you owe columbia house $48. But you only owe them $36. You send Equifax a letter saying. The information that you have for Columbia House is wrong, please remove it. They then have to contact Columbia House who has to respond within 30 days about the info. One of two things can happen: Columbia House will update the amount or they won't respond in time and it's removed. If you have older stuff this might be helpful because some companies purge their records every so often.
It doesn't seem like you're gonna have major problems though.
26. "please don't be scared" In response to Reply # 9
you should evaluate your credit report at least once a year. a lot of people are caught with charges they didn't even make because they aren't aware of their credit report.
getting credit in order is all apart of growing up
It will be harder to get a credit card and if and when you do the annual percentage rate (apr) will be high somewhere aroud 18% or more.Good luck though
Politcs are so corrupt even the dishonest People get screwed
you can start there. there are 3 major credit bureaus in the country. equifax is one of them & for the life of me i can't remember the other two. they'll charge like $10 for your credit report but it's well worht it. as far as getting things off your report, it's possible but it's definitely going to cost you.... somewhere in the range of $500. as long as you've paid of your present debts (i.e. credit cards) and have good payment history then you shouldn't have too much of a problem. now if you've been reported to a collection agency... you're definitely going to come into a few problems....
before you do anything though, go to equifax & get your credit report & you can go from there.
another thing is that if you have any current credit cards or loans that you're paying back, you can call them up & request that they make a good payment history note on your credit report. they're supposed to do it on a regular (every 3 months) basis... but they tend to overlook it.
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You can get a copy of your credit report and your FICO score. I was able to get my credit reports free because I live in New Jersey and we are allowed one free report a year. I think I paid approx. $10 to receive my FICO score.
You are also entitled to a free report if you have been denied credit or employment due to something listed on your credit report.
You have received this reply because something you've just typed is indicative of a lack of attention or affirmation being paid towards you. Do not worry yourself. Regardless of the responses you have gotten here, there is someone out
20. "having no credit is worse than having bad credit" In response to Reply # 0
you can start establishing credit now (dept. store charge cards, cellphones -you work for Verizon now- etc.) JC Penny used to be pretty easy to get. And if they turn you down, you'll be able to get your credit report for free from one of the three (or is it four?) credit reporting agencies.
Do you have a checking or savings account? belong to a bank or credit union? If you have a relative that belongs to a credit union have them put you on now and open up a checking account. When you do decide youre ready to buy a car try to get financing before you even step on the lot so you won't be sorry later. You know what? call me and we'll discuss it. I can't see my desk right now.
23. "No such thing as perfect credit" In response to Reply # 0 Mon Aug-18-03 12:48 PM
but you can have excellent credit by paying your (credit)bills on time and giving more than just the minimum.Some factors can hurt your credit rating such as high balances/no balances/late payments,No credit history/minimal history,etc. Go to www.truecredit.com to find out more
Politcs are so corrupt even the dishonest People get screwed
24. "Credit. That evil word" In response to Reply # 0
It's one of things when we're young we don't quite grasp it's importance. In fact, most times we don't care.
As you've mentioned with the propective car payment, yeah anybody can get a car. Good, bad or no credit. But the interest rate will be a bitch.
I know somebody who bought a chevy cavalier and still wasn't done with the payments after 5 years. My advice to anyone is before you put that few thousand on a car, use it to pay off those bills.
33. "What sucks is that I had to learn bout all this stuff o" In response to Reply # 0
my own. I had to learn bout Credit and all that through my own experience. Had I known, I wouldn't have made certain decisions that have affected my credit now.
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