Building and maintaining good credit is crucial for getting approved for loans and other financial products with favorable terms. This article explores unconventional strategies for rebuilding credit quickly after setbacks like bankruptcy, identity theft, or other negative marks.

We discuss becoming an authorized user on someone else's credit card, using credit builder loans, purchasing tradelines, freezing credit reports to prevent fraud, and recovering after identity theft.

While risky, these techniques could help accelerate credit score recovery for those willing to put in the effort. However, the article emphasizes establishing long-term good financial habits as the most sustainable path to good credit health. These techniques carry risks. Always consider this.

A good credit score can make it easier to qualify for mortgage, auto, and personal loans with lower interest rates. It can also help you get better deals on insurance rates and perks. Paying on time and low credit utilization are the keys to building credit quickly. The best way to do that is to become an authorized user on someone’s credit card account.

Here are some unconventional ways to build credit:

• Authorized user - Become an authorized user on someone else's credit card. As long as they use the card responsibly, it can help build your credit history.

• Self-lender loans - Services like Self-Lender let you take out a loan and make monthly payments to yourself. The loan is then deposited back to you at the end of the term. This shows you can responsibly handle loan payments

• Rent payments - Rent Reporters and Rock The Score allow you to report on-time rent payments to credit bureaus to build your payment history.

• Subscription services - Services like ExtraCredit allow you to report recurring subscription payments like Netflix and gym memberships to the credit bureaus. This helps demonstrate responsible payment behavior.

• Secured credit cards - Secured cards require a refundable security deposit that becomes your credit limit. Making on-time payments can graduate you to an unsecured card and build credit.

• Become an account signer - If you have a close friend or family member with good credit, becoming an account signer on one of their credit cards can help build your history.

• Store credit cards - Store-specific credit cards tend to have lower credit requirements. Making small purchases and paying off balances quickly can build your credit.

• No-score loans: If you don’t qualify for a traditional loan, look into a no-score loan with the option to report it to the credit bureaus.

Rebuilding after Charge Offs

As credit scores have evolved, so has the way lenders look at borrowers’ payment histories. These days, whether you pay your bills on time determines the majority of your credit score. This means that missing a payment for even a few months can damage your score and prevent you from getting approved for loans or mortgages.

If you continue to miss payments on a credit card or installment debt, your lender may decide you won’t be able to pay what you owe and will “charge off” the account. This occurs when a creditor has missed several months’ minimum payments and is no longer attempting to collect on the debt. The lender then reports the account as a charge-off to the credit bureaus, which can lower your credit score by quite a bit.

Having a charge-off on your credit report can also make it harder to qualify for loans, and it can remain on your credit report for seven years. A charge-off can affect your credit score in many ways, including by lowering your debt-to-income ratio and your credit utilization rate, which determines how much of your available credit you’re using.

The good news is that if you work to pay off or settle a charged-off account, it can be removed from your credit report and may help your credit scores recover. But you’ll still be responsible for the debt owed, and it will take some time to build a solid credit history once again. To get started, you can check your credit reports for errors and dispute them as necessary. Then, begin to pay your bills on time and gradually build your credit.

Bankruptcy to recovery

Although bankruptcy severely damages credit scores, it can also provide a fresh start. It can discharge medical debt, credit card debt, and other “unsecured” debt (debt that does not have collateral attached to it). Creditors are typically barred from collecting on the debt after a final bankruptcy discharge. However, it is important to consider alternatives to bankruptcy, such as debt settlement, credit counseling, and debt consolidation, before taking this drastic step.

Once a bankruptcy is complete, it can remain on your credit report for seven to ten years (Chapter 7) or for ten years (Chapter 13). It can make it more challenging to get financing and can be seen as an indication of poor financial habits. However, bankruptcy may be the best solution if you struggle to pay your bills.

After a bankruptcy, rebuilding your credit score as soon as possible is essential. You can do this by making timely debt payments, keeping your account balances low, and opening new accounts (only if you can manage them responsibly). In addition, it’s wise to request a secured credit card early post-bankruptcy. When used responsibly, these cards can add positive activity to your report and help improve your credit score.

