How To Use A Credit Card To Help Repair Your Credit

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 29th, 2010

Getting into a state of bad credit is never fun. It does not, however, mean that your fun is entirely over. There may be some rather simple things that you can do about it. One of these is to get another credit card. Not just any credit card, but one that will help you to repair your credit. Here are some things you need to know about it.

Depending on just how bad your credit is, there may be more than one thing you can do. Be sure to look over your credit report and find out if there is any misreported information there. Things that have been entered by mistake, for instance, or things that occurred a long time ago but have since been properly taken care of. Many times, a creditor will be willing to make some changes for you if you will talk to them.

One type of credit card that will help repair your credit is one for people with bad credit - if you are already there. This kind of card can be obtained from many credit card companies and usually comes without any kind of frills whatsoever. Although it may offer low interest, it usually makes up for this with plenty of fees and very low credit limits. The fees may be worth it because, with timely payments from you, your account will be evaluated every now and then, and your credit limit can be raised - along with better offers. Make sure, though, that the company regularly reports to the major credit bureaus.

Other credit cards for people with bad credit have much less fees and a greater deal of flexibility. Look carefully and you may be able to find a credit card that will fit your lifestyle a little better and give you better rates. The interest rate on this type of card can be above 19%, and it can also include yearly fees, too.

Another type of credit card that you can get if your credit rating is better, is a balance transfer credit card. This will allow you to reduce your credit card debt (if you have any) by giving you the possibility of paying down your debt without any interest. Check on the time period of this, though, and get as long of a period as possible - try to get a year or longer. The better cards will have no fees attached for this privilege.

No matter what kind of credit card you get, though, it could lead to further trouble with bad credit if you do not handle your credit card right. This means you need to make your payments each month on time and seek to keep your balance down to zero - if possible. Make sure your credit card agency does report regularly to the credit bureaus and before long, you will find that your credit rating has improved. You will want to destroy other credit cards when they get paid off, if you are the kind that will probably start charging again.