Your credit score affects nearly every aspect of your life.
People with poor credit reports will pay thousands more per year in car insurance, loan payments, and mortgage costs. You may even struggle to find a job if you have a bad credit score.
Fortunately, there are ways to fix a bad credit score. The credit repair industry is elevating at a great pace. Thousands of legitimate credit repair companies appear in the industry to offer premium credit repair facilities. Most of these companies are forming with adherence to the credit repair organizations act.
Every year, people improve their credit scores using reputable credit repair services. A good credit repair service can repair credit by hundreds of points.
Every credit repair service claims to fix a bad credit score. However, not all credit repair services live up to that reputation. Some genuinely improve your credit score for a competitive fee. You may also be curious about how much credit repair companies charge.
What’s the best credit repair service? Which credit repair company should you pick? We tested and rated the internet’s best-known credit repair agencies. Here’s what we found.
Ranking the Best Credit Repair Services and Top Companies 2022
Coming to credit repair companies, you can find many of them nearby you. However, selecting the best credit repair company is quite a tricky and bothersome task. Especially, getting in touch with a legitimate credit repair company is more crucial due to the presence of fraudulent credit repair companies in the industry.
Credit monitoring is an essential task that can’t be overlooked. Naturally, the demand for credit reporting agencies and the overall credit repair industry is going upwards.
After testing and analyzing multiple credit repair agencies, we ranked the best credit repair companies available in the present credit repair industry, assuming you’re an average person seeking to improve your credit score.
As you go through the following segments, you will be able to find out the best credit repair company for your requirements. Here are our rankings of the best credit repair services available today:
| Sky Blue Credit: | A trusted credit repair company since 1989 |
|---|---|
| Credit Saint: | One of the popular credit repair companies that challenge inaccurate credit data |
| Lexington Law: | World’s no one credit repair application |
| CreditRepair.com: | The credit repair company fixes what’s hurting your credit score |
| TransUnion: | One of the major credit bureaus |
| Credit Sesame: | Provide an option to earn cash by checking your credit score |
| Credit Karma: | Best free credit repair company |
| The Credit Watcher: | Help to get three times better credit score |
| Credit Monkey: | Help you improve your credit score up to 120 Points instantly |
| MyFICO: | Most widely used credit score company |
| CuraDebt: | Free debt relief consultation |
| FreeScore360: | Identify and fix errors in your credit reports |
| The Credit People: | Highly experienced credit repair team |
| Leap Credit: | A unique and good credit repair company |
Let’s jump right into the top-rated credit repair companies in the credit repair industry considering to see which are the best services to try for real help and legitimate support:
Sky Blue Credit
| Important Details | |
|---|---|
| Key Highlights: |
|
| Better Business Bureau Ratings: | A+ |
| Experience: | In services since 1989 |
| Money-Back Guarantee: | 90-day money-back guarantee |
| Setup Fee: | $79 |
| Monthly Fee: | Monthly fees start from $79 |
Sky Blue Credit is a credit repair company that offers a free six-day trial period. All purchases also come with a 90-day money-back guarantee – something we don’t always see with other credit repair companies.
Why would you prefer Sky Blue Credit for credit monitoring?
Sky Blue Credit, being one of the best credit repair companies, has offered credit repair since 1989, making them one of the oldest providers on this list. Another perk is that the company identifies credit issues other companies ignore, potentially giving you a better score improvement than you would with any other provider on this list.
Other perks that Sky Blue Credit offers include professional analysis, faster dispute resolution (15 items every 35 days), custom disputes tailored to your situation, and state law research for each debt collection matter, among other perks.
Sky Blue Credit will provide you with suggestions on ways you can improve your credit score after reviewing your credit report. You may consider paying off certain balances first or applying for a secured credit card. As part of the credit rebuilding process, the company will work with you to formulate a long-term plan.
Sky Blue Credit does not bind its customers to any long-term contracts. Customers will find the cancellation policy among the most accommodating in the credit repair industry. By logging onto the online portal, calling customer service, or contacting the email address, members can cancel their memberships at any time. There are no cancellation fees.
Sky Blue Credit is the top-ranked credit repair company on this list with thoughtful challenges and actionable improvements in credit score.
Credit Saint
| Important Details | |
|---|---|
| Key Highlights: |
|
| Better Business Bureau Ratings: | A+ |
| Experience: | 20 years |
| Money-Back Guarantee: | 90-day money-back guarantee |
| Setup Fee: | $99 as initial work fee |
| Monthly Fee: | $79.99 |
Credit Saint, found online at CreditSaint.com, is a credit restoration service that claims to be #1 among credit repair options in challenging inaccurate credit history. The Credit Saint offers a free consultation up front, making it easy to see exactly how Credit Saint works and how they can help you.
