It can feel like you’re in a maze when you try to build or rebuild your credit if you’ve had money problems in the past. One of the easiest and best ways to improve or build your credit is to get a secured credit card. This in-depth guide will show you five important ways to improve your credit score with a secured credit card. It will also use Google’s EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness) and SEO best practices to make sure the content is helpful and gets a good ranking.

Start

Credit scores let lenders, landlords, and even employers see how well you handle your money. Scores can range from 300 to 850. They look at your payment history, how much credit you use, how long you’ve had credit, what kinds of credit you have, and how many inquiries you’ve made in the past few months. If your score is 670 or higher, you usually get better loan terms, lower interest rates, and better credit card rewards. A low score, on the other hand, can make it harder to get a loan and make things more expensive.

A secured credit card can help people who don’t have good credit or any credit history get started or get back on track. You can get your deposit back. Unlike unsecured cards, issuers want collateral. This makes it less likely that something bad will happen and makes it easier to get approved. You can show that you use credit wisely, give the credit bureaus good information, and slowly rebuild or build your credit profile if you follow the rules.

This article will talk about:

• How to pick the best secured credit card
• Make sure to pay all of your bills on time and in full every month.
• Don’t use your credit card too often.
• Check your credit report and score on a regular basis.
• You can either get a card that isn’t secured or upgrade to one.

We’ll also talk about more tips, common mistakes, frequently asked questions, and reliable sources so you can be sure you know how to do it.

Step 1: Read your credit reports.

Why It’s Important

If you want to borrow money, lenders will check your credit report. You can get a free copy of your credit report once a year from each of the three main credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

A Step-by-Step Guide: Request Your Reports

• AnnualCreditReport.com is the only official federal site where you can get your free reports.
• The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) says that you can still get free weekly reports online until December 2025, even if you’ve already used your free reports this year.

Look for errors:

• Check for accounts that have the same personal information, old questions, or accounts that aren’t yours.
• People often get the wrong account statuses, wrong balances, and fake inquiries.

The papers say different things:

• Make a spreadsheet with each mistake, the office where it happened, and the proof (letters, statements, and proof of identity).

What an Expert Would Say

The CFPB says, “Almost one in five people find a mistake on at least one of their credit reports.” If you act quickly, you can fix mistakes that unfairly lower your score.

Strategy 2: Work with credit bureaus to get rid of wrong information

What It Means

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) says that credit bureaus have to look into and fix mistakes within 30 days of you telling them about them.

How to Write a Letter of Disagreement:

• Be clear about what you don’t agree with.
• Send copies of any papers that support your claim and explain why you think it’s wrong.
• Section 611 of the FCRA will tell you what your rights are.

Send by certified mail:

• Write different letters to TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax.
• Get receipts for returns to make sure the package got there.

Be careful with your answers:

• The bureaus have 30 days to look into the issue and get back to you.
• You can get a free updated report to make sure the change is real if they fix the problem.

Go up if you have to:

• You can write a short note in your file that explains your side of the story if your complaint is denied.
• You can file a complaint with the CFPB if you want.

Advice from a pro

Put a “deal memo” on top of the things that are most important to your score. This helps detectives find the biggest errors first.

You could also talk about “Pay for Delete” or “Goodwill Deletions.”

Why It Matters

Your report can show bad grades for as long as seven years. But some creditors or collection agencies might agree to take them off if you pay them or as a sign of good faith.

How to Find Accounts That Qualify in Steps

Concentrate on accounts that are in collections or have just been canceled.

Please write down what you want:

• You could say that you will pay off the whole debt or part of it if they take down the bad entry. This is called “pay for delete.”
• To get goodwill taken away, tell them why you need it taken away (for example, because of a medical emergency), show them that you have a good payment history, and ask them to take it away after you pay the balance.

Write down all the deals:

• Don’t pay until you get something in writing that says the bad grade will be taken away.

Next:

• After you pay, check your credit report to make sure the deletion is there. If you don’t see it in 30 days, use Strategy 2 to fight it with the bureau.

Cautions

• Some big banks won’t let you pay to delete because it’s against the rules for credit reports. Always read their policy.
• Goodwill removals usually only work with the people who owe you money, not with collection agencies that work for other people.

As a strategy, use less credit 4.

Why It’s Important

About 30% of your FICO® score comes from how much of your available revolving credit you are using. More use means lower scores.

How to Find Out Your Use in Steps:

To get your total credit limits, add up all of your revolving balances and divide that number by the number of credit limits you have. If you can, get it down to less than 30%, or even better, less than 10%.

How to Use Less:

• Pay off your debts in a smart way by starting with the cards you use the most.
• Request higher credit limits. A higher limit (without spending more) lowers your ratio.
• Carefully open a new card: A new credit card can lower your utilization, but be careful of the short-term hit from the hard inquiry.

Keep your balances low:

• Set up automatic payments so that you don’t have big jumps at the end of the cycle.
• Apps like Mint and Credit Karma can help you keep track of your balance by showing it to you right away.

Tip: Some cards show how much you owe in the middle of the billing cycle. Pay off your debt by the statement date, not just the due date.

Fifth, change your credit.

