Many people get far behind on their credit card payments, but manage to pay off the balances before they get charged off as bad debt. Howsoever, they still don’t find their credit score rising although they have paid off their creditors.

It is a fact that credit scores require a lot of patience. It takes quite some time to move them in either direction, but they are more likely to sink faster than they rise. And although it may take a long time to get your credit score in the right place, you should pay off your delinquent accounts as soon as possible.

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Contrary to the perception that Credit is only for credit cards, it plays a major part in our ability to borrow money. In fact, it is used in many other places that you probably don’t even think of. For example, some employers check the credit histories of potential candidates as a pre-requisite to hiring. Be it renting a home or shopping around for a better insurance rate, credit histories are checked to make sure that you aren’t too much of a risk to cater to.

Your credit score, commonly known as the FICO score, is a vital indication of your “credit health” and can make a huge difference in what you pay for borrowed money. Therefore, it’s in everyone best interest to keep their FICO score as fit as possible.

So have a look at these 5 popular credit score myths that could do more damage than good, if you followed them.

Myth No. 1:

Never using or not having any credit cards will improve your FICO score

It’s true that not having any credit cards might help control your spending, especially if the lure of too much available credit is too tempting to resist, but it will not help your score. What you need to keep in mind is that the FICO score of someone who has managed his credit responsibly is more likely to be higher than someone who has little or no credit history.

Buying everything with cash will surely save you from paying interest, but it is not an ideal thing to do in terms of building a good credit history.

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A poor credit can be fixed but it is not piece of cake. Credit repair is lengthy process, it takes time. It requires continual work and effort to get a good credit score and to improve a bad one. In today’s busy life, you stand a much better chance of getting a better credit score if you make it as easy on yourself as possible. In many cases, people actually have low credit scores not because of carelessness or indifference, but because hectic lifestyles lead to oversights and missed credit payments. There are several things you can do to make good credit almost automatic:

Don’t let a bad credit score make you swear off purchases you must make

You will make life much harder on yourself if you deny yourself things you need – such as medical treatments – because your credit is poor. If you have bad credit, but need money for something urgent, consider a secured loan or a bad credit loan with generous terms. Do not let bad credit affect your ability to stay safe and healthy.

Some people think that getting credit while trying to repair their FICO score is bad idea. While it is true that you may not get the best interest rates on the loans you get in the time before your credit score is improved, getting loans that you need may simply be too important to put off.

Make arrangements to pay your bills when you are on vacation or ill

When we go on vacation, of course we want to get away from it all, but when we forget to pay our bills while away, we risk getting dings on our credit that can affect our credit risk rating.

Make it part of your vacation practice to pay bills in advance or to arrange someone to pay your bills while you are away. Similarly, while you are ill, arrange to have bills paid so that bills don’t pile up and so that you don’t get marked as a “non-payer.” It is frustrating to be trying to improve a credit score only to suffer a setback over a small oversight.

Consider online banking or telephone banking to make bill payment easier

If you have trouble getting your payments in on time, consider online or telephone banking. This simple system is now available from virtually revery bank and can help you pay your bills in minutes – at any time of the day or night. If you travel a lot, on line or telephone banking can be a real life-saver as it will allow you to pay your bills no matter where you are.

Plus, you get instant confirmation of the paid bill and your payment is counted instantly. You no longer have to worry about payments getting lost in the mail or getting lost in a bureaucratic shuffle – the record of the payment is right on your bank account statement.

If you lead a busy lifestyle and have several late payments of bills simply because you can’t quite keep up with the errand of paying bills, online or telephone banking can be the solution that can help your credit rating by effectively putting a stop to late or unpaid bills. With these two very convenient and quick payment options, there really is no excuse for unpaid accounts.

Simplify your bills

You can often get great discounts by choosing to get several services from the same company – for example, a package deal from your phone company can give you internet access, long distance phone plans, and cable television – all on one bill and all in one low price. Pooling your insurance into one package from one insurance provider can have the same effect. Reducing the number of bills you get can make it easier for you to pay your bills and so reduces the chances that your credit rating will be affected by non-paid or late paid bills.

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There are many misconceptions about credit scores out there. There are customers who believe that they don’t have a credit score and many customers who think that their credit scores just don’t really matter. These sorts of misconceptions can hurt your chances at some jobs, at good interest rates, and even your chances of getting some apartments.

The truth is, of you have a bank account and bills, then you have a credit score, and your credit score matters more than you might think. Your credit score may be called many things, including a credit risk rating, a FICO score, a credit rating, a FICO rating, or a credit risk score. All these terms refer to the same thing: the three-digit number that lets lenders get an idea of how likely you are to repay your bills.

Every time you apply for credit, apply for a job that requires you to handle money, or even apply for some more exclusive types of apartment living, your credit score is checked.

In fact, your credit score can be checked by anyone with a legitimate business need to do so. Your credit score is based on your past financial responsibilities and past payments and credit, and it provides potential lenders with a quick snapshot of your current financial state and past repayment habits.

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