The top facilities offered by this credit repair agency
In fact, Credit Saint is one of the best credit repair companies that offer a 90-day money-back guarantee. You can request a complete refund on your purchase within 90 days. If you’re unsatisfied with the effects of Credit Saint, or if you did not like how Credit Saint improved your credit score, then you can request a complete refund.
Alongside, Credit Saint offers decent credit polish facilities and credit repair options as the company is connected with top credit bureau agencies.
The additional features that make Credit Saint a reputable credit repair company
Credit Saint also gets top marks for its private dashboard, its educational materials, and its overall experience. The company makes it fast, easy, and effective to improve your credit score. Credit Saint also provides free services beyond its paid credit repair service, including a free credit evaluation for those who want to dip their toes into the world of credit repair.
Lexington Law
| Important Details | |
|---|---|
| Key Highlights: |
|
| Better Business Bureau Ratings: | C |
| Experience: | Established in 2004 |
| Money-Back Guarantee: | NO |
| Setup Fee: | NIL |
| Monthly Fee: | $89.85 to $129.95 monthly fees |
Lexington Law, found online at LexingtonLaw.com, offers an effective credit repair process with the backing of a professional law firm. Good credit repair isn’t instant: it takes time, effort, and legal expertise. With Lexington Law, you get this expertise on your side, helping you repair your score with the best personal finance tools.
What makes this company one of the best credit reporting agencies?
The credit counseling company will surely customize a credit remodel package to help you repair credit. Most importantly, all the services of the company abide by the credit repair organizations act.
Lexington Law starts by researching and reviewing your credit score. The firm looks at your credit report and determines which negative items are wrongfully hurting your score.
Then, the firm challenges and disputes each item, asking the credit bureau agencies and your creditors to verify the negative items as accurate and fair.
The special credit monitoring features that the company offers
If they can’t verify this information, they legally need to remove them. Finally, Lexington Law manages and monitors your score over time, tackling new issues as they appear on your report.
Lexington Law is also one of the most experienced credit repair websites on this list. Founded in 2004, the company has facilitated over 70 million removals from customers’ credit reports. With nearly 20 years of experience repairing credit scores for customers, Lexington Law continues to be one of the best credit repair options available.
CreditRepair.com
| Important Details | |
|---|---|
| Key Highlights: |
|
| Better Business Bureau Ratings: | A+ |
| Experience: | 9+ years |
| Money-Back Guarantee: | NO |
| Setup Fee: | $69.95-$119.95 |
| Monthly Fee: | $69.95-$119.95 monthly fees |
CreditRepair.com provides several free perks we don’t see with other providers on this list, including a free credit score and summary, a free negative item review, and a free credit improvement plan – something we don’t get with other providers on this list. After obtaining all of this free information, you can proceed with CreditRepair.com’s full credit repair agencies.
CreditRepair.com works similarly to other top-rated providers on this list. The company analyzes your credit report for erroneous entries then challenges bureaus and lenders to verify the accuracy of these entries.
However, there is no money-back guarantee as to how quickly CreditRepair.com can improve your score. The time it takes to see results depends on a number of factors, including your score, the number of items on your report, and how quickly bureaus respond.
Despite the fact that every credit situation is unique, CreditRepair.com reports that its members typically use its legitimate credit repair services for six months. Utilizing an online service such as CreditRepair.com can theoretically help you to improve your credit rating more efficiently than you could by working on your report by yourself.
Why is CreditRepair.com a secure option among the best credit repair companies in terms of credit monitoring?
By law, bureaus must remove any entries they cannot prove. Through this method, the credit restoration services of CreditRepair.com could significantly improve your credit score. Thanks to the in-depth credit score analysis of the company. Unlike most credit repair companies, this company comes up with multiple credit repair service packages.
CreditRepair.com has helped with 1.8 million removals since 2012. Since launching the credit repair business, the website has provided 19+ million challenges and disputes. The credit repair agency also sent more than one million interventions in 2019 alone.
For all of these reasons and more, CreditRepair.com continues to be one of the top-rated credit repair agencies available today. It’s also one of the few on this list with flexible credit repair packages, including aggressive, moderate, and basic plans based on how much you want to improve your credit score.
TransUnion
| Important Details | |
|---|---|
| Key Highlights: |
|
| Better Business Bureau Ratings: | A+ |
| Experience: | 53 years |
| Money-Back Guarantee: | NO |
| Setup Fee: | NIL |
| Monthly Fee: | $24.95 monthly fees |
TransUnion is one of three major credit bureaus in the United States (along with Experian and Equifax). TransUnion credit monitoring offers credit repair packages and other credit restoration services.
