5 Suggestions for Maintaining Great Credit
Having good credit is a subject of great concern in this current economic situation. Everyone is worried about the state of their credit so if you are, just know that you aren’t alone. There are millions of others out there that also want to know what they can do to improve their credit. The following are 5 suggestions or ways to improve or maintain good credit.
1. Buy LifeLock Identity Theft Protection You are probably wondering whether identity theft protection really helps. Many people feel that it is helpful in protecting you from fraud and identity theft. It is a relatively inexpensive service that give you a great sense of security that is invaluable these days. Moreover, identity theft is one of the most prevalent crimes now and is the reason that many people have bad credit. If you want to save yourself time, energy and money trying to get fraudulent charges off of your credit, you may want to invest a little money in LifeLock Identity Theft Protection.
2. Monitor your credit annually, with your free credit report Residents of most states are entitled to a free annual credit report. You can get yours over the phone, through the mail, or online, from all the major bureaus. Worried about other people getting a copy? Don’t be – you’ll have to answer quite a few questions to prove your identity and make sure you’re the one who should be reading this report. You won’t get your credit score included in this report, but you will find out if there are any black marks on your record.
3. Call creditors if you are going to be late One thing that many people don’t know is that if you know you are going to be late on a payment, you can call your credit company in advanced and let them know. Most times they will give you an extension, sometimes up to 90 days. This way they don’t report it to the credit bureaus, and it won’t affect your credit. Communicating with those that you owe money to is critical. You will find that most times people are understanding as along as you are honest and timely.
4. Try to limit your use of credit One of the biggest problems that we are seeing in this country now is that people use credit for everything, even for grocery shopping. The fact of the matter is that credit should not be abused, and should only really be used for major purchases like homes, cars, home appliances or in emergency cases. The interest rate on credit cards is usually really high and most times the things we purchase with our credit cards are frivolous items that aren’t necessities.
5. Make on-time payments When you do have to use your credit cards never make only the minimum payment, unless you absolutely can’t afford to pay more. Also, never skip a payment without talking to your creditors first and making sure that it’s okay and won’t be reported. All of these will together help to improve your score and get you out of debt.
LifeLock is an identity theft protection service that has been helping people protect their credit and their identities for years. It’s a great service, and many believe that Life Lock not only gives them a great service, but peace of mind as well. To learn more about LifeLock, go to www.lifelock.com.