Credit Reports

Just go to creditkarma.com or something

>>17647451

Cool I'll check them out

>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_free_credit_report_websites

There's more than a dozen different websites offering free credit reports, and at least one for each agency.

>>17646925
>>17647451
>>17647489

Credit reports and credit scores aren't the same thing; some services will offer free reports but not your score unless you pay

Having said that, creditkarma offers free reports and a score from 2 services, Transunion and Equifax, also for free

>my credit is a lot shittier than i thought it was

>>17648127

Yea apparently mine is bad too except I haven't even really used it. I'm going to check out that creditkarma thing for sure. The other thing I'm worried about is if I pay stuff off, does it even help? Or is it just on there forever anyway? Thanks for the input

>>17648313
>The other thing I'm worried about is if I pay stuff off, does it even help?
Yes you dense motherfucker. That's literally what credit is all about.

Credit score is essentially a measurement of how well you pay off debts, be it credit card debts, loans, whatever.

>>17648313
>ea apparently mine is bad too except I haven't even really used it.
Well that's why. Credit score builds with history over a few years. If you don't use it you have no history.

Get a credit card, use it for regular weekly payments like gas and groceries, PAY IT OFF EVERY MONTH, and after a few years AS LONG AS YOU DONT MISS PAYMENTS your credit score will be upper 700s

Its important to know that credit cards should not be viewed as free money. It's basically tiny loans. So don't use it for anything you can't pay with a debit card instead.

And pay off your shit.

>>17648392

I get that & I am paying it off which is why I wanted to run a report and make sure I got everything. But now that I'm looking at creditkarma I see that the shit I've paid off is marked as "settlement" rather than "paid in full" which is basically what I was asking ... Is it worth it to pay this stuff off when it still sits on the report in this status? I'm still paying it but curious if I'm wasting money

>>17648432

Yea this is what I'm going to do now. I think I'll use it for food/gas and just pay it down every month like you suggest because I'd be paying for that stuff anyways

Right now I'm right between 500-600 for the score which isn't good. I think its why I'm having trouble getting an apartment too because they all want to check my credit

>>17646925
Advice from an oldfag for all of you.

-Get a credit card with a maximum limit of something you can pay off in full at a moment's notice in an emergency. Set that total amount of money aside in a savings account and never touch it. This is not "money in savings", it is "money for the stupid fucking purchases you made 4 months ago before an unexpected bill/you lost your job/etc. emergency".

-Do NOT pay your credit card statement in full every month. You actually accrue better credit faster by leaving yourself in a small amount of debt on each statement. Pay whatever minimum or median you need to keep your interest rate at the lowest possible number. If you have X months to pay something off due to a promotion and you have the money NOW, put that money aside and pay it off over those X months.

-Interest is effectively what you pay THE CREDIT CARD to build your credit. Even though you can just debit out your shit every month and pay it all out, again, you don't build credit as quickly.

-Multiple small cards for SPECIFIC purposes will initially lower your credit score. Every credit application and lookup (Including your free checks) will affect your credit score. Those same small cards for specific purposes will eventually hit a point where they transfer into building your credit even faster. (Gas cards, specific retailers that you will visit for years, like auto businesses or a favorite clothing store that you buy from at least a few times yearly). Separate your card pickups and try to stay within a range of 3-4 over the same amount of years, or 1.5 years per card.

-Do not apply for more than one major credit card more than once every 3 years. If you find another credit card that offers you something better, you fucked up by not doing enough research. Eat it for 3-4 years or you will bump your credit down in the long run.

-Do not hold more than one major credit card at a time.

>>17648948

-Much like insurance, try to always stay in payments or debt on the schedule you set up. "Gaps" will affect your credit report in a non-reported way for large loans later in your future.

-Paying debit and cash forever will keep you out of debt. It will also put you in the category of "high risk" for life loans later on of any sort and guarantee you need a co-signer for something as simple as moving out in an economy apartment. You literally look worse on a credit report to most people than some shithead who's had a credit score of 400 for 15 years with debt the entire time.

Because he "has credit history"

-The system is fucking stupid, but avoiding it until your mid 30s will eventually just bite you in the ass, even if it's a small degree, and you'll have to wait even longer than the kids who got decent advice when they got out of high school.