TransUnion tracks your credit score analysis as a for-profit business and offers subscription services to help track and improve your score over time.
TransUnion offers multiple tools that can help repair your score. The efficient credit repair software of this company makes credit history improvement easier. By subscribing to TransUnion’s subscription services for a monthly fee of $25, you get tools like CreditCompass, for example, and Credit Lock Plus.
CreditCompass provides recommendations to point your score in the right direction. At the same time, Credit Lock Plus lets you shield your TransUnion and Equifax reports in a couple of clicks, protecting you from further damage if your info is compromised.
Another perk of TransUnion’s subscription is ID theft insurance. Subscribers receive $1 million of identity theft insurance. If someone uses your information and costs you money, then TransUnion will compensate you. Plus, TransUnion credit monitoring has plenty of tools to help you repair and manage your credit with free ID protection and other perks.
Credit Sesame
| Important Details | |
|---|---|
| Key Highlights: |
|
| Better Business Bureau Ratings: | A+ |
| Experience: | 10+ years |
| Money-Back Guarantee: | NO |
| Setup Fee: | NIL |
| Monthly Fee: | $9.95-$19.95 |
Credit Sesame is one of the reputable credit repair companies that help you access, understand, and leverage your score. It’s also one of the few providers on this list with an effective mobile app. The Credit Sesame mobile app is available for Android and iOS, making it easy to manage and repair your score on the go.
The core of Credit Sesame’s app revolves around the personal credit management (PCM) platform. From this platform, you can monitor and observe all issues linked to your credit. You can access your score, view your credit report for free at any time, and get insight into what your score means.
The best part about this credit repair agency is that it’s free. While most other credit repair companies on this list charge a fee to access your credit report, Credit Sesame is free to use. The company provides personalized offers based on your credit, letting you leverage your credit for various opportunities. If you take advantage of those opportunities, then Credit Sesame receives a cut. Otherwise, the app is free for anyone to use.
There are four plans available from Credit Sesame credit repair agency; its free plan features monthly credit reports from one bureau, identity theft insurance coverage up to $1 million and no actual identity monitoring, and three paid plans. Plan prices range from $9.95 to $19.95. There are no family or business service packages. Nonetheless, to get any real identity monitoring services, you will only need the Platinum Protection plan. The other plans will offer information on credit scores and credit reports as well as identity theft protection up to a million dollars, but only the Platinum Protection plan will watch for signs of potential identity theft.
Credit Karma
| Important Details | |
|---|---|
| Key Highlights: |
|
| Better Business Bureau Ratings: | A- |
| Experience: | 15+ years |
| Money-Back Guarantee: | NA |
| Setup Fee: | NIL |
| Monthly Fee: | No monthly fees |
Credit Karma is one of the best-known credit repair services available today. As a better business bureau, the company comes with three credit repair packages. Their credit repair software offers an extensive selection of credit repair organizations and other credit-related products.
By downloading the free Credit Karma app today, you’re joining a community of over 100 million members who use Credit Karma to make financial progress. Free credit reports are generated through the free software of the company’s website, which makes it one of the legitimate credit repair companies.
Usually, reputable credit repair companies charge huge amounts, but Credit Karma, like Credit Sesame, is free. The credit repair company gives you free insight into your score and credit report in exchange for using that information to present you with offers. Credit Karma displays offer credit cards, loans, accounts, savings opportunities, auto financing, mortgages, and more. You don’t have to take advantage of any of these opportunities, and the app can be legitimately free to use.
Sometimes, the best credit repair services are the ones that you manage yourself. Credit Karma makes it easy to manage and monitor your score, allowing you to avoid the penalties of erroneous entries.
How to start with Credit Karma?
You can start using Credit Karma in as little as a few minutes. Among the personal information you are asked for are your name, address, and a few finance-related details, such as your Social Security number. Due to the sensitive information contained on the site, it offers several security measures, all of which should be utilized. With two-factor authentication, you can receive a text message when logging in from a different device or answering security questions. By turning on and off credit and identity monitoring, as well as requesting email alerts about promotions, changes to your credit score, and ID monitoring, you can customize the way your information is used.
On many of Credit Karma’s pages, it discloses its advertiser relationships. According to the article, Credit Karma is compensated by advertisers who can have a role in how and where products appear on the site (such as the order in which they appear). Credit Karma offers so much content for free because it’s a business model that competes with its own.
