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Financial Literacy 2007 - Credit cards
Part 2 of 18
TAKE ACTION
Improve your credit score
If your score is 660 or below, follow these steps to boost your credit score.
Credit cards & you

3 steps to boost your credit score

If your credit score is below 660, take these three steps now.

1. Pay every bill on time.
A late payment will instantly drag down your score. A few months history of timely payments, however, can help boost it.

2. Pay down the cards that are maxed out first.
You'll get points deducted from your score any time you charge more than 50 percent of the limit on any kind of credit card.

3. Do not cancel any credit cards.
Counterintuitive, yes. But not when you consider that one-third of your score is based on how much of the credit available to you you're actually using. Cutting up credit cards will automatically decrease the amount of credit you have available. Better to stick the cards in a drawer until your score is back on track.

  Do you have a secret to success with credit cards?
Or, are you struggling? Share your story.
-- Posted: Feb. 20, 2007
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