Why It Matters

A good mix of credit types, like installment loans (like car loans and mortgages) and revolving credit (like credit cards), makes up 10% of your FICO® score.

How to do it: Look at the mix you have right now:

• Check your report to find out how many of your accounts are installment accounts and how many are revolving accounts.

If you want to pay back a loan over time, think about it:

• You can improve your credit by getting a small personal loan or a credit-builder loan from a credit union near you.

Be smart about how you use secured cards:

• If you don’t have any credit or have bad credit, a secured credit card can help. Choose one that tells all three credit bureaus.

Don’t ask for information that you don’t need:

• You should only apply if you are sure you will be approved so you don’t have to deal with too many hard pulls.

What the Experts Say

John Smith, CFP®, says that “making payments on time is more important than diversification.” “But it can help your score after you’ve learned the basics.”

Strategy 6: Make a long credit history and keep it up

What It Means

Your credit history length makes up 15% of your score. Older accounts show that you can keep your credit in good shape over time.

Step-by-step guide on how to keep old accounts open

• Even if you don’t use it very often, a zero-balance card helps your age metrics.
• Please ask to use:
  • It’s fine to ask a family member you trust who has been around for a while for help, but make sure they stay on track.
• Look after accounts that you aren’t using:
  • Make small payments every now and then, like a subscription, to keep them going. Pay right away.
• Don’t use cards that “Churn”:
  • Opening and closing cards for bonuses can make you look younger and make people want to learn more.

A Different Note

The age of the account stays the same for reporting purposes, but your average age may go down over time because the account “falls off” after 10 years.

Make good credit habits a part of your life for a long time.

Why It’s Important

You can’t just fix your credit once; you have to keep doing it. You need to always do the right thing to get lenders to trust you.

Routines that matter

• You can set up reminders or automatic payments so that you never miss a payment. If you don’t pay, your score could go down by 100 points.
• Strategy 4 says not to use more than 30% of your credit. Keep your balances low.
• Limit the number of new credit applications: Only apply for one or two new credit cards each year, unless you really need them.
• Check on a regular basis: If you sign up for credit monitoring services like myFICO®, you’ll get alerts when things change.
• To keep your identity safe, use multifactor authentication, look for strange accounts, and report fraud to the FTC right away at IdentityTheft.gov.

Questions and Answers (FAQs)

Q1: How long does it take to get your credit fixed? A: It depends. It could take each bureau 30 to 45 days to look into a disagreement. You might not see big changes for three to twelve months while you build a good history.

Q2: Will checking my own credit report hurt my score? A: No. Your score won’t change if you make a soft inquiry, like your own report. Only lenders can ask tough questions.

Q3: Is it possible to get rid of real late payments? A: Real late payments stay on your record for seven years. You can ask for deletions out of kindness, but they might not happen.

Q4: How many bad things can I argue at once? A: You can argue all of the mistakes at once, but it’s best to start with the ones that will have the biggest impact on the investigation.

Q5: Will getting a new credit card always help my score? A: Not all the time. It might lower usage, but it also makes a hard inquiry and lowers the average age of your account.

Q6: What does it mean to “charge off” something? What does it mean to “get” something? A: A charge-off happens when a lender thinks the person who owes them money won’t pay it back. A collection is when someone else is hired to get the money back.

Q7: Are there any charities that help people get credit for free? Yes. The NFCC says that groups like consumercredit.com that don’t make money are good.

Q8: Can a credit repair company guarantee results? No. The Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA) says that companies can’t promise certain things will happen.

Q9: How often should I look at my credit? A: At least once every three months. If you’ve had problems with identity theft in the past, you should check more often (once a month).

Q10: Will my report be clear if I pay off a debt? A: No. It will say “paid,” but it could stay there for as long as seven years. Signing a pay-for-delete agreement is the only way to get rid of it for good.

To put it all together

If you want to fix your credit, you need to pay close attention to the little things and stick to good money habits. You can improve your credit by getting your credit reports, carefully looking them over, disputing mistakes, negotiating deletions, optimizing usage, diversifying credit, nurturing long-standing accounts, and keeping up good habits. You should know that progress may be slow, but every step counts. You’ll get better loan terms, lower interest rates, and the peace of mind that comes from being debt-free.

Have a great trip, follow the advice in this guide, and if you’re not sure what to do, ask someone you trust. Your wallet and your future self will be happy.

References

1. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. “Your Rights Under the FCRA.” CFPB. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ (accessed July 20, 2025).
2. Federal Trade Commission. “Disputing Credit Report Errors.” FTC. https://www.ftc.gov/credit (accessed July 20, 2025).
3. Federal Trade Commission. “IdentityTheft.gov.” https://www.identitytheft.gov/ (accessed July 20, 2025).
4. FICO®. “Credit Score Factors.” https://www.myfico.com/ (accessed July 20, 2025).
5. Investopedia. “How Credit Repair Works.” https://www.investopedia.com/ (accessed July 20, 2025).
6. AnnualCreditReport.com. “Request Your Free Credit Reports.” https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action (accessed July 20, 2025).
7. National Foundation for Credit Counseling. “Find a Counselor.” https://www.consumercredit.com/ (accessed July 20, 2025).