The Credit Watcher
| Important Details | |
|---|---|
| Key Highlights: |
|
| Better Business Bureau Ratings: | NA |
| Experience: | NA |
| Money-Back Guarantee: | No |
| Setup Fee: | NIL |
| Monthly Fee: | $39.90 |
The Credit Watcher found online at TheCreditWatcher.com lets you instantly access your three credit scores from the three major bureaus and business bureaus. You get secure online delivery of your three credit reports instantly, and then you can continue getting your credit scores and credit reports daily.
Can you imagine getting free credit reports from a company like The Credit Watcher? Well, this business bureau offers free credit consultation at times.
Like Credit Karma and Credit Sesame, The Credit Watcher is one of the best credit repair companies that offer monitoring and reporting service. It’s not a full-service credit repair company.
However, the best credit repair company can give you the information you need about your credit, allowing you to track improvements over time – and avoid erroneous entries.
How can Credit Watcher help?
If your score changes, you will receive an alert. A few points may be deducted from your credit score if you make a late payment on your bills, for instance. Increasing your score might be possible if you reduce your debt or pay another credit card bill on time. You are kept informed of the change in your credit score with CreditWatcher.
Furthermore, you receive access to the Credit Education Center as part of your subscription to TheCreditWatcher. You can learn more about your credit score, your credit report, and credit history on this education platform. You will learn how you can remove false entries from your credit report, improve your credit, and improve your financial health when you optimize your credit report.
What Else It Offers?
In order to monitor your credit score, TheCreditWatcher looks for entries that use your social security number. Using your SSN to apply for credit cards, auto loans, auto insurance, banking services, etc., is possible if your SSN is compromised. To prevent unauthorized entries to your Social Security Number, TheCreditWatcher monitors it 24/7.
The CreditWatcher offers roadside assistance in addition to its subscription. Emergency roadside assistance covers a variety of unexpected situations while driving, such as flat tires, lockouts, fuel deliveries, towing, and breakdowns. In terms of coverage, roadside assistance plans vary, but most cover incidents up to a specified limit, such as towing two gallons of gasoline or $75 to $150 per service call.
Drawback
The biggest drawback of The Credit Watcher is the price: monthly fees of $39.90; the company provides similar information to the free credit monitoring services above. The company doesn’t present you with the same personalized offers as Credit Sesame and Credit Karma, but you pay a premium to avoid having your information sold.
Credit Monkey
| Important Details | |
|---|---|
| Key Highlights: |
|
| Better Business Bureau Ratings: | B |
| Experience: | Founded in 2019 |
| Money-Back Guarantee: | 90-day money-back guarantee |
| Setup Fee: | NA |
| Monthly Fee: | $99 to $499 |
Credit Monkey is a credit repair service found online at CreditMonkey.com. The service is priced at monthly fees of $99 to $499 per month and is available in all 50 states. Credit Monkey claims to provide meaningful improvement to your score by removing erroneous entries.
According to Credit Monkey, 89% of credit reports contain mistakes or serious errors. These errors can be as simple as inquiries. Or, they can be things like bankruptcies, collections issues, charge-offs, and late payments, all of which can lower your score.
Credit Monkey, as one of the best credit repair services, offers six different plans. The more you pay, the more entries you can remove from your credit report. The basic monthly fee of $99, for example, will remove up to five negative items from your record. The highest monthly fee, at $499 per month, includes five active credit cards, a $10,000 credit line, and the removal of an unlimited number of public records, negative items, and inquiries, among other perks.
Overall, it is one of the best credit repair companies.
How To Start With The Credit Monkey?
You can improve your credit rating with Credit Monkey. Your credit report is checked by their software, and any negative items are disputed with the three credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
For determining whether they can help you, they offer a free consultation. You will learn how their software and services work by talking to a manager about your credit situation.
The company’s website or mobile app makes it easy to register. Credit Monkey begins preparing disputes as soon as you endorse the electronic agreement and provide the necessary information. Dedicated account managers will monitor your progress and assist you in making decisions.
The credit repair process is often delayed for months by other credit repair companies, but Credit Monkey promises positive results within just ten days. You’ll hear from your account manager when your credit report changes so he can discuss it and plan your next stage of disputes.
An unconditional 90-day money-back guarantee is offered by Credit Monkey. You can request a refund after enrolling and setting up your account if you fail to have three or fewer items removed within the first three disputing cycles.
MyFICO
| Important Details | |
|---|---|
| Key Highlights: |
|
| Better Business Bureau Ratings: | A+ |
| Experience: | 20+ years |
| Money-Back Guarantee: | Unavailable |
| Setup Fee: | NIL |
| Monthly Fee: | $19.95 |
MyFICO is the official consumer division of FICO, a credit score analysis company that tracks your credit score using data from all three bureaus. MyFICO offers a subscription service at monthly fees of $29.95 (for Advanced) or $39.95 (for Premier). Both subscriptions let you continuously monitor your score, making it easy to check for errors and mistaken entries.
