How to Raise Your Credit Score by 200 Points

Quick Answer

You can improve your credit score by paying bills on time, maintaining a low credit utilization and limiting credit applications. The timeline for increasing your credit score by 200 points or more can vary depending on your unique credit profile.

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How Long Does It Take to Raise Your Credit Score by 200 Points?

A substantial increase in your credit score can take quite some time, particularly if you have some serious negative items on your credit reports, such as bankruptcy, foreclosure or collection accounts.

Unfortunately, it's impossible to provide a specific timeline because there are multiple variables at play:

The current state of your credit history: If you're relatively new to credit without any derogatory marks on your credit reports, you'll have an easier time raising your score by 200 points or more compared to someone with serious negative items on their reports. Each item has its own impact, so some will make it harder than others to fix your credit score fast.
The steps you take: There are several things you can do to improve your credit—more on those in a minute—and the steps you take will help determine how effective your credit-building efforts will be. For example, paying down a large credit card balance will typically help your credit score more than paying down a loan.
Your consistency: Building credit takes time, so it's crucial that you stay consistent with your efforts. If you get complacent with your credit card debt or monthly payments, it could hinder your progress.

Learn more >> How to Raise Your Score in 30 Days

What Factors Affect Your Credit Score?

Understanding what goes into your credit scores can help you determine which areas of your credit history to prioritize and improve your efficiency. Here are the five main factors that influence your FICO^® Score^☉ :

Payment history: Whether you pay your credit cards and loans on time accounts for 35% of your score. Late payments are typically reported 30 days after they're due, so if you do fall behind, get caught up as quickly as possible.
Amounts owed: FICO considers the total amount you owe, as well as how much you've paid down of your original loan balances. Additionally, your credit utilization rate—the percentage of your available credit on credit cards you're using—is a crucial factor. All in all, amounts owed help make up 30% of your FICO^® Score.
Length of credit history: The length of time you've had your credit accounts open makes up 15% of your FICO^® Score. The credit scoring model looks at the ages of your oldest and newest accounts, along with the average age of all of your accounts.
Credit mix: This refers to the diversity of your credit accounts. For example, having a credit card, an auto loan and a mortgage loan is better for your credit score than just having a credit card. Your credit mix makes up 10% of your score.
New credit: Applications for credit cards and loans can cost you a few points each, and they impact your scores for a year. What's more, multiple hard inquiries in a short period can have a compounding effect on your score. New credit accounts for 10% of your score.

How to Improve Your Credit Score

There are a handful of ways to add points to your credit score, but the best way to improve your credit is to practice good credit habits over time. Here are some of the best ways to increase your score and maintain a strong credit file.

Review Your Credit Reports

The best way to identify which steps are most important for you is to read through your credit reports. Start by registering with Experian to get free access to your Experian credit report. You can also obtain free weekly copies of your credit reports with Equifax and TransUnion through AnnualCreditReport.com.

If you find incorrect information on your credit reports, you have the right to file a dispute with the credit reporting agencies to have it removed.

Pay Every Bill on Time

Paying credit cards and loans on time is the biggest factor in improving your scores, and it shows creditors that you're a reliable borrower. Although non-debt bills don't typically impact your credit, falling behind on them can result in accounts going to collections, which can have a severe negative impact on your scores.

Maintain a Low Credit Utilization Rate

Paying down your credit card balances will reduce your credit utilization rate to a level that could help improve your scores. Low balances also show creditors that you're not strapped for cash, and you can manage your credit card spending.

Avoid Unnecessary Credit Applications

Applying for credit and opening new accounts can impact both the length of credit history and new credit factors in your FICO^® Score. As a result, it's best to minimize your credit applications as much as possible. If you're applying for a mortgage or auto loan, do all your rate shopping in a short period to avoid multiple inquiries affecting your credit score.

Also, take advantage of prequalification tools that many lenders offer, which can give you a rate quote without impacting your credit.

Monitor Your Credit Regularly

As you work to improve your credit over time, it's critical that you regularly monitor your credit to track your progress and to identify and address issues as they arise, so they don't undo all your hard work.

Is There a Quick Fix for Repairing Credit?

Unfortunately, there is no quick fix to improving a bad credit score. While credit repair companies offer to help you remove negative items from your credit reports, it's important to understand that they can only succeed when disputing inaccurate credit report information—accurate information will remain on your credit report until it naturally falls off. What's more, you can do everything a credit repair company can on your own and without a fee.

Because repairing your credit can take time, it's important to focus on developing good credit habits and addressing issues that are holding your score back. While you can't remove accurate negative information, its impact can diminish over time as you add more positive details to your credit reports.

Learn more >> How to Repair Your Credit

Get a Quick Boost With Experian

As you work to improve your credit scores, one way to jump-start the process is by using Experian Boost^®^ø. This free feature allows you to add certain non-debt payments to your credit file.

If you have a history of on-time payments with your cellphone, utilities, rent, insurance and even streaming subscriptions, you can use Experian Boost to add those payments to your Experian credit report and improve your credit scores instantly.

How Good Is Your Credit Score?

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How to Raise Your Credit Score by 200 Points

In this article:

How Long Does It Take to Raise Your Credit Score by 200 Points?

What Factors Affect Your Credit Score?

How to Improve Your Credit Score

Review Your Credit Reports

Pay Every Bill on Time

Maintain a Low Credit Utilization Rate

Avoid Unnecessary Credit Applications

Monitor Your Credit Regularly

Is There a Quick Fix for Repairing Credit?

Get a Quick Boost With Experian

Instantly raise your FICO^® Score for free

How Good Is Your Credit Score?

Resources

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In this article:

How Long Does It Take to Raise Your Credit Score by 200 Points?

What Factors Affect Your Credit Score?

How to Improve Your Credit Score

Review Your Credit Reports

Pay Every Bill on Time

Maintain a Low Credit Utilization Rate

Avoid Unnecessary Credit Applications

Monitor Your Credit Regularly

Is There a Quick Fix for Repairing Credit?

Get a Quick Boost With Experian

Instantly raise your FICO® Score for free

How Good Is Your Credit Score?

Resources

Latest Research

Latest Reviews

Instantly raise your FICO^® Score for free