You can also use a credit builder loan to rebuild your credit. Just check your credit report often and dispute any inaccuracies immediately. This can be time-consuming, but it’s essential for your financial health. In addition to these short-term strategies, you can work on developing good spending habits and learning to live within your means. Taking these steps can significantly speed up the credit recovery process.

Tradelines and credit utilization

A credit tradeline is an account that appears on a person’s credit report. These accounts contain detailed information, including a credit history and credit utilization. In addition, credit bureaus use this information to calculate a credit score. The credit score is used to determine whether or not someone should be approved for a loan.

There are a variety of different types of credit accounts and tradelines. However, some of them are not appropriate for certain purposes. For example, if you’re trying to build your credit, you should avoid using credit cards and personal loans with high balances and low or nonexistent payment histories. Instead, it would be best if you focused on adding positive information to your credit profile through other means, such as becoming an authorized user on a friend or family member’s account.

Often, this is known as piggybacking. However, it can be risky and expensive if you don’t have any friends or family members who are willing to do it for you. In some cases, you may be able to buy a tradeline from a third-party company, which is known as renting a tradeline.

Buying a tradeline can be effective, but it’s important to understand the process and avoid scams. For example, if you purchase a tradeline and it doesn’t improve your credit score, it could be a sign of fraud and should be reported to the credit bureaus. Moreover, it’s important to review your credit report regularly to ensure accurate information.

Credit Freezes to stop access to your credit reports

While freezing your credit report can help protect against identity theft, it is not a foolproof protection method. Criminals can still access your personal information from a breach and use it to steal credit card accounts, loans, or even your Social Security number. In addition, a freeze only prevents new lenders from checking your credit file; it does not stop them from doing so if you already have an account.

Freezing your credit can be a hassle, but protecting against fraud and keeping your score intact is worth it. However, if you plan on applying for credit or a mortgage anytime soon, you’ll need to lift your freeze temporarily in order to proceed. You can do this online, by phone, or via mail. According to federal law, the credit bureaus must lift a freeze within one business day of your request. However, it may take a bit longer to unfreeze your credit when you’re trying to apply for a job, an apartment lease, or a new insurance policy.

To help ease the pain of managing freezes, some credit bureaus offer an online service that lets you set a time period in which your freeze will automatically expire. This will make it easier to thaw your credit for legitimate purposes without the added hassle of remembering when you’ll need to do so again in the future.

You can also invest in an identity theft protection program like LifeLock Standard to monitor the dark web for your personal information and provide you with a dedicated identity restoration specialist in the event of fraud or data breaches. This is a good option if you’re worried about the possibility of a security breach at your bank or a credit bureau.

Identity Theft Destruction

We all know that identity theft is a serious problem and is occurring at an alarming rate. But what you may not be aware of is how it can affect your credit score. Your credit payment history accounts for 35% of your credit score. When a fraudster opens a new account in your name, they often make late payments on the account. And since these late payments are reported to the credit bureaus, your credit score can suffer.

Another issue is that if fraudsters are running up balances on credit cards or loans in your name, they can also damage your credit utilization ratio. This is because credit utilization, or how much you use of your available credit, makes up 30% of your credit score. Increasing your credit utilization due to fraudulent charges can lower your credit score, but once the unauthorized debts are removed from your report, your credit score should recover in time.

The length of your credit history has a 15% impact on your credit score. In other words, your credit score is higher when you have a long history of responsible borrowing. But when identity thieves open accounts in your name, they usually don’t keep them for very long. They’ll max out the cards and quickly run up a high balance, which can cause your credit score to drop.

You can protect yourself by requesting a credit freeze with the three major credit bureaus and checking your credit report regularly for inaccuracies. Also, make sure you change your passwords, pin numbers, and log-in information on all of your accounts. This can prevent identity thieves from changing the payment information on your accounts and stopping recurring payments.

As always, be careful when rebuilding your credit, as you could make matters worse. Consult a financial expert if you have questions. Articles are the opinions of the author.