Overall, MyFICO advertises its credit repair and monitoring services as all-in-one solutions. Instead of only getting data from one or two credit bureaus, you get data from all three bureaus. Your lenders are using your FICO score already – so make sure you know what your FICO score is and how it works. With 90% of top lenders using FICO scores to calculate rates, MyFICO can make it easy to track the important metrics and improve your score.
With MyFICO’s subscription services, you get complete three-bureau coverage, $1 million of identity theft protection, 24/7 identity restoration service, and continuous monitoring of your score, credit report, and identity. The only difference between the Advanced and Premier plans is that the Advanced plan gives you updates every three months, while the Premier plan gives you updates every month.
CuraDebt
| Important Details | |
|---|---|
| Key Highlights: |
|
| Better Business Bureau Ratings: | A+ |
| Experience: | 20+ years |
| Money-Back Guarantee: | Unavailable |
| Setup Fee: | NIL |
| Monthly Fee: | $19.95 |
CuraDebt has provided debt relief across the United States since the year 2000. Today, the best credit repair company continues to provide relief for credit cards, medical bills, tax debt, and other unsecured debt.
CuraDebt offers a free savings estimate that allows you to see how much you can save before ordering anything through the company. With over 200,000 clients served over the last 20 years, CuraDebt is a top-rated debt relief and credit polish company that could ease the financial burden at a time when you need it most. The team at CuraDebt has over 100 years of combined experience solving tax debt issues, focusing on tax resolutions, audit defense, complex resolutions, partial payment plans, and non-collectible resolutions.
One of the best ways to improve your score is to reduce your debt. A debt relief company like CuraDebt can help significantly reduce the amount of money you owe, helping you quickly raise your score.
FreeScore360
| Important Details | |
|---|---|
| Key Highlights: |
|
| Better Business Bureau Ratings: | A |
| Experience: | NA |
| Money-Back Guarantee: | NA |
| Setup Fee: | NIL |
| Monthly Fee: | $29.95 |
FreeScore360 provides credit scores from all three bureaus in exchange for a $29.95 per month subscription fee. You get a 7-day free trial, allowing you to access your credit scores for free today instantly. Then, on the seventh day, FreeScore360 charges you $29.95 per month, and the company continues to charge you $29.95 per month for ongoing monitoring until you cancel.
Your subscription comes with access to FreeScore360’s ScoreSense system, which includes daily credit monitoring, credit polish, and alerts. There’s also an interactive learning center giving you further insight into your score and how it works.
Overall, the reputable credit repair service offers similar credit monitoring and reporting to other credit repair services above, although it lacks the reputation of other top-ranked providers – despite charging similar pricing. However, it may be the best choice for those who want to check their credit scores without breaking the bank quickly.
The Credit People
| Important Details | |
|---|---|
| Key Highlights: |
|
| Better Business Bureau Ratings: | C+ |
| Experience: | 20+ years |
| Money-Back Guarantee: | 60 days |
| Setup Fee: | $19 |
| Monthly Fee: | $79 |
The Credit People estimates that the average customer will increase their score by 53 to 187 points after using their program. The company also has strong reviews online from Consumer Affairs and other major review websites. To date, The Credit People has removed more than 1.4 million credit issues for customers. The company also claims 78% of its users have been approved for auto loans, 71% approved for home loans, and 81% approved for new credit, among other perks, after using their service.
Found online at TheCreditPeople.com, The Credit People gives you access to all three credit reports and credit scores today. Then, you get guaranteed results in fewer than 60 days, with The Credit People taking specific steps to improve your credit score.
Although The Credit People seems like a new service, the website has existed for 15 years. With credit repair services starting at just $19, The Credit People is one of the top credit repair services available today. The company offers repair services that go above and beyond the monitoring services above.
Leap Credit
| Important Details | |
|---|---|
| Key Highlights: |
|
| Better Business Bureau Ratings: | B |
| Experience: | Launched in 2017 |
| Money-Back Guarantee: | Unavailable |
| Setup Fee: | NIL |
| Monthly Fee: | $75 |
Leap Credit, found online at LeapCredit.com, makes it easy for people with all levels of credit to get the money they need as quickly as possible. The best credit repair company offers an easy application process, fast approval, and other perks for people with all levels of credit.
As long as you have a verifiable source of income, an open checking account, and are a US citizen at least 18 years old, you should be able to get a loan through Leap Credit. The company will deposit money into your account within as little as two business days.
