Now come the strategies of getting and maintaining a high credit score. There are many different versions of how to out getting high credit score; below is just my own version.

1. Minimize your credit utilization - Credit Reporting Companies (CRCs) take the amount you owed on a single card and the percentage use of your overall credit limit into consideration. My rule of thumb is never go over 70% on any single card and stay less than 50% of your overall credit limit on all cards.
2. Pay your bill on time - never, ever be late on your bills, especially pass the 30 days mark. You will see your credit score drop dramatically if this ever happened.
3. Attain higher credit limit - back to number one, you can always minimize your credit utilization by increasing your credit limit. This can be done by continuing calling credit card companies to increase your credit limit or having a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC).
4. Avoid hard inquiries- hard inquiry is always done whenever a new application for a credit card. Make sure the inquiry is worth it before doing so. Sometimes check your credit report to make sure they don’t pull more than once.
5. Do not close accounts of old credit cards - your credit card history plays a big role into determining your credit score. The more established cards will result in higher credit score.

Now here are some trickeries to increasing that credit score.

1. Continue calling calling Credit cards’ CSR to ask for higher credit limit without doing a hard pull. Do this once every three months on all cards.
2. Ask to allocate credit line to your older cards to maximize credit limit, then close the just opened accounts with low limit.
3. If you want to build your kids’ credit score, add them as an authorized user to your best credit card. By 18 years old, they will already have an established credit history. This can be done with a mortgage loan too.
4. If you are looking in increase your credit limit, play the App-O-Rama game in an hour time frame to avoid multiple inquiries. You will take a credit beating, but it will go back up once the six months mark is over.
5. If you are young, try to keep your official residence in one place such as your parents on your credit report.

It’s also a good idea to check up on your credit report often. If you want a free credit report, check out www.annualcreditreport.com for a complete free report each year. For a free monthly credit score, the best way I know how is getting a WaMu credit card. It’s the only card that gives you monthly free score.