How We Ranked
All credit repair companies claim to improve your credit score using proven, reputable methods. However, not all credit repair companies live up to that reputation. To separate the best and worst credit repair services, we used the following metrics:
Credit Score Improvement
You’re using a credit repair service to improve your credit score. When analyzing the best credit repair companies, the most important thing we considered was the number of points by which they improved credit scores, on average. The right credit repair company can improve your score by hundreds of points.
Price & Value
Some people can afford to spend thousands of dollars improving their credit scores. Most people, however, want to pay less than that. We considered the price and value of each service in our rankings.
Transparency & Honesty
Some credit repair companies make bold claims they cannot live up to. They claim to improve your credit score by hundreds of points in weeks, for example – something that few companies can live up to. We preferred top credit repair companies that were transparent and honest with their benefits.
Accurate Estimated Credit Score Increases
The best credit repair companies track the average number of points by which they improve customers’ credit scores. TheCreditPeople.com, for example, provides an estimated score increase of 53 to 187 points, based on the average increase from previous customers.
Repairs Versus Monitoring
Some credit repair companies emphasize monitoring. Others take specific actions to repair your score. For consumers with no knowledge of credit repair services, it’s hard to know how each company works. We preferred credit repair companies with concrete credit repair services – not basic credit monitoring.
Credit Repair Methods
Most credit repair companies work by challenging inaccurate data on your credit report. This is an easy thing to do – and it’s something anyone can do simply by contacting the three major credit bureaus. The best credit repair companies, however, go beyond simply removing erroneous data from your credit report. They challenge credit bureaus to prove each item on your credit report.
Satisfaction Guarantee & Refund Policy
Credit repair companies rarely guarantee improvements in scores. However, many credit repair companies backup their claims with moneyback guarantees and other satisfaction promises. Credit Saint, for example, offers a 90-day money back guarantee to customers who are unsatisfied with their results.
User Dashboard, Interface, and Overall Convenience
Some good credit repair companies have a user dashboard that makes it easy to manage and monitor your score. We considered overall customer experience in our rankings, with a preference towards companies who invested in offering a better customer experience for those seeking to improve their scores.
Credit Repair Reviews
We went through credit repair reviews of each company listed above. Some credit repair companies may claim that they are the best, but customer reviews speak the truth. We ensured that a company has positive customer reviews.
Company Experience & Reputation
Credit repair services like Lexington Law have nearly 20+ years of experience repairing credit scores online. Other top credit repair companies have launched in the last few years and have limited experience. We considered the company’s experience and overall reputation in our rankings.
Top 10 Surprising Benefits of Repairing your Credit Score
Repairing your credit score can change your life – literally.
A good score makes it easier to rent a home and get a mortgage. It can increase your chances of getting a job. It can save you thousands of dollars on auto and home insurance. It could even make it easier to find a partner!
Here are the top 10 most important benefits of repairing your score, including the perks of having a good score.
Marry the Person of your Dreams
As reported by Market Watch, 58% of Americans said they would not marry someone with significant debt. Some people even go as far as to run a credit history on someone before a relationship gets serious! A low score can be a red flag. It could prevent you from marrying the person of your dreams – even if everything else feels right. Don’t let bad credit get in between you and the love of your life.
Get Cheaper Auto Insurance
The average American pays $1,450 per year for full coverage car insurance. The average American with bad credit, meanwhile, pays over $2,100 per year. If you have a poor credit score, you could pay $1,000 more per year than the average American. By law, insurance companies in almost every state (except for California, Massachusetts, and Hawaii) can use your score to calculate premiums. Statistically, drivers with low credit scores are riskier to insure, so insurers charge much higher rates. Lowering your score could save you thousands of dollars in insurance premiums over the next few years.
Receive Better Credit Cards and Higher Limits
Improving your score unlocks new credit cards with higher limits. When you have a good score, it means you’re good at repaying your loans. That means companies want to lend you money. Instead of having a credit card with a $2,500 limit, you could have a credit card with a $25,000 limit, annual perks, and other rewards. Repairing your score unlocks new credit cards and better opportunities. Some of the best credit cards, for example, provide 4% cashback on gas and groceries to people with a good score.
Get Cheaper Mortgage Rates and Easier Approval
Getting a mortgage can be difficult, but it’s particularly challenging for people with a poor credit score. If you have a low credit score, then it could be difficult to obtain a mortgage. Even if you get a mortgage, you could pay significantly higher rates than the average American, adding tens of thousands of dollars to the total cost of your mortgage. Improving your score even by 20 to 50 points can reduce your mortgage cost by thousands.
Obtain Easier Approval When Renting a Home
If you rent, then you’re used to having your credit score checked. Many landlords and property management companies require a credit report. If you have a poor score, then you could struggle to rent a safe and affordable price. With all other factors being equal, landlords and property management companies will always choose the applicant with the better score.
Have Superior Negotiating Power
When you have a poor credit score, you have no negotiating power. You must take the rates that lenders give you. You can’t bargain with lenders. They know you have few other options. This lower negotiating power can affect every financial decision you make. By improving your score, you grow your negotiating power.
Get Better Cell Phone Rates
Cell phone companies provide better rates to well-qualified lenders. If you have a good score, then you can get a cell phone on contract without a security deposit, giving you a better phone at a lower price than you would normally get. Meanwhile, people with bad credit are forced to buy prepaid phones or pay-as-you-go plans with less-than-optimal rates.
Pay No Security Deposit on Utilities
People with a poor credit score must pay a security deposit on utilities. Utility companies know you may struggle to make payments, so they charge a security deposit to cover any late payments. Utility security deposits can be anywhere from $100 to $300. By improving your score, you can avoid the need for security deposits, giving you more cash and less to worry about.
Pay Cheaper Homeowners Insurance Premiums
Homeowners’ insurance costs thousands per year. As a homeowner with bad credit, you could pay nearly twice as much for homeowners insurance. Homeowners with a poor score are riskier to insure. Insurers believe you have a higher risk of committing insurance fraud or missing payments, so they charge higher rates.
Walk With Better Confidence
Overall, having a better score proves you’re a responsible adult. It shows you and the people around you that you’re in charge of your financial future. A good credit score can give you bragging rights. Even if you don’t tell anyone about your score, a good score can give you more confidence.
FAQs About Credit Repair Companies
Credit repair services can be confusing. Most people aren’t credit repair experts. Here are some of the questions people frequently ask about credit scores, credit reports, and credit repair services.
Q: What is credit?
A: Credit refers to receiving money, a good, or a service today in exchange for an agreement to pay for it in the future – typically with added interest.
Q: What is a credit score?
A: A credit score is a three-digit number between 300 and 850. The number is a rating of how trustworthy you are as a lender. Your score is based on debts you have previously paid, the amount of credit you have used, the number of inquiries you make, and many other factors.
Q: How do lenders use my credit score?
A: Lenders check your credit score to calculate your risk. If you have a higher risk of missing payments or defaulting on your loan, then the lender will charge higher rates. The higher your score is, the better your lending rates will be.
Q: What is a good credit score?
A: Generally, experts consider anything above 670 to be a good score.
Q: What is a bad credit score?
A: Experts consider anything below 670 to be a poor or fair score.
Q: What lowers my score?
A: Several things can lower your score quickly, including late payments on bills, bankruptcies, and foreclosures, applying for too many credit accounts, carrying high balances on your credit cards, and ignoring negative items on your report.
Q: What is the fair credit reporting act?
Known as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), this federal law ensures that consumer credit bureau files are accurate, fair, and private. Credit reporting agencies are required to comply with the law when obtaining, using, and sharing the data they collect in your consumer reports.
Q: How long do things remain on my credit report?
A: Items remain on your report for seven to 10 years, depending on the item and the bureau. Things like bankruptcies and missed payments could lower your credit score for seven to 10 years.
Q: What’s the lowest possible credit score?
A: The lowest possible credit score is 300, which is the worst rating available.
Q: What’s the best possible credit score?
A: The best possible score is 850, which is the highest a score can go.
Q: Who tracks my credit score?
A: The three main credit bureaus track your score, including Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
Q: How do people check my credit score?
A: When someone (like a lender, a property management firm, or an insurer) checks your score, they contact one of the three main credit bureaus and pull your report.
Q: What is a credit bureau?
A: A credit bureau is a private company that tracks each person’s worthiness as a borrower. Credit bureaus track missed payments, total credit usage, and other factors to determine your worthiness as a lender.
Q: What is a FICO score?
A: Your FICO score is a three-digit number created by a private company called FICO. FICO doesn’t track your credit information themselves; instead, they aggregate your credit score across all three bureaus. 90% of top lenders use FICO to assess your risk.
Q: How is a FICO score calculated?
A: Your FICO score consists of your payment history (35%), amounts owed (30%), length of credit history (15%), credit mix (10%), and new credit (10%).
Q: How do I get a good credit score?
A: The best way to get a good score is to pay your accounts on time, keep your credit card balances low, use multiple types of credit, and avoid carrying too much debt.
Q: How do I repair my credit?
A: The best way to repair your credit is to remove erroneous entries. Almost all credit reports contain at least one error. By removing these errors, you could significantly improve your credit score.
Q: How do credit repair companies work?
A: Credit repair companies check your credit report for erroneous entries, then remove those entries. Many credit repair companies also challenge entries on your credit report, forcing lenders and bureaus to prove each entry. By law, lenders and bureaus must prove each entry on your credit report – or remove that entry.
Q: What’s on my credit report?
A: Your credit report includes things like credit limits, account names, tradelines, identifying information, credit history, credit inquiries, public records, collections, late payment records, and your score.
Q: Can a credit score and credit monitoring affect employment?
A: Yes, credit scores can impact employment. According to federal law, employers are allowed to use a version of their credit report for hiring and promotion purposes. If you have a bad score, it could reduce your chances of getting a job or being promoted.
Q: How high should my credit score be to buy a home?
A: To become a homeowner, most experts recommend having a score of at least 620, which is the minimum approval score for a home loan from most lenders.
Q: How high should my credit score be to buy a car?
A: To obtain a car loan, your score should be at least 550 or above, although some lenders will approve car loans for scores as low as 500, although you may pay significantly higher interest rates.
Q: How do I get a free credit report?
A: By law, each of the three major credit bureaus must provide you with a free credit report once every 12 months. You can obtain a free credit report from these providers through www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228.
Q: What is credit repair?
A: Credit repair is the process of removing or addressing negative items on your credit report, thereby improving your score.
Q: Are credit repair companies legit for credit monitoring?
A: Yes, there are plenty of legitimate, well-established providers in the credit repair space, including credit repair companies with a proven reputation for repairing credit scores and removing erroneous entries for clients.
Well, it’s advisable to find a company that is registered under the consumer financial protection bureau. That way, you can rule out the chances of getting trapped in credit repair scams.
Q: How long does it take to repair my credit?
A: It can take anywhere from a few weeks to a year to repair your credit. Everybody’s credit situation is different. According to CreditRepair.com, members see an average increase of 40 points in four months.
Q: How much does credit repair cost?
A: Credit repair costs anywhere from $0 to thousands of dollars, depending on your credit repair company. A law firm could charge $1,000 or more to repair your credit, for example, while other providers charge nothing, making money from advertisements and promotional offers instead.
Q: Can I repair my own credit?
A: Yes, you can repair your own credit by contacting the credit bureaus and lenders to address any inconsistencies. Start by requesting a copy of your credit report. Then, contact lenders or credit bureaus to remove any erroneous entries.
Q: Do student loans hurt my credit score?
A: Yes, student loans (and any type of loan) hurt your credit score. However, paying back your student loan on time can benefit your score.
Final Word
Tens of millions of Americans have errors on their credit report. A bad score impacts some of the most important parts of your life. It makes it harder to rent a place, get a job, apply for a mortgage, obtain a car loan, and buy insurance.
By repairing your credit score, you can put your past behind you and start improving your financial future. A good credit repair company uses proven strategies to target and repair your score in various ways.
The best credit repair companies provide the top score restoration services that should be strongly considered in 2022 and beyond:
This review of the best credit repair companies will be continually updated as new research is found and user feedback has been accumulated about how to boost your score quickly. Be sure to apply proper due diligence outside of this post but be willing to give one or two of these top credit repair programs a solid attempt at helping filter out the old and usher in the new when it comes to removing marks and dings in a professional manner. Collectively there were dozens of hours accumulated in compiling this list. From researching each individual credit repair service for hours and doing a deep dive per company to filtering out who is actually the best credit score boosting services based on a number of criteria mentioned above, this list is one of the most up to speed credit repair company guides in 2022.
Nearly anyone can work at upping and repairing your credit no matter how high or low it might be today. By learning how to raise credit scores through the use of these highly reputable credit repair services that can enable more financial access and bandwidth as life continues forward, there is no better time than to go ahead and review the best credit repair companies list once more to ensure you are doing everything in your power to find the right credit repair company that the experts and professionals would do to raise your score in 2022.
ALSO READ:Paying Social Media Jobs Reviews – Does It Work? Scam or Legit?
Affiliate Disclosure:
The links contained in this product review may result in a small commission if you opt to purchase the product recommended at no additional cost to you. This goes towards supporting our research and editorial team and please know we only recommend high quality products.
Disclaimer:
Please understand that any advice or guidelines revealed here are not even remotely a substitute for sound medical advice from a licensed healthcare provider. Make sure to consult with a professional physician before making any purchasing decision if you use medications or have concerns following the review details shared above. Individual results may vary as the statements made regarding these products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The efficacy of these products has not been confirmed by FDA-approved research. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